Open AccessCost-effective fabrication of microlenses on hybrid sol-gel glass with a high-energy beam�sensitive gray-scale mask
Author(s) -
Yuan Xiao,
Wei Yu,
NQ Ngo,
Wai Chye Cheong
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.10.000303
Subject(s) - fabrication , materials science , photoresist , optics , refractive index , optoelectronics , microlens , sol gel , nanotechnology , lens (geology) , medicine , alternative medicine , physics , layer (electronics) , pathology
A negative-tone inorganic-organic hybrid SiO(2):TiO(2) glass is investigated for fabrication of refractive microlenses. This sol-gel material enjoys an advantage over materials used in conventional photoresist-based fabrication techniques in that it lends itself to a single-step etching-free process. The application of a high-energy beam-sensitive (HEBS) mask provides a reliable and simple method for fabrication of three-dimensional micro-optical elements with a single UV exposure. The technique of using the sol-gel material with the HEBS gray-scale mask has considerable potential for low-cost mass production of continuous-phase-level diffractive optical elements and micro-optical structures.