Optical method and apparatus for fabricating a structured object
First Claim
1. A method of fabricating a structured object wherein a photo-curing material, which is cured by being irradiated with light, within successive layers is irradiated with light providing energy, which is transformed by absorption to internal energy of the photo-curing material for curing, thereby forming the object, the method comprising:
- identifying within each individual layer of the successive layers coarse structures of the object and fine structures of the object;
directing a first light beam, which provides a single photon energy that matches the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, to first focus positions within the photo-curing material, the first focus positions being associated with the coarse structures of the object within a first individual layer of the successive layers, to cure the photo-curing material at the first focus positions thereby forming the coarse structures of the object within the first individual layer;
directing a second light beam, which provides a single photon energy less than the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, to second focus positions within the photo-curing material, the second focus positions being associated with the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer to cure the photo-curing material at the second focus positions by multiple photon absorption, thereby forming the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer, andrepeating the steps of directing the first light beam to the first focus positions and the second light beam to the second focus positions within a next and at least one remaining individual layer of the successive layers.
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for fabricating a structured object wherein a photo-curing material, which is cured by being irradiated with light, within successive layers is irradiated with light providing energy, which is transformed by absorption to internal energy of the photo-curing material for curing, thereby forming the object. Within each individual layer of the successive layers coarse structures of the object and fine structures of the object are identified. A first light beam is directed, which provides a single photon energy that matches the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, to first focus positions within the photo-curing material. The first focus positions being associated with the coarse structures of the object within a first individual layer of the successive layers, to cure the photo-curing material at the first focus positions thereby forming the coarse structures of the object within the first individual layer.
14 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method of fabricating a structured object wherein a photo-curing material, which is cured by being irradiated with light, within successive layers is irradiated with light providing energy, which is transformed by absorption to internal energy of the photo-curing material for curing, thereby forming the object, the method comprising:
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identifying within each individual layer of the successive layers coarse structures of the object and fine structures of the object; directing a first light beam, which provides a single photon energy that matches the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, to first focus positions within the photo-curing material, the first focus positions being associated with the coarse structures of the object within a first individual layer of the successive layers, to cure the photo-curing material at the first focus positions thereby forming the coarse structures of the object within the first individual layer; directing a second light beam, which provides a single photon energy less than the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, to second focus positions within the photo-curing material, the second focus positions being associated with the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer to cure the photo-curing material at the second focus positions by multiple photon absorption, thereby forming the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer, and repeating the steps of directing the first light beam to the first focus positions and the second light beam to the second focus positions within a next and at least one remaining individual layer of the successive layers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An apparatus via which a photo-curing material, which is cured by being irradiated with light, within successive layers is irradiated with light providing energy, which is transformed by absorption to internal energy of the photo-curing material for curing, thereby forming the object, the apparatus comprising:
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a light source section comprising a light generator that generates a first light beam, which provides a single photon energy that matches an energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption, and that generates a second light beam, which provides a single photon energy less than the energy gap of the photo-curing material for absorption to cause a multi photon absorption phenomenon in the photo-curing material; a container for containing the photo-curing material; a first light director adapted to direct the first light beam to first focus positions within the photo-curing material; a second light director adapted to direct the second light beam to second focus positions within the photo-curing material; and a controller adapted; to identify within each individual layer of the successive layers coarse structures of the object and fine structures of the object, to control the first light director for directing the first light beam to first focus positions associated with the coarse structures of the object within a first individual layer of the successive layers to cure the photo-curing material at the first focus positions, thereby forming the coarse structures of the object within the first individual layer, to control the second light director for directing the second light beam to second focus positions associated with the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer to cure the photo-curing material at the second focus positions by multiple photon absorption, thereby forming the fine structures of the object within the first individual layer, and to repeat the steps of directing the first light beam to first focus positions and the second light beam to second focus positions within a next and at least one remaining individual layer of the successive layers. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification