PROJECTION ETCHING OF KERATIN THIN FILMS FOR FABRICATION OF SKIN STRUCTURE USING ArF EXCIMER LASER

Abstract

In this study the ablation efficiency and the phenomenology of the etched keratin patterns have been investigated and the surface modification was analysed. For effective studies of skin treatments, large areas of model skin need to be generated. Therefore an ArF excimer Laser wavelength (193nm) with the ability to pattern square mm areas per pulse was used even though the maximum repetition rates are typically an order of magnitude slower. Keratin samples with different film thicknesses were ablated with different pulses. The depth of the ablated keratin layers with different pulses were also measured by scanning the sample using a Dektak KLA-Tencor and the surface statistics of the ablated keratin sample have been analysed using a white light interferometer WYKO NT1100.