Femtika Laser Nanofactory MPP Multiphoton Polymerization

General Introduction

The Femtika Laser Nanofactory MPP model is a micro- and nano-scale additive manufacturing system based on femtosecond laser multiphoton polymerization technology. It is primarily designed for research applications and small-batch production, enabling high-precision direct writing of three-dimensional microstructures within photosensitive polymers and related materials. The system requires no masks or support structures and can fabricate complex 3D microstructures ranging from sub-micron to centimeter scales, making it widely suitable for prototyping and fundamental research in fields such as micro-optics, microfluidics, biomedicine, micromechanics, and tissue engineering. The equipment features a modular design that integrates a femtosecond laser source, a high-precision positioning stage, a galvanometer scanning system, and a real-time visual monitoring module, resulting in a compact yet highly scalable platform. Users can easily swap objective lenses, sample stages, and auxiliary components to meet specific experimental needs, supporting various substrate formats including glass slides, wafers, and optical fibers. While maintaining exceptional fabrication accuracy, the MPP model also prioritizes ease of operation, with native support for common 3D model file formats, thereby addressing the diverse requirements of universities, research institutes, and corporate R&D departments for micro- and nanostructure fabrication. Its proven process stability and broad material compatibility have led to extensive applications in two-photon polymerization, nanoscale printing, 3D photonic crystals, microneedle arrays, cell scaffolds, and other areas, establishing it as a representative, general-purpose workstation in the field of femtosecond laser-based micro- and nanomanufacturing. During prolonged operation, the system maintains excellent power stability, enabling continuous processing; when combined with post-exposure development and subsequent post-processing steps, it yields micro- and nano-devices with well-defined structures, sharp edges, and superior surface quality, providing reliable hardware support for cutting-edge research and the development of functional devices.

[Accompanying images: overall view of the complete device + SEM image of a typical MPP-machined microstructure]

Working Principle

The operating principle of the Laser Nanofactory MPP is based on femtosecond laser–induced multiphoton absorption and photopolymerization, making it a maskless, direct-write additive microfabrication technique. A femtosecond laser emits ultrashort pulses that, after beam shaping, energy control, and optical path delivery, are focused by a high-numerical-aperture objective lens into the bulk of a photosensitive resin. Within the extremely small focal volume, the photon density exceeds the multiphoton absorption threshold, enabling material molecules to simultaneously absorb multiple photons and become excited, thereby triggering localized photopolymerization. This rapidly converts the liquid monomer into a solid cross-linked polymer. Because the multiphoton effect occurs only in the high-energy-density region near the focus, areas outside the focal spot lack sufficient energy to initiate curing, resulting in highly spatially selective fabrication and enabling submicron-scale fine curing. The system employs coordinated motion between XYZ high-precision translation stages and galvanometer scanners to steer the laser focus through the resin according to a pre-defined three-dimensional model, scanning spatial trajectories point by point, line by line, and layer by layer to build a complete three-dimensional structure. During processing, a machine-vision system continuously monitors the fabrication area, while an automatic focusing module ensures that the focal plane remains precisely at the target depth, thus preventing precision errors caused by sample tilt or surface topography. After laser writing is completed, the sample is immersed in a developer solution for washing; the uncured liquid resin is dissolved and removed, leaving behind the three-dimensional microstructure formed by laser-induced curing. The entire process generates minimal thermal effects, with virtually no thermal diffusion or thermal damage, thereby preserving the dimensional accuracy and surface morphology of the microstructures. This makes the system particularly well suited for fabricating complex geometries—such as suspended structures, hollow features, and interlocking patterns—that are difficult to achieve using conventional microfabrication techniques.

[Figure: Schematic diagram of the working principle of multiphoton polymerization (MPP)]

Advantages and Key Features

The MPP model offers numerous practical advantages in femtosecond laser micro- and nano-additive manufacturing. First, it delivers exceptionally high spatial resolution and forming accuracy, enabling the fabrication of sub-micron features and meeting the stringent dimensional and structural requirements of micro-optical components and precision micromechanical devices. Second, the system supports true three-dimensional support-free fabrication, allowing direct production of complex internal cavities, overhanging structures, and moving parts without the need for auxiliary support designs, thereby significantly reducing design constraints and increasing structural freedom. In terms of material compatibility, the equipment is compatible with commonly used commercial photoresists, hybrid organic–inorganic materials, elastomers, and certain biocompatible materials, enabling the selection of either rigid or flexible structures based on application needs and expanding its potential applications in the biomedical field. The system features a granite base and closed-loop controlled translation stages, providing robust mechanical stability and minimal operational vibration, which facilitates long-term continuous processing while ensuring sample consistency. The laser source exhibits excellent long-term power stability, minimizing issues such as non-uniform curing and linewidth deviations caused by energy fluctuations and thereby enhancing batch-to-batch repeatability. The system integrates real-time visual monitoring and automatic alignment functions, enabling rapid pre-processing positioning and dynamic in-process monitoring to reduce human error and improve yield. Its modular optical path and software architecture allow for flexible system upgrades and functional expansion, with options to add specialized objectives, environmental control modules, or multi-material switching units as needed. The user interface is intuitively designed, supporting import of common 3D file formats and automatic generation of machining paths, so researchers can conduct experiments after basic training, lowering the barrier to entry. Overall, this model strikes a good balance among precision, flexibility, stability, and ease of use, making it well suited to a wide range of research and prototyping applications.

[Image: Actual photograph of complex microstructures machined by MPP]

Application Areas and Use Cases

MPP models are primarily employed in micro-optics, microfluidics, biomedicine, microelectromechanical systems, and cutting-edge materials science, enabling the rapid fabrication of high-precision functional microdevices. In the field of micro-optics, they are commonly used to fabricate micro-lens arrays, phase plates, photonic crystals, optical waveguides, and other structures, which find applications in miniaturized imaging systems, beam manipulation, and sensing and detection. In microfluidics, MPP systems can produce microvalves, microfilters, micromixers, and channel architectures, supporting lab-on-a-chip platforms, cell sorting, and precise handling of trace reagents. In biomedicine, the equipment can process biocompatible microscaffolds, microneedle arrays, and three-dimensional cell-culture carriers, which are utilized in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and in vitro disease-model research. In the realm of micro-mechanics, MPP systems can fabricate precision components such as microgears, microsprings, and miniature frameworks, providing core building blocks for micro-robots and sensors. Typical application examples include research institutions that use MPP systems to fabricate ceramic precursor microstructures, which, upon subsequent sintering, yield high-strength ceramic metamaterials for studying mechanical properties and metamaterial characteristics; other teams leverage the equipment to create flexible microstructures for biomechanical monitoring and the development of implantable devices. In the development of microfluidic chips, researchers capitalize on the system’s high precision to fabricate micron-scale channels and filtration arrays, achieving efficient sorting of tiny particles and cells. Moreover, in the establishment of teaching and research platforms, this equipment often serves as a micro- and nano-manufacturing experimental platform, supporting multidisciplinary, cross-disciplinary research projects, helping researchers rapidly validate novel structural designs, shortening the R&D cycle from concept to prototype, and providing an experimental foundation for high-impact publications and patent outcomes.