A growing portfolio of components, process-development challenges, and unusual geometries. Each example connects fabrication choices to the problem being solved.
Component handling / loopPALM Scientific
X-Ray FEL / Diamond
20 µm Tapered Diamond Membrane
A tapered membrane machined into a 5 x 5 mm diamond plate, with remaining material thickness as low as 20 microns.
Material
Diamond
Plate size
5 x 5 mm
Geometry
Tapered membrane
Thickness
Down to 20 µm
Application
Semi-transparent X-ray FEL outcoupling mirror
Manufactured for X-ray free-electron laser outcoupling optics where extreme thinning and controlled geometry must coexist in a single diamond component.
Technical result
Built for XFELO outcoupling, this diamond optic was tapered by laser ablation to a membrane as thin as 20 µm while preserving the crystal structure of the remaining material. The result combines controlled X-ray transmission with the crystalline integrity required for oscillator optics.
Femtosecond laser pulses are focused inside bulk diamond, with optical aberrations compensated for the material's high refractive index. The process parameters are tuned to locally convert diamond into graphite, enabling conductive paths to be written within the crystal in true three dimensions.
The microscope video follows a focal sweep through the diamond. One grid of parallel horizontal wires appears 50 µm above a second grid with the same 50 µm periodicity.
Material
Diamond
Structure
Buried conductive graphite wires
Geometry
Two vertically separated wire grids
Periodicity
50 µm
Layer separation
50 µm
Process
Aberration-compensated femtosecond laser writing
Finished diamond feature / 1 mm diameter
Diamond Micromachining / Precision Finishing
1 mm Hemispherical Form in Diamond
A 1 mm-diameter hemispherical form was laser-ablated directly into a diamond plate, then polished to refine the machined surface. The result combines controlled three-dimensional material removal with a secondary finishing step on a compact diamond geometry.
The video shows the finished hemispherical feature on the diamond plate and its scale relative to the handling tools.
Material
Diamond
Feature diameter
1 mm
Geometry
Hemispherical form
Primary process
Precision laser ablation
Finishing
Post-ablation polishing
Diamond anvil / blind-hole machining
High-Pressure Research / Diamond
Blind-Hole Diamond Anvil for X-Ray Experiments
Diamond anvils use opposing diamond tips to compress microscopic samples to extreme pressures while retaining optical and X-ray access to the sample. For this anvil, PALM laser-machined a blind hole into the table to shorten the X-ray path through diamond and reduce absorption during experiments at X-ray light sources.
Component
Diamond anvil
Feature
Blind hole through the table
Purpose
Reduced X-ray absorption
Environment
High-pressure X-ray experiments
Finishing
Polished hole bottom
The bottom of the blind hole was polished to preserve optical access for temperature measurements, including the ruby-based measurement used in the research setup.
Surface map / loopPALM Scientific
Terahertz / Sapphire
500 GHz Moth-Eye Transmission Filter
Periodic microstructures laser-ablated directly into a sapphire wafer for narrow-band transmission near 500 GHz.
Material
Sapphire
Application
Narrow-band THz transmission
Center frequency
500 GHz
Process
Precision laser ablation
Validation
3D surface metrology
Process details can be developed around material response, target geometry, and functional test requirements.
Method & Company
An integrated precision fabrication environment.
PALM Scientific operates a purpose-built laser microfabrication laboratory with femtosecond, picosecond, nanosecond, and millisecond laser systems spanning the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared. Together, these systems support precision ablation, laser polishing, marking, surface finishing, and welding. Rather than relying on a single general-purpose workstation, PALM integrates precision motion, deterministic laser synchronization, in-line metrology, environmental control, and material-specific finishing into each fabrication process.
01
Controlled fabrication
Temperature-controlled work envelopes, nanometer-resolution position feedback, interferometric alignment methods, and continuous stability tracking support long-duration fabrication of demanding geometries.
02
Deterministic pulse placement
Motion, beam steering, and laser firing are synchronized through deterministic control architecture. Individual ablation events can be placed according to measured position—not merely elapsed time or nominal motion commands.
03
Measurement-driven correction
In-line measurements and independent surface metrology compare machining results with the target geometry, reveal systematic deviations, and guide corrective operations.
04
Fabrication through finishing
Laser processing is integrated with chemical-mechanical polishing, laser welding, custom fixturing, multi-material brazing, precision grinding and lapping, and polishing processes tailored to each material and required surface. This allows PALM to carry a component from initial machining through dimensional correction, assembly, and final finishing within a single fabrication workflow.
Deterministic motion-synchronized processing
Every pulse has a position. Every surface has a measured residual.
Laser emission, sample motion, and optical positioning are coordinated through hardware-level triggering and position-aware control. Each ablation event is tied to a known stage or optical position, providing controlled crater placement during continuous motion without depending on software timing alone.
Individual laser pulses during synchronized ablation
Position-aware control
Controlled triggering turns each laser firing event into a spatially registered machining process rather than a loosely timed sequence of laser commands.
Residual convergence and crater-position readback shown over the same control cycle
Multi-scale surface metrology
Measurement is part of the fabrication loop.
Laser-scanning and focus-variation microscopy provide three-dimensional measurements from individual laser features through millimeter-scale surfaces. Measurements support final inspection and provide feedback for corrective machining.
Surface topography and roughness
Form and profile error
Feature depth and diameter
Edge and sidewall geometry
Registration between features
Comparison with nominal geometry
The physics behind the method
Built from an experimental-physics perspective.
PALM Scientific was founded by Sergey Antipov, an experimental accelerator physicist. The laboratory's fabrication systems reflect that background: precision synchronization, interferometric alignment, stability measurement, custom instrumentation, and quantitative validation are treated as integral parts of the process.
We build experimental systems to solve fabrication problems—especially when the material is difficult, the geometry is unfamiliar, or the project begins before a manufacturing recipe exists.
Work that stands up in demanding research environments.
PALM Scientific has supported national laboratories, accelerator facilities, universities, and commercial organizations across precision fabrication and research programs.
Brookhaven National Laboratory Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) · National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)
Sandia National Laboratories
Carnegie Science
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Korea Basic Science Institute
Pohang Accelerator Laboratory
MAX IV Laboratory
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
Universities
University of Rochester
Stony Brook University
Johns Hopkins University
Texas A&M University
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Iowa State University
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Companies
Multiple commercial projects under NDA
JJ X-Ray
RadiaBeam
MANTECH
Almax easyLab
Start a Project
Bring the geometry, material, or measurement problem.
A useful first note includes the material, target geometry, quantity, critical dimensions, and how success will be measured. Confidential discussions and NDA-based work are welcome.
