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3D Micro- and Nanostructuring by Two-Photon Polymerization

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High Resolution Manufacturing from 2D to 3D/4D Printing

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Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes have become a resource-efficient and excellent tool for the easy fabrication of complex components from a wide range of materials. Among these AM processes, two-photon polymerization represents one of the most flexible and high-resolution processes, as it enables the full three-dimensional fabrication of complex structures based on CAD models with a resolution of less than 100 nm. The 2PP process is based on the principle of direct laser writing, which uses the nonlinear two-photon absorption at the focus of a femtosecond laser beam to induce a highly localized polymerization of the photosensitive material. Through computer-controlled three-dimensional guidance of the focus, complex structures can be generated directly in the volume of the material; thus, layer-by-layer fabrication, as in many other methods, is not required.

Due to these properties, 2PP opens up new possibilities in the development of novel and miniaturized devices for different applications, so that it is successfully applied in various research areas today. In this chapter, we would like to introduce both the principle of 2PP and the main application areas. In this context, we will highlight the three largest application areas, namely, optics, microfluidics, and biomedicine, and present interesting results that should give the reader a deep insight.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 951890 (Platforma), Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (ZIM KK5366201 KL 1), Federal Ministry of Education and Research with RESPONSE “Partnership for Innovation in Implant Technology”, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy – EXC-2123 QuantumFrontiers – 390837967.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laser nanoFab GmbH, Hannover, Germany

    Ayman El-Tamer, Maria Surnina & Ulf Hinze

  2. Institute of Quantum Optics, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Ulf Hinze & Boris N. Chichkov

Authors
  1. Ayman El-Tamer
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  2. Maria Surnina
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  3. Ulf Hinze
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  4. Boris N. Chichkov
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Correspondence to Ayman El-Tamer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Council (CNR) – Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (IMEM), Parma, Italy

    Simone Luigi Marasso

  2. Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy

    Matteo Cocuzza

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El-Tamer, A., Surnina, M., Hinze, U., Chichkov, B.N. (2022). 3D Micro- and Nanostructuring by Two-Photon Polymerization. In: Marasso, S.L., Cocuzza, M. (eds) High Resolution Manufacturing from 2D to 3D/4D Printing. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13779-2_3

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