Hybrid chemical etching of femtosecond laser irradiated structures for engineered microfluidic devices

We report on the fabrication of 3D buried micro-structures in fused silica glass using the selective chemical etching along femtosecond laser irradiated zones. Specifically, we have exploited a novel approach combining two different etching agents in successive steps. The widely used hydrofluoric acid solution, which provides fast volume removal, and potassium hydroxide solution, which exhibits high selectivity, are used to fabricate microfluidic structures. We demonstrate that this hybrid approach takes advantage of both of the individual etchants' special characteristics and facilitates prototyping and fabrication of complex geometries for microfluidic devices.