Two-photon polymerization combines the concepts of multi-photon absorption with polymerization of a free radical polymerizable monomer. It can be used to fabricate a variety of micro-devices including micro-fluidic, biomedical, micro-optical, and micro-mechanical devices. A critical aspect of two-photon polymerization is the resolution of the process. This paper derives an expression for the voxel (volume element) size produced during two-photon polymerization. The model assumes a Gaussian beam and the effects of beam power, lens parameters, and resin polymerization threshold are investigated. A sensitivity analysis is also performed, and the results show that the voxel formed is more sensitive to changes in beam power and resin threshold than to changes in the incident beam diameter.

Volume Subject Area:
Processing
Topics:
Photons, Polymerization, Resins, Absorption, Biomedicine, Lenses (Optics), Microfluidics, Micromechanical devices, Resolution (Optics), Sensitivity analysis
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Copyright © 2012 by ASME
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