Micro 3D Printing by Two-Photon Polymerization: Configurations and Parameters for the Nanoscribe System

Abstract

3D printing by two-photon polymerization enables the fabrication of microstructures with complex shapes and critical dimensions of a few hundreds of nanometers. On state-of-the art commercial two-photon polymerization systems, an immense 3D design freedom can be put into practice by direct laser writing using a precise fabrication technology, which makes this approach highly attractive for different applications on the microscale, such as microrobotics, micro-optics, or biosensing. However, navigating the different possible configurations and selecting the optimal parameters for the fabrication process often requires intensive testing and optimization. In addition to the more established acrylate-based resins, there is a growing interest in the use of soft materials. In this paper, we demonstrate the fabrication of various microscale structures by two-photon polymerization using a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT+ commercial system. Furthermore, we describe the different configurations of the system and parameter selection, as well as commercial resins and their chemical and mechanical properties. Finally, we provide a short guide aiming to serve as starting point for the two-photon polymerization-based fabrication of various microscale architectures with distinct characteristics.

Vitrification within a nanoliter volume: oocyte and embryo cryopreservation within a 3D photopolymerized device

“…This device “caps” the Pod, so the oocyte or embryo cannot exit during processing or storage. Two-photon polymerization [ 33 ] was used to fabricate the Pod (725 × 250 × 250 μm: l × w × h ; Fig. 1e , f ) and Garage (1500 × 450 × 310 μm; Fig.…”

“…Our device is comprised of two components, the Pod and Garage, which were designed using 3D modelling software (Solidworks®, Dassault Systèmes SE, Paris, France). Fabrication of the Pods and Garages was performed using two-photon polymerization with a Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT printer (Nanoscribe GmBH, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany) [33] as previously described [32]. The Pods and Garages were fabricated from an IPSphotoresist resin (Nanoscribe GmBH).…”

Fabrication on the microscale: a two-photon polymerized device for oocyte microinjection

“…It also provides the general orientation for the process of ICSI. Two-photon polymerization [ 21 ] was used to fabricate the Pod (725 × 250 × 250 μm: l × w × h ; Fig. 1d ) and Garage (1500 × 450 × 310 μm; Fig.…”

Additive manufacturing by digital light processing: a review

“…5f). The minimum identity of freely cured photopolymers (called "voxel", which stands for "volumetric pixel") allows manufacturing of micro-objects with nanometric features [61].…”

“…f Two-photon polymerization (adapted and reprinted from ref. [61] licensed under a Creative Commons license, CC BY 4.0) general, the steps for polymerization are the same for all the photopolymers while interacting with the radiation, but the mechanism is different based on the photoinitiating system which is detailed in the next sections.…”