Patent ID: 7700032

Claim:
A method for forming microspheres having a diameter of less than 500 μm, comprising: —providing a base material substrate suitable for producing microspheres, wherein the base material substrate has at least one target surface and subsurface beneath the target surface; —applying energy to the material substrate using a first laser beam, said applied energy sufficient to heat the material substrate surface and subsurface to result in ablation of material from the surface of the substrate to a controlled, selected depth to produce ablated material particles; —permitting the ablated material particles to traverse a laser beam so as to melt the ablated material; —permitting the ablated material to resolidify in a gaseous environment to form a preselected geometry before reaching a collection surface, wherein the collection surface is separate from the base material substrate; and collecting the resolidified ablated material particles which may be manipulated on the collection surface.