Three-dimensional two-photon laser fabrication for metals, polymers, and magneto-optical materials

The three-dimensional (3D) two-photon laser fabrication techniques for metal, polymer, and magneto-optical structures are presented. Two-photon-induced reduction of metal complex ions was developed to create 3D metal micro/nano structures. Owing to the inhibition of unwanted growth of metal nano crystals using surfactant molecules, we have successfully improved the spatial resolution of fabricated metal structures down to 100 nm in linewidth. Arbitrary shaped 3D silver structures with high electric conductivity were fabricated. Two-photon-induced photopolymerization technique has been applied for the photonic wire bonding. We have demonstrated the optical interconnection of III-V based DFB lasers and photo detectors by polymer wires with optical coupling loss less than 0.3dB. We also applied two-photon laser irradiation technique for the modification of the magnetic properties of cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet crystal (Ce_xY_3-xFe₅O₁₂: Ce:YIG). A Ce:YIG layer was epitaxially-grown on a monomagnetic garnet (<111>-SGGG) substrate. 3D fs laser scanning in the Ce:YIG layer creates the micrometer patterns of both refractive index and magnetic properties change of the crystal. We demonstrated the micro/nanometer scale patterning of both optical and magnetic properties in the Ce:YIG crystal.