Communications of the ACM
3D Printing Technique Accelerates Nanoscale Fabrication a Thousandfold
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Chinese University of Hong Kong tapped a time-based technique for controlling light from an ultrafast laser to develop a nanoscale three-dimensional printing methodology.
Credit: Vu Nguyen and Sourabh Saha
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have tapped a time-based technique for controlling light from an ultrafast laser to develop a nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) printing methodology that maintains resolution and is 1,000 times faster than conventional two-photon lithography (TPL).
Femtosecond projection TPL generates depth resolution of 175 nanometers, and can build structures with 90-degree overhangs.
The Georgia Institute of Technology's Sourabh Saha, who participated in the project, said, "Instead of using a single point of light, we project a million points simultaneously," scaling up the TPL process.
The team used a digital mask to control a femtosecond high-intensity laser and generate the desired light pattern in the precursor liquid polymer, triggering solidification to produce 3D structures.
Said LLNL's Chris Spadaccini, "The parallel two-photon system ... will enable the remarkable performance in materials and structures at this size scale to be realized in usable components."
From Georgia Tech News Center
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Abstracts Copyright © 2019 SmithBucklin, Washington, DC, USA
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