Three-dimensional microfabrication through a multimode optical fiber

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is an advanced manufacturing technique that allows the fabrication of arbitrary macroscopic and microscopic objects. All 3D printing systems require large optical elements or nozzles in proximity to the built structure. This prevents their use in applications in which there is no direct access to the area where the objects have to be printed. Here, we demonstrate three-dimensional microfabrication based on two-photon polymerization (TPP) with sub diffraction-limited resolution through an ultra-thin, 50 mm long printing nozzle of 560 µm in diameter. Using wavefront shaping, femtosecond infrared pulses are focused and scanned through a multimode optical fiber (MMF) inside a photoresist that polymerizes via two-photon absorption. We show the construction of arbitrary 3D structures of 500 nm resolution on the other side of the fiber. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of microfabrication through a multimode optical fiber. Our work represents a new area which we refer to as endofabrication.

Polymers for Regenerative Medicine Structures Made via Multiphoton 3D Lithography

“…This again shows that the cold nature of fs processing is extremely attractive in RM. Keeping in mind that 3DLL can be realized through an optical fiber [190] which can also have advanced imaging lenses [12] or manipulation tools attached to it [14], true in situ bioprinting inside a living human can be envisioned in the future. Finally, preclinical in vivo trials were also performed, showing that hard hybrid polymer 3D scaffolds can outperform standard collagen membranes in healing trauma [16].…”

D–π–A–π–D Initiators Based on Benzophenone Conjugate Extension for Two-Photon Polymerization Additive Manufacturing

“…Two-photon absorption is a third-order nonlinear optical effect that has a wide range of uses. Among them, two-photon polymerization additive manufacturing (TPPAM) is extensively used in many three-dimensional precision structure manufacturing fieldssuch as those of photonic crystals [1,2], micro-optical elements [3,4], three-dimensional high-density information storage [5][6][7], biocompatible devices [8][9][10], etc.-due to its unique ultra-high-resolution performance. TPPAM has a growing number of applicaitons, which also highlights the new requirements for its manufacturing speed.…”

Thermal Effects in Single-Point Curing Process for Pulsed Infrared Laser-Assisted 3D Printing of Optics

“…26 The voxel size and shape determine the minimum geometric resolution of the 3D printing, and hence, the final surface precision of lens surface. 27 In our approach, the voxel is affected both by the photoenergy distribution and the thermal diffusion in liquid polymer due to the high temperature rise in the vicinity of laser spot. 28 Modeling thermal effects induced by pulsed laser has been investigated widely in multiple application fields.…”