Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published 2003 | Published
Book Section - Chapter Open

Optical properties of microlenses fabricated using hydrophobic effects and polymer-jet-printing technology

Abstract

We describe high-precision microlenses with excellent optical characteristics. The lenses are formed precisely at desired locations on a wafer using a polymer-jet system in which hydrophobic effects define the lens diameter and surface tension creates a high-quality optical surface. To make the lenses, we defined hydrophilic circular regions at desired locations using photolithography to pattern a 0.2-pm thick Teflon (hydrophobic) layer on a quartz substrate, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Then, using a polymer-microjet printing system (Figure 3), we dispense an exact amount of UV-curable polymer within hydrophilic circles to obtain microlenses having desired optical properties [ 13. Figure 4 shows that adjusting the volume of the UV-curable optical epoxy within a hydrophilic circle of a given diameter changes the curvature of the microlens. The step resolution of the microlens volume is determined by the average droplet size (~25pL) of the polymer-jet print head. This hybrid method enables us to define the locations and diameters of microlenses with a ±1 μm precision as well as to control the curvatures of the microlenses accurately.

Additional Information

© 2003 IEEE.

Attached Files

Published - 01233519.pdf

Files

01233519.pdf
Files (405.8 kB)
Name Size Download all
md5:7b4e76a4ff33a9d26fc2f69ec11eadc9
405.8 kB Preview Download

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 23, 2023