Control of multiphoton process within diffraction limit space in polymer microstructures

Femtosecond laser pulses were used for laser fabrication using two-photon-absorption. By imaging microstructures during laser fabrication, we precisely controlled the sizes and positions of optical functions in the microstructures. We fabricated a two-dimensional periodic array of polymer microstructures using two-photon-induced photopolymerization, and developed a technique of recording optical data with a spatial resolution of less than 1 μm in three-dimensions. This optical recording was achieved by using a femtosecond laser with near-infrared wavelength to induce two-photon photodegradation of fluorescent chromophores.