What are the four core processes integrated in the Hybrid 3D Nanofactory?

The Hybrid 3D Laser Micro Fabrication System is a multifunctional femtosecond laser workstation that unifies four core processes within one platform. Multiphoton Polymerisation (MPP) uses tightly focused femtosecond pulses to locally cure photopolymer resin through two-photon absorption — printing true three-dimensional polymer structures with sub-200 nm feature resolution at any location within the resin volume, enabling freeform 3D micro-printing without supports or layer-wise restriction. Selective Laser Etching (SLE) uses femtosecond pulses to modify transparent glass at the focal volume, enabling selective chemical etching that creates enclosed 3D channels, cavities, and voids inside glass substrates. Laser ablation removes material from surfaces of glass, metals, polymers, and semiconductors through cold femtosecond pulse interaction for surface texturing, micro-machining, and pattern definition. Laser cutting uses the same femtosecond source to singulate thin substrates, dice wafers, and contour-cut thin films and membranes. By unifying all four processes within one workstation — sharing the same precision stages, focusing optics, and alignment reference frame — the system eliminates the inter-machine registration errors that accumulate when these processes are performed on separate platforms.

What is Multiphoton Polymerisation (MPP) and why does it achieve sub-200 nm feature sizes?

Multiphoton Polymerisation (also called Two-Photon Polymerisation or 2PP) is a laser 3D printing process where the photopolymerisation reaction in a light-sensitive resin is initiated only at the focus of a tightly focused femtosecond laser beam — not throughout the entire irradiated volume as in conventional UV photopolymerisation. The two-photon absorption cross-section of the photoinitiator molecule is non-zero only at the extremely high intensities achievable at the diffraction-limited focal volume of a high-NA objective lens. This nonlinear threshold response means that the polymerisation volume (called the voxel — the smallest 3D element that can be polymerised in a single position) is smaller than the laser wavelength — breaking the conventional optical diffraction limit that constrains the minimum feature size of single-photon photopolymerisation. With 780 nm femtosecond pulses focused through a high-NA objective, the MPP voxel can be as small as 150–300 nm in the lateral direction — enabling solid polymer micro-structures with sub-wavelength feature resolution that is not achievable by any single-photon 3D printing or UV lithography process. By scanning this sub-diffraction voxel through the full three-dimensional volume of the resin, arbitrary 3D geometries — including overhangs, enclosed cavities, spiral structures, and complex freeform shapes — are built without the layer-by-layer restrictions and support structure requirements of conventional additive manufacturing.

All-in-One Hybrid Additive and Subtractive Fabrication — Unique in the Product Range

Combines Multiphoton Polymerisation (additive 3D printing), Selective Laser Etching (subtractive internal glass structuring), laser ablation (subtractive surface machining), and laser cutting (subtractive singulation) in a single workstation — enabling uninterrupted hybrid fabrication workflows without part repositioning and without inter-machine registration errors. This additive-subtractive hybrid capability is the defining unique feature of the Femtika Nanofactory within the product range, and it is the enabling technology for a new class of integrated micro-nano devices that require both 3D-printed polymer micro-elements and precisely machined glass or semiconductor features within the same device architecture.

Multiphoton Polymerisation for Sub-200 nm 3D Polymer Printing

MPP capability enables freeform 3D printing of polymer structures with feature sizes down to approximately 200 nm — reaching spatial resolution beyond the conventional optical diffraction limit through the nonlinear intensity threshold of two-photon absorption. At 780 nm wavelength and high-NA focusing, the MPP voxel is sub-wavelength, allowing solid 3D polymer micro-structures — micro-lenses, scaffold architectures, micro-gears, compliant micro-mechanisms, and nano-patterned surfaces — to be built by scanning the voxel through any programmed 3D path within the photopolymer resin volume. The absence of layer-by-layer restrictions and support structure requirements of conventional additive manufacturing allows geometries including overhangs, enclosed voids, spiral structures, and multi-material hybrid assemblies that cannot be fabricated by any other 3D printing technology.

±300 nm Accuracy and 1 nm Stage Resolution — Finest in the Range

The ±300 nm positioning accuracy and 1 nm stage resolution are the finest specifications in the entire product range, enabling the sub-wavelength positional precision required for MPP nano-printing and the registration accuracy needed for precise co-fabrication of MPP polymer elements and SLE glass structures within the same device. At 1 nm resolution across 160 × 160 mm travel — processing rates up to 200 mm/s — the system combines nanometre-scale positioning precision with the working area and speed needed for practical multi-process device fabrication rather than single-point laboratory measurement.

Selective Laser Etching for Enclosed 3D Glass Microstructuring

SLE capability creates enclosed microchannels, hollow cavities, and 3D internal structures inside transparent glass substrates — as described in the dedicated SLE system page — but here integrated within the same workstation as MPP and laser ablation/cutting. This integration is what enables the co-fabrication of SLE glass microfluidic architectures with MPP polymer photonic or valve elements, registered to ±300 nm within the same fixture and without any inter-machine substrate transfer.

Multi-Wavelength Femtosecond Sources with Sub-50 fs Pulse Duration

Three wavelengths (780 nm, 1030 nm, 515 nm) and pulse durations as short as 50 fs — the shortest in the range — provide the laser parameter space needed for optimising each of the four fabrication processes: 780 nm is the primary MPP wavelength for two-photon absorption in common photoinitiators; 1030 nm provides maximum power efficiency for SLE glass modification and metallic thin-film ablation; 515 nm offers finer feature resolution and broader material absorption compatibility for surface structuring; and pulse durations from 50 fs to 170 fs span the range from extreme cold-ablation processes (50 fs for minimum HAZ and maximum nonlinear confinement) to efficient high-average-power SLE modification (longer pulses for higher per-pulse energy at lower repetition rates).

Wide Material Compatibility Across Polymers, Glass, and Semiconductors

Processes photopolymers including IP-Dip, IP-Q, OrmoComp, and other two-photon resins for MPP printing; fused silica, borosilicate glass, and quartz for SLE internal structuring; thin metals including gold, silver, and aluminium for surface ablation and patterning; semiconductor substrates including silicon and GaAs for ablation and dicing; and hybrid material assemblies combining polymer, glass, and metal layers in a single device. This breadth of material compatibility across both the additive (polymer) and subtractive (glass, metal, semiconductor) process domains directly enables the hybrid device architectures that the Nanofactory is designed to fabricate.

Seamless CAD-to-Fabrication Workflow with 3D Path Planning

Dedicated software supports standard 3D design formats with advanced slicing, toolpath generation, and real-time visualisation — managing the complex multi-process fabrication sequences of hybrid devices where MPP toolpaths, SLE scan paths, and ablation patterns must be precisely coordinated in three-dimensional space. The software understands the specific requirements of each process: MPP slice generation respects voxel overlap for structural integrity; SLE path planning manages depth-dependent aberration correction; ablation patterns specify target depth and surface finish; and cutting paths optimise kerf width and breakout quality. This integrated multi-process CAD/CAM capability eliminates the manual toolpath development and format conversion required when combining separately programmed single-process platforms.

Biomedical and Healthcare Technologies

The Nanofactory’s combination of MPP polymer 3D printing and SLE glass microfluidic fabrication addresses the fabrication requirements of advanced biomedical microdevices — components where the biological function requires features at the intersection of additive and subtractive manufacturing. MPP-printed microneedle arrays in biocompatible photopolymers with precisely defined needle geometry for transdermal drug delivery and minimally invasive biofluid sampling; tissue engineering scaffolds with 3D-printed lattice architectures whose pore size, connectivity, and surface chemistry mimic the extracellular matrix; MPP-printed polymer housing structures with SLE-etched glass microfluidic channels for integrated implantable biosensor devices; and drug delivery microdevices combining MPP-printed reservoir structures with SLE-etched release channel networks. Relevant to IIT, AIIMS, NCBS, and CSIR biomedical research groups and medical device R&D companies developing next-generation implantable and wearable biomedical microsystems in India.

Microfluidics and Lab-on-Chip

Integration of SLE glass microfluidics and MPP polymer functional elements enables the fabrication of complete lab-on-chip devices in a single workflow — combining the chemical inertness and optical quality of glass channels with the geometric flexibility of 3D-printed polymer valves, mixers, and actuators. SLE creates the enclosed glass microchannel network; MPP prints the polymer microvalves, check valves, and membrane pump actuators that control fluid routing within the network; and laser ablation patterns the fluidic connection ports and surface alignment features. This hybrid fabrication approach produces monolithic lab-on-chip devices with performance characteristics — glass chemical resistance, polymer actuation flexibility, and precise SLE-MPP co-registration — that are not achievable by any single-process fabrication method.

Optics and Photonics

MPP printing of sub-wavelength resolution micro-optics — micro-lenses, fibre coupling tapers, beam shapers, and holographic optical elements — combined with SLE-written buried waveguides and laser-cut substrate singulation in a single workstation. MPP-printed polymer micro-optics achieve smoother surfaces and finer sub-wavelength features than any mechanical fabrication process, and their direct 3D printing on the surface of a glass substrate with SLE-written waveguides eliminates the alignment uncertainties of separately assembled micro-lens and waveguide structures. Relevant for silicon photonics packaging (MPP-printed coupling tapers on waveguide facets), photonic integrated circuit testing (MPP-printed mode field converters for probe coupling), and advanced optical instrument development (free-form MPP micro-optics for miniaturised spectrometers, microscopes, and sensing systems).

Micromechanics and Micro-Robotics

MPP printing enables fabrication of compliant micro-mechanisms — micro-springs, flexure joints, micro-grippers, actuator arms, and levers — with 3D freeform geometries that optimise the elastic compliance required for specific force-displacement relationships in micro-robotic systems. These MPP-printed polymer micro-mechanisms can be printed directly onto SLE-etched glass substrates or laser-cut thin metal or silicon stages within the same Nanofactory workflow, creating integrated micro-robotic assemblies where the compliant polymer elements and rigid substrate elements are precisely co-registered. Applied for magnetic micro-robots for minimally invasive medical procedures, resonant mechanical sensors with MPP-printed proof masses, and micro-manipulation tools for lab automation and biological research.

Semiconductor and Microelectronics

Laser ablation for wafer structuring, precision dicing, packaging component microfabrication, photonic integrated circuit interface preparation, and precision housing features — combined with MPP printing for polymer alignment structures, coupling elements, and encapsulation features that must be precisely registered to semiconductor features. In photonic chip packaging, MPP-printed polymer coupling tapers and spot-size converters can be directly printed onto the chip facet within the Nanofactory — aligned to the waveguide structure with ±300 nm accuracy — providing coupling efficiency improvement over free-space coupling without the assembly complexity of separately fabricated and aligned coupling elements.

Academic and Research Laboratories

The Femtika Nanofactory is the premier research platform for exploratory micro-nano fabrication — enabling university and national laboratory research groups to investigate new device concepts that exploit the hybrid additive-subtractive capability without requiring access to separate MPP and SLE facilities. Applied for metamaterial fabrication (MPP-printed sub-wavelength resonant polymer structures on glass or semiconductor substrates), plasmonic device research (MPP-printed polymer templates for subsequent metal deposition to form plasmonic nanostructures), microfluidic physics research (complex 3D channel networks with MPP-printed functional inserts), and next-generation biosensor development combining photonic and fluidic elements. Relevant to photonics, MEMS, materials science, and bioengineering research groups at IITs, NITs, TIFR, NCBS, CSIR, and IISER institutes across India.

Advanced Prototyping and Custom Manufacturing

Ideal for start-ups, innovation labs, and design houses requiring the broadest possible design freedom for proof-of-concept prototyping and low-volume custom manufacturing of novel micro-nano devices. The Nanofactory’s combination of four fabrication processes, nanometre stage resolution, and open expandable architecture means that a design concept that requires 3D-printed polymer elements, glass internal structures, surface-machined features, and precision-cut substrates can be realised as a functioning prototype without access to four separate specialised instruments. For India’s growing deep-tech start-up ecosystem — where photonics start-ups, biomedical microdevice companies, and precision sensor developers require access to advanced micro-nano fabrication capability without the scale to justify multiple dedicated machines — the Nanofactory’s multi-process single-platform capability provides the fabrication infrastructure needed to advance from concept to working prototype at the nanoscale.

United Spectrum Instruments brings the Hybrid 3D Laser Micro Fabrication System to India with end-to-end technical and application support. As the official distributor of Femtika, we go beyond system supply by offering installation, commissioning, training, and long-term service. Our close collaboration with research institutions, start-ups, and industrial R&D teams ensures each system is configured for precise, application-specific success.

Official Femtika Distributor with Deep Hybrid Micro-Nano Fabrication Expertise

United Spectrum Instruments provides the complete application support scope for the Femtika Nanofactory — from pre-purchase application feasibility assessment and process route planning through installation, photopolymer selection guidance, MPP and SLE process recipe development, multi-process workflow integration, and long-term technical service. Our understanding of the nonlinear physics of two-photon polymerisation, SLE glass modification, and femtosecond ablation — combined with our experience across the biomedical, photonics, MEMS, and R&D sectors that the Nanofactory serves — enables us to provide application-specific consultation at the depth required for successful deployment of this uniquely capable technology.

• Official distributor in India for Femtika hybrid 3D laser micro fabrication systems — genuine products with full manufacturer warranty and direct Femtika application engineering support coordination for complex multi-process fabrication challenges.
• Comprehensive support covering installation, commissioning, and operator training — including multi-process workflow integration, photopolymer and etchant chemistry consultation, MPP and SLE process recipe development, and CAD/CAM software training for hybrid device fabrication.
• Application specialists for use-case-specific configuration and optimisation — we assess your specific device architecture, identify which of the four processes are required and in what sequence, recommend the optical configuration (wavelengths, objective NA, beam shaping) for your smallest feature requirement, and configure the expansion modules needed for your application roadmap