Femtosecond microfabrication technology is used in micro-optics applications, including multi-photon polymerization (MPP) and 3D laser lithography. MPP enables the production of polymeric structures with high resolution, such as Fresnel lenses and photonic crystals. These structures can be used in optics and photonics applications for miniaturization. 3D laser lithography is used to fabricate micro-optical components, such as micro prisms, which can be printed on functional devices for filtering and detecting light signals. Multiphoton polymerization provides flexibility in maintaining different quality and functionality surfaces for various applications.

Femtosecond lasers are extremely versatile tools allowing a great variety of different microfabrication processes. Each process has its requirements for laser, beam delivery, or material parameters. Our Laser Nanofactory workstation allows hybrid fabrication, meaning that various processes are supported by the same equipment. The two of our most frequently used processes are multiphoton polymerization and selective glass etching, however, that is far from all! By precisely tuning its parameters the same machine is capable of performing more processes including:

• Refractive index modification of transparent materials
• Micro-ablation
• Surface structuring
• Micro-welding

Femtosecond microfabrication technology is used in microfluidic applications, including 3D laser lithography and selective laser etching (SLE). 3D laser lithography is used to fabricate functional elements such as flow filters and sensors, with a total size of 200 µm and thickness of 5 µm. SLE allows the microfabrication of complex-shaped microfluidic channels out of fused silica glass, providing low surface roughness and enabling the production of 3D free-form structures with micron precision. SLE-made microfluidics are transparent, biocompatible, and inert, making them suitable for many scientific applications, such as biochemical research.