The field of device optical pmma precision prototyping systems or is concerned with the development of integrated systems of sensors, actuators and associated electronics manufacturability by the kinds of batch processes found in the semiconductor industry. A key feature of semiconductor manufacturing over the past 30 years has been its ability to produce ever smaller features, the current state-of-the-art in production being around 0.25 µm. However, the success of device optical pmma precision prototyping is not attributable solely to miniaturization; the integration of components on a single platform or substrate improves reliability and performance, while batch manufacturing methods lower cost of production and improve reproducibility.

Research aims to extend these advantages to devices and systems that, while generally incorporating electronics also perform non-electronic functions. A typical example would be a micro machined silicon pressure sensor packaged with its associated signal conditioning circuitry. Device optical pmma precision prototyping is an emerging field in which technology push still dominates over market pull in many areas. Nevertheless, a number of products have been commercialized in recent years, notably ink-jet printer heads, silicon pressure sensors, crash-bag accelerometers and micro machined gyroscopes. This list is expected to grow substantially over the coming decade.

Table 1 shows a cross-section of devices and systems currently under development, and their potential market areas [1,2]. research to date has been dominated by silicon, and this situation is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Silicon is an attractive material because of its low cost and high quality, its useful electro-mechanical properties, and the possibility of monolithic integration with electronics. However, silicon micromachining processes, while clearly able to produce an enormous range of useful devices, do have their limitations. Firstly, they are based on a very limited range of materials (notably silicon, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, and a few metals), whereas device optical pmma precision prototyping in general call for a much broader materials base including, for example, polymers and functional materials (e.g. magnetic materials, ferroelectrics and shape memory alloys). This was one of the main drivers behind development of the process. Silicon processes are also poorly suited to the realization of 3D (three-dimensional) structures. Such structures are proving essential for an increasing range of devices, in particular actuators. Until recently, silicon structures with appreciable depth could be produced only by bulk micromachining, where the range of achievable geometries is severely limited by the crystal structure of the substrate.

This situation has changed somewhat with the emergence of DRIE (deep reactive ion etch) technology, which can produce vertical-walled silicon structures with heights of up to several hundred microns; however, arbitrary 3D structures are still not possible. This paper is concerned with applications of lasers in manufacture. Laser processing specifically for device optical pmma precision prototyping is currently a relatively small-scale activity. Nevertheless, all of the following have been demonstrated in the device optical pmma precision prototyping context: t or reed switches: micron accuracy in mass production”.