Laser Modification of Thin Polymer Coatings

Abstract

Traditional manufacturing techniques are well-established for processing polyimides, such as Kapton®. This thesis presents a novel approach to producing polyimide and graphite using low-cost, commercially available equipment. Employing a 450 nm laser to both imidize and pyrolyze a polyamide precursor enables the flexibility of on-site manufacturing, even at a microscale, without relying on conventional fabrication techniques. The proposed method offers significant advantages, including cost and time efficiency, design flexibility, and biocompatibility, paving the way for innovative micromechanical and biomedical sensing applications. Moreover, this technique would enable the integration of fully additive manufacturing methods for Kapton® production, which currently relies primarily on subtractive manufacturing technologies. The thesis outlines the fabrication process, highlights optimal laser settings, and demonstrates the practicality of this technique by developing a water detector sensor manufactured entirely from the precursor liquid using the described method