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Finer features for functional microdevices

Nature volume 412, pages 697–698 (2001)Cite this article

Micromachines can be created with higher resolution using two-photon absorption.

Compared with light or electron-beam lithography, the virtue of two-photon photopolymerization1 as a tool for making microdevices lies in its three-dimensional capability, which has found application in photonic devices2,3,4 and micromachines1,5,6 with feature sizes close to the diffraction limit. Here we show that the diffraction limit can be exceeded by non-linear effects to give a subdiffraction-limit spatial resolution of 120 nanometres. This allows functional micromachines to be created and shifts the working wavelength of photonic and opto-electronic devices into the visible and near-infrared region.

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Figure 1: Microfabrication and nanofabrication at subdiffraction-limit resolution.
Figure 2: Functional micro-oscillator system, in which not only the spring but also the cubic anchor and the bead were produced using our two-photon absorption system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Physics, Osaka University, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka, Japan

    Satoshi Kawata, Hong-Bo Sun, Tomokazu Tanaka & Kenji Takada

Authors
  1. Satoshi Kawata
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  2. Hong-Bo Sun
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  3. Tomokazu Tanaka
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  4. Kenji Takada
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Correspondence to Satoshi Kawata.

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Kawata, S., Sun, HB., Tanaka, T. et al. Finer features for functional microdevices. Nature 412, 697–698 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35089130

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