Light-driven MEMS made by high-speed two-photon microstereolithography

Abstract

Freely movable microstructures were made by use of high-speed two-photon microstereolithography with 200 nm resolution. In our method, movable microstructures are fabricated by fast scanning of an ultrashort-pulsed near-infrared laser beam through the inside of a liquid photocurable polymer. Since the method does not require sacrificial etching processes normally used in major micromachining such as surface micromachining and LIGA process, the fabrication process of movable microstructures can be drastically simplified. In addition, the movable microstructures can be driven by means of laser-scanning micromanipulation, because the resultant microstructures are transparent to visible and near infrared light. In our experiments, micromechanisms such as a microgear and micromanipulators were successfully driven by a focused laser beam. Such light-driven micromechanism should be developed into various microdevices applicable to microfluidics, chemistry and biochemistry.