Sub-15 fs multiphoton lithography of three-dimensional structures for live cell applications

Development, morphology and intratissue location of cells are influenced by the 3D nano-and microenvironment.In this paper we demonstrate multiphoton photopolymerization to generate three-dimensional structures for cell culture applications with micro-and nanotopographic features using SU-8 photoresist and mr-NIL 6000 nanoimprint resist.Moving the focal spot of high-repetition rate near-infrared sub-15 fs pulsed laser light by a galvanometric beam scanner in combination with a piezoelectric vertical stage, nearly arbitrary trajectories of polymerized photoresist were generated.This technique can be used to generate cage structures with submicron interior features for live cell applications.Preliminary experiments with PC-3 and HT-1080 cells indicate the influence of the structures on cell behavior.