Fabrication of woodpile structures by two-photon polymerization and investigation of their optical properties

Two-photon polymerization (2PP) is a powerful technique for the fabrication of 3D micro- and submicro-structures. By applying laser powers that are only slightly above the polymerization threshold, 3D structuring of photosensitive materials with a resolution down to 100 nm can be realized. Here we report on woodpile photonic crystal structures fabricated in organic-inorganic hybrid polymers (Ormocers) and investigation of their optical properties. The fabricated crystals possess a photonic band gap in the near infrared spectral region. The polymeric woodpile structures can be used as templates for the fabrication of highly refractive TiO2 replicas. First results in this direction are presented.