Open AccessFabrication and characterization of microlens arrays using a cantilever-based spotter
Author(s) -
Véronique Bardinal,
Emmanuelle Daran,
Thierry Leïchlé,
Corinne Vergnenègre,
Christophe Levallois,
Thierry Camps,
Véronique Conédéra,
JeanBaptiste Doucet,
F. Carcenac,
Heidi Ottevaere,
Hugo Thienpont
Publication year - 2007
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.15.006900
Subject(s) - microlens , optics , materials science , focal length , profilometer , cantilever , fabrication , scanning electron microscope , surface roughness , white light interferometry , silicon , interferometry , optoelectronics , lens (geology) , physics , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , composite material
We present a quantitative study on the fabrication of microlenses using a low-cost polymer dispending technique. Our method is based on the use of a silicon micro-cantilever robotized spotter system. We first give a detailed description of the technique. In a second part, the fabricated microlenses are fully characterized by means of SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) non contact optical profilometry and Mach-Zehnder interferometry. Diameters in the range [25-130mum] are obtained with an average surface roughness of 2.02nm. Curvature radii, focal lengths as well as aberrations are also measured for the first time: the fabricated microlenses present focal lengths in the range [55-181mum] and exhibit high optical quality only limited by diffraction behaviour with RMS aberration lower than lambda/14.