Abstract
Recently three-dimensional (3-D) printers have attracted much attention due to their abilities to create complex 3-D models with a wide variety of materials. In particular, two-photon microstereolithography using a femtosecond pulsed laser can provide 3-D polymeric microstructures with sub-100 nm feature size. This technique has been applied in wide range of applications such as photonics, biology and micromachines. We have developed optically driven lab-on-a-chip devices such as micropumps and micromanipulators. Recently we have fabricated optically driven metallic micromachines by the combination of two-photon microfabrication and electroless plating. The metallic micromachines can be driven with an ultralow-power laser beam. In addition, we have developed a 3-D molding process using a 3-D polymer mold can provide functional ceramic microdevices. Using this molding process we fabricated several types of functional ceramic microstructures such as transparent silica microchannels, bio scaffolds, and piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters. This 3-D ceramics molding process will make possible to produce complex 3-D ceramics microdevices.
