Mask-Directed Micro-3D Printing

Abstract Micro–three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies based on two-photon lithography create potentially enabling opportunities for scientists across numerous fields to explore novel problem-solving approaches. Capabilities for producing arbitrary microstructure geometries using a broad range of materials with distinct chemical and physical properties open possibilities for fabricating previously inaccessible microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip designs, arranging cells in biologically relevant, high-resolution 3D cultures, and in engineering materials for implantation. To make these and other application areas highly accessible to nonexperts in optical sciences, a goal that requires facile routes to high-throughput prototyping, simplification of design, and iterative modification of fabrication instruction sets is key. In this chapter, we describe the development of mask-based two-photon lithography strategies, a set of techniques that enable complex designs to be created rapidly using software as common as Microsoft PowerPoint. Image sequences serve as the basis to produce “fabrication movies” that allow complex designs to be converted efficiently to microstructured 3D materials.