Evaldas Stankevičius

Fabrication of micro-tube arrays in photopolymer SZ2080 by using three different methods of a direct laser polymerization technique

In this paper we demonstrate femtosecond laser fabrication of micro-tubes with a height of several tens of micrometers in the photopolymer SZ2080 by three different methods: direct laser writing, using the optical vortex beam and holographic lithography. The flexibility of direct laser writing and dramatic increase of production efficiency by applying the vortex-shaped beam and four-beam interference approaches are presented. Sample arrays of micro-tubes were successfully manufactured applying all three methods and the fabrication quality as well as efficiency of the methods is compared. The processing time of a single micro-tube with 60 ?m height and 3 ?m inner radius is reduced 400 times for the holographic lithography technique and 500 times for the optical vortex method compared with the direct laser writing technique. The processing time of a micro-tube array containing 400?micro-tubes is the shortest for the holographic lithography method but not for the optical vortex method as in the case of a single micro-tube, because the holographic lithography method does not require time for sample translation. Additionally, the holographic lithography enables manufacturing of the whole micro-tube array by a single exposure. Although point-by-point photo-structuring ensures unmatched complexity of manufactured microstructures, employing nowadays high repetition rate amplified femtosecond lasers combined with beam shaping or several beam interference can envisage industrial applications for practical demands.

Fabrication of periodic micro-structures by holographic lithography

The principles of the holographic lithography technique are reviewed, and the ability in the formation of structures with different periods by the holographic lithography technique in SZ2080 is demonstrated. The influence of laser exposure, phase shift between interfering laser beams, and the used laser wavelength on the structures fabricated by the four-beam interference technique has been studied. It is shown that by using the interfering beams with a different phase is it possible to reduce the period of the structure √ − 2 times compared to the four interfering beams of the same phase. Fabrication of micro-structures by the holographic lithography technique can be realized via multi-photon and single-photon polymerization processes. The structures created by these two techniques are compared. Finally, in the experiments with the five-beam interference, the doubleperiod effect was observed by adding the zero-order beam with a low intensity. The fabricated periodic microstructures have the potential to be used as a scaffold for cell growth and micro-optics.

Holographic lithography for biomedical applications

Fabrication of scaffolds for cell growth with appropriate mechanical characteristics is top-most important for successful creation of tissue. Due to ability of fast fabrication of periodic structures with a different period, the holographic lithography technique is a suitable tool for scaffolds fabrication. The scaffolds fabricated by holographic lithography can be used in various biomedical investigations such as the cellular adhesion, proliferation and viability. These investigations allow selection of the suitable material and geometry of scaffolds which can be used in creation of tissue. Scaffolds fabricated from di-acrylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-DA-258) over a large area by holographic lithography technique are presented in this paper. The PEG-DA scaffolds fabricated by holographic lithography showed good cytocompatibility for rabbit myogenic stem cells. It was observed that adult rabbit muscle-derived myogenic stem cells grew onto PEG-DA scaffolds. They were attached to the pillars and formed cell-cell interactions. It demonstrates that the fabricated structures have potential to be an interconnection channel network for cell-to-cell interactions, flow transport of nutrients and metabolic waste as well as vascular capillary ingrowth. These results are encouraging for further development of holographic lithography by improving its efficiency for microstructuring three-dimensional scaffolds out of biodegradable hydrogels

Applications of nonlinear laser nano/microlithography: fabrication from nanophotonic to biomedical components

In this work we present the latest results in the application of multi-photon polymerization for tissue engineering, by fabricating microstructured artificial 3D scaffolds for stem cell growth. Microstructuring of large scale 3D scaffolds is investigated and the direct laser writing technique is supplemented by fabrication by multi-beam interference and micromolding of large scale structures. Within the limitation of our study, we conclude that the proposed nonlinear direct laser writing technique offers rapid and flexible fabrication of biomedical components with required shape, pore size and general porosity. The applications could target biostable and biodegradable implants applied for bone or tissue replacement as well as drug delivery or release agents.

Bessel-like beam array formation by periodical arrangement of the polymeric round-tip microstructures

Here, we report the formation of Bessel-like beam array from periodic patterns fabricated by the four-beam interference lithography. Characteristics of the generated Bessel-like beams depend on geometrical parameters of the fabricated microaxicon-like structures, which can be easily controlled via the laser processing parameters. The output beam characteristics disclose the attributes of Bessel beams. The demonstrated method enables an easy fabrication of angular-tolerant wavefront detectors, optical tweezers, optical imaging systems or materials processing tools, having a broad range of applications.

Laser intensity-based geometry control of periodic submicron polymer structures fabricated by laser interference lithography

Photo-polymerization based fabrication of polymer micro- and nanostructures allows flexible geometry control due to reaction kinetics that are strongly dependent on the characteristics of exposure energy. Herein, we demonstrate the geometry control of the submicron polymer structures by altering the polymerization kinetics with variations of laser pulse duration and peak intensity, simultaneously. Periodic surface structures with submicron features having Gaussian and circle function profiles, as well as unique, dimple-like, geometry nanostructures were fabricated. The demonstrated fabrication method could be applied for the development of diffraction-based optical elements and anti-reflective surfaces, or the modulation of surface wetting and tribological properties.