Fremont, CA - Synova, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and manufacturer of the versatile Laser MicroJet machine, is now offering cutting and dicing services out of its newly opened Fremont micromachining center (MMC).
Synova’s MicroJet technology is unique in its use of water to guide the laser beam to its target surface, akin to a fiber-optic guiding light. The water cools the surface, thereby minimizing the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and its related defects. The reduction in the HAZ greatly reduces microcracking, a frequent reliability concern. The water also cleans the surface during and between pulses, reducing metal redeposition. Post-laser cleaning processes are often simplified or eliminated.
The technology has many advantages over traditional cutting techniques, especially when tight tolerances and high quality are critical. The technology is best suited for semiconductor dicing of silicon and III-V materials, machining of thin metals and ceramics for industrial and medical applications, and cutting of hard materials such as monocrystalline and polycrystalline diamond (CVD, PCD), cubic boron nitride (CBN) or silicon carbide (SiC).
The use of the process is well suited for feasibility testing, early hardware builds, qualification runs, prototyping, and low-volume production.