Femtosecond laser irradiation of glass substrates for advanced integrated imaging

Advanced microscopy techniques aimed at enhancing spatial or temporal resolution have garnered significant interest in the scientific community in recent years. However, these methods often involve complex, expensive, and difficult-to-operate setups. Within the growing trend toward simplifying the user experience, our work focuses on developing high-performance, fully integrated microscopes. Central to our approach is femtosecond laser micromachining (FLM), a versatile fabrication technique that enables the integration of various optical components, such as waveguides, mirrors, filters, and lenses, directly inside glass substrates. Additionally, FLM allows the incorporation of microfluidic structures for processing biological samples, paving the way for compact, efficient, and user-friendly microscopy platforms.