Femtosecond fabricated surfaces for cell biology

Abstract

Microfabrication using femtosecond pulse lasers is enabling access to a range of structures,surfaces and materials that was not previously available for scientific and engineeringapplications. The ability to produce micrometre sized features directly in polymer andmetal substrates is demonstrated with applications in cell biology. The size, shape andaspect ratio of the etched features can be precisely controlled through the manipulation ofthe fluence of the laser etching process with respect to the properties of the target material.Femtosecond laser etching of poly(methyl methacrylate) and aluminium substrates hasenabled the production of micrometre resolution moulds that can be accurately replicatedusing soft lithography. The moulded surfaces are used in the imaging of T cells anddemonstrate the improved ability to observe biological events over time periods greaterthan 10 h. These results indicate the great potential femtosecond pulse lasersmay have in the future manufacturing of microstructured surfaces and devices.