Application of Bessel beams to 2D microfabrication

Fs laser-based two-photon polymerisation (2PP) has been widely reported as a means of directly writing three-dimensional nanoscale structures. Usually the voxel of a high numerical aperture microscope objective is scanned through the resin to build up the required model. In the case of high aspect ratio two-dimensional structures, such as cell scaffolds, repeated scanning is required to build up the height. The voxel shape can be substantially elongated by the inclusion of an axicon lens in the laser beam line. In this report we describe the use of a Bessel beam produced in the region beyond the focus of an objective lens when the beam has been modified in this way. A Ti:sapphire laser was used to write a range of 2D square cell structures in a Zr-loaded sol-gel system. The process was characterised, in terms of the dimensions of the polymerised Bessel region, for different processing conditions. Examples of the structures are also described. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.