Fabrication of low-cost polymer microlens array

Tonghai Li; Baowen Hu; Guohua Jiao; Xiaoyi Guo; Lili Wang; Yulin Li

doi:10.1117/12.674251

9 June 2006 Fabrication of low-cost polymer microlens array

Tonghai Li, Baowen Hu, Guohua Jiao, Xiaoyi Guo, Lili Wang, Yulin Li

Proceedings Volume 6149, 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies; 61491P (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.674251
Event: 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies, 2005, Xian, China

Abstract

The fabrication technology of refractive microlens array (MLA) with self-assembly of drops of various thermoplastic optical polymer solutions is reported. In order to develop a conventional drop-on-demand type ink-jet printing method for fabricating high quality microlens array, Firstly, we tried to prepare a series of optical polymer inks. These inks compose of high quality optical polymers, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), dopant, and functional organic molecules such as laser dye, nonlinear organic dye, and rare earth ion chelates with a suitable organic solvent. Effects of surface tension on the polymer solution drops induced the self-formation of microlenses. This process exhibited a completely self-assembly characteristic without any chemical and photochemical post-treatment. The resulting microlens array displayed diameters varying from 1mm to 5mm and focal lengths from less than one millimeter to a few millimeters. Observation with an atomic force microscope reveals that the surface roughness of the lens is 0.9 nm. The transmittance spectrum of the lens is also measured.

Citation Download Citation

Tonghai Li, Baowen Hu, Guohua Jiao, Xiaoyi Guo, Lili Wang, and Yulin Li "Fabrication of low-cost polymer microlens array", Proc. SPIE 6149, 2nd International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Advanced Optical Manufacturing Technologies, 61491P (9 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.674251

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