Selective fluorescence functionalization of dye-doped polymerized structures fabricated by direct laser writing (DLW) lithography

The continuous development of the vast arsenal of fabrication techniques is a pivotal factor in the breakthrough of nanotechnology. Although the broad interest is generally focused on the reduction of the dimensions of the fabricated structures, localized functionalization of the nanomaterials emerges as a key factor closely linked to their potential applications. In particular, fabrication of spatially selective fluorescence nanostructures is highly demanded in nanophotonics, as for example in three-dimensional (3D) optical data storage (ODS), where massive storage capacity and fast writing-reading processes are promised. We have developed an innovative method to control the location and intensity of the fluorescence signal in dye-doped photopolymerized structures fabricated with Direct Laser Writing (DLW) lithography. Well-defined fluorescent pixels (area = 0.24 μm(2)) were written inside a polymer matrix with the help of a femtosecond pulsed laser (multiphoton absorption) via a thermally-induced di-aggregation of a fluorescent dye. Moreover, we have accomplished a fine control of the fluorescence intensity which can increase the storage capacity of ODS systems fabricated with this approach.