High-speed two-photon polymerization 3D printing with a microchip laser at its fundamental wavelength

High-resolution, high-speed 3D printing by two-photon polymerization (2PP) with a Nd:YVO4 Q-switched microchip laser at its fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm is demonstrated. Polymerization scan speeds of up to 20 mm/s and feature sizes of 250 nm are achieved using a high repetition rate Q-switched microchip laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) and photoresist with a new photo-initiator bearing 6-dialkylaminobenzufuran as electron donor and indene-1,3-dione moiety as electron acceptor. The obtained results demonstrate the high potential of Q-switched microchip lasers for applications in 2PP 3D printing.