Analytical Chemistry, 2010.
Multiphoton Lithography Using a High-Repetition Rate Microchip Laser
Eric T. Ritschdorff and Jason B. Shear
Multiphoton lithography (MPL) provides a means to create prototype, three-dimensional (3D) materials for numerous applications in analysis and cell biology. A major impediment to the broad adoption of MPL in research laboratories is its reliance on high peak-power light sources, a requirement that typically has been met using expensive femtosecond titanium:sapphire lasers. Development of affordable microchip laser sources has the potential to substantially extend the reach of MPL, but previous lasers have provided relatively low pulse repeti- tion rates (low kilohertz range), thereby limiting the rate at which microforms could be produced using this direct- write approach. In this report, we examine the MPL capabilities of a new, high-repetition-rate (36.6 kHz) microchip Nd:YAG laser. We show that this laser enables an approximate 4-fold decrease in fabrication times for protein-based microforms relative to the existing state- of-the-art microchip source and demonstrate its utility for creating complex 3D microarchitectures.
