Two-photon polymerization initiators for three-dimensional optical data storage and microfabrication

Brian H. Cumpston, Sundaravel P. Ananthavel, Stephen Barlow, Daniel L. Dyer, Jeffrey E. Ehrlich, Lael L. Erskine, Ahmed A. Heikal, Stephen M. Kuebler, I.-Y. Sandy Lee, Dianne McCord-Maughon, Jinqui Qin, Harald Röckel, Mariacristina Rumi, Xiang-Li Wu, Seth R. Marder and Joseph W. Perry ()
Additional contact information
Brian H. Cumpston: California Institute of Technology
Sundaravel P. Ananthavel: California Institute of Technology
Stephen Barlow: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Daniel L. Dyer: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Jeffrey E. Ehrlich: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Lael L. Erskine: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Ahmed A. Heikal: California Institute of Technology
Stephen M. Kuebler: California Institute of Technology
I.-Y. Sandy Lee: California Institute of Technology
Dianne McCord-Maughon: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Jinqui Qin: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Harald Röckel: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Mariacristina Rumi: California Institute of Technology
Xiang-Li Wu: California Institute of Technology
Seth R. Marder: Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology
Joseph W. Perry: California Institute of Technology

Nature, 1999, vol. 398, issue 6722, 51-54

Abstract: Abstract Two-photon excitation provides a means of activating chemical or physical processes with high spatial resolution in three dimensions and has made possible the development of three-dimensional fluorescence imaging1, optical data storage2,3 and lithographic microfabrication4,5,6. These applications take advantage of the fact that the two-photon absorption probability depends quadratically on intensity, so under tight-focusing conditions, the absorption is confined at the focus to a volume of order λ3 (where λ is the laser wavelength). Any subsequent process, such as fluorescence or a photoinduced chemical reaction, is also localized in this small volume. Although three-dimensional data storage and microfabrication have been illustrated using two-photon-initiated polymerization of resins incorporating conventional ultraviolet-absorbing initiators, such photopolymer systems exhibit low photosensitivity as the initiators have small two-photon absorption cross-sections (δ). Consequently, this approach requires high laser power, and its widespread use remains impractical. Here we report on a class of π;-conjugated compounds that exhibit large δ (as high as 1, 250 × 10−50 cm4 s per photon) and enhanced two-photon sensitivity relative to ultraviolet initiators. Two-photon excitable resins based on these new initiators have been developed and used to demonstrate a scheme for three-dimensional data storage which permits fluorescent and refractive read-out, and the fabrication of three-dimensional micro-optical and micromechanical structures, including photonic-bandgap-type structures7.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1038/17989

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