THREE-DIMENSIONAL MICRO- AND NANOFABRICATION OF PHOTOSENSITIVEMATERIALS BY TWO-PHOTON POLYMERIZATION WITH FEMTOSECOND LASERPULSES

摘要

True three-dimensional (3D) micro- andnanofabrication with two-photon polymerization (2PP)of inorganic-organic hybrid polymer (ORMOCER)synthesized by a modified sol-gel method will bepresented. The ultra violet (UV) sensitive ORMOCERdesigned for integrated optics applications providesexceptional thermal and chemical stability, istransparent in the infrared region, and exhibits lowlosses at the telecommunication wavelengths. Byapplying tightly focused infrared femtosecond laserpulses a chemical reaction localized in the vicinity ofthe focal volume is triggered. Polymerization occursalong the trace of the focus moved in three dimensions,enabling true 3D fabrication. After processing, thenon-irradiated resin is removed by appropriate alcoholsolution, leaving the polymerized structure. Non-linearcharacter of the interaction along with the well-definedpolymerization threshold allows one to overcome thediffraction limit for resolution. This technique issuitable for rapid prototyping of any desired structures,with resolution as high as 100nm. Due to its flexibility2PP is a very promising technique for the fabricationof micro-optical devices and photonic crystals, inparticular those with introduced defects. Recent resultsand applications of 2PP will be presented.