A comparison of excimer laser etching and dry etching process for surface fabrication of biomaterials

One of the great possibilities for the future of bioengineering is the capability to control the movement and differentiation of individual cells. In this project, we aim to use microtexturing of the surfaces to control the migration of different types of T cell (a specific type of cell appearing in the lymphatic system). This paper reports on a part of that work which is concerned with exploring various microfabrication technologies to texture the surface of four biocompatible materials, viz. poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), borosilicate glass (B2O3-SiO2), and silicate glass (SiO2). The microfabrication processes are excimer laser etching and microetching, the latter being divided into microlithography and Ar+ ion etching. Channels were fabricated in each material. It was found that, using the equipment available, excimer laser etching could not achieve the specifications whereas microlithography could. How these conclusions were reached is described in detail. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.