Microlens array machining method based on projection lithography

Gong Jianwen; Wang Jian; Liu Junbo; Sun Haifeng; Hu Song

doi:10.12086/oee.2023.230281

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Gong J W, Wang J, Liu J B, et al. Microlens array machining method based on projection lithography[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2023, 50(12): 230281. doi: 10.12086/oee.2023.230281

Citation:

Gong J W, Wang J, Liu J B, et al. Microlens array machining method based on projection lithography[J]. Opto-Electron Eng, 2023, 50(12): 230281. doi: 10.12086/oee.2023.230281

Microlens array machining method based on projection lithography

1.
Institute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Science, Chengdu, Sichuan 610209, China
2.
School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan 611731, China
3.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

Fund Project:

More Information

^*Corresponding author: husong@ioe.ac.cn

Received Date 20 November 2023

Revised Date 20 December 2023

Accepted Date 20 December 2023

Published Date 19 January 2024

Abstract

Abstract

A method for preparing microlens arrays based on projection lithography was proposed, and microlens arrays of various calibers and different surface roughness were successfully prepared by the method. The method employs a 0.2× projection objective lens to reduce the manufacturing cost of masks and realize the preparation of microlens arrays with different calibers. We achieve superior surface figure accuracy while reducing the complexity of mask preparation by employing a projection-based mask-shift filtering technique. Four kinds of microlens arrays with different calibers, 50 μm, 100 μm, 300 μm and 500 μm, were prepared. The machining accuracy of the surface morphology reaches the sub-micron level and the surface roughness reaches the nanometer level. The experimental results show that this method has great potential in the fabrication of microlens arrays, and can achieve lower line width and higher surface profile accuracy than traditional methods.
- microlens array /
- projection lithography /
- mask moving filtering technology

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References

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Overview

Overview

As a typical microoptical component, a microlens array has the advantages of high optical diffraction efficiency, good dispersion performance and a large degree of freedom, and is widely used in many fields such as biomedicine, photonics, communication and sensors. The feature size of microlens arrays has been reduced to the submicron level, increasing manufacturing difficulty with the rapid development of information technology. The traditional lithography technology is mainly used for the fabrication of planar two-dimensional structures, but it can not meet the high precision manufacturing requirements of microlens arrays. Among them, the proximity/contact lithography, as a typical micro and nano machining technology, is limited by resolution, and it is difficult to ensure the requirements of sub-micron machining accuracy and freedom. Therefore, efficient micro and nano machining methods are the key to fabricating high-precision microlens arrays. A method for preparing microlens arrays based on projection lithography was proposed, and Microlens arrays of various calibers and different surface roughness were successfully prepared by the method. The projection lithography technology is an imaging system that increases the reduction magnification between the mask and the substrate, so that the mask and the substrate are separated, and the exposure requirements of the bottom line are achieved while reducing the difficulty and cost of mask preparation. The method employs a 0.2× projection objective lens to reduce the manufacturing cost of masks and realize the preparation of microlens arrays with different calibers. We achieve superior surface figure accuracy while reducing the complexity of mask preparation by employing a projection-based mask-shift filtering technique. Four kinds of microlens arrays with different calibers, 50 μm, 100 μm, 300 μm and 500 μm, were prepared. The machining accuracy of the surface morphology reaches the sub-micron level and the surface roughness reaches the nanometer level. The experimental results show that this method has great potential in the fabrication of microlens arrays, and can achieve lower line width and higher surface profile accuracy than traditional methods.