Fabrication of Microlens Array and Its Application:A Review

Microlens arrays are the key component in the next generation of 3D imaging system, for it exhibits some good optical properties such as extremely large field of view angles, low aberration and distortion, high temporal resolution and infinite depth of field. Although many fabrication methods or processes are proposed for manufacturing such precision component, however, those methods still need to be improved. In this review, those fabrication methods are categorized into direct and indirect method and compared in detail. Two main challenges in manufacturing microlens array are identified: how to obtain a microlens array with good uniformity in a large area and how to produce the microlens array on a curved surface? In order to effectively achieve control of the geometry of a microlens,indirect methods involving the use of 3D molds and replication technologies are suggested. Further development of ultraprecision machining technology is needed to reduce the surface fluctuation by considering the dynamics of machine tool in tool path planning. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of manufacturing microlens array in industry and academic research are discussed and several principle conclusions are drawn.

Compressional Deformation in Indentation Process for Microlens Array Mold

The structure of a microlens array（ MLA） can be formed on copper by an indentation process which is a new manufacture approach we applied here instead of a traditional method to test the material property,thereby work time can be saved. Single-indentation and multi-indentation are both conducted to generate a single dimple and dimples array,namely micro lens and MLA. Based on finite element simulation method,factors affecting the form accuracy,such as springback at the compressed area of one single dimple and compressional deformation at the adjacent area of dimples arrays,are determined,and the results are verified by experiments under the same conditions. Meanwhile,indenter compensation method is proposed to improve form accuracy of single dimple,and the relationship between pitch and compressional deformation is investigated by modelling seven sets of multi-indentations at different pitches to identify the critical pitch for the MLA＇s indentation processing. Loads and cross-sectional profiles are measured and analyzed to reveal the compressional deformation mechanism. Finally,it is found that MLA at pitches higher than 1. 47 times of its diameter can be manufactured precisely by indentation using a compensated indenter.

Intense supercontinuum generation in the near-ultraviolet range from a 400-nm femtosecond laser filament array in fused silica

An intense supercontinuum（SC） in the near-ultraviolet range is generated from filamentation by focusing a 400-nm laser into fused silica with a microlens array（MLA）. The spectrum of the SC is shown to be sensitive to the distance between the MLA and fused silica. In our optimal conditions, the near-ultraviolet SC can cover a range of 350-600 nm,where a bandwidth of approximately 55 nm above the 1μJ/nm spectral energy density and 20 nm bandwidth with tens ofμJ/nm are achieved. In addition, the energy conversion efficiency of the 400 nm laser for SC generation is further analyzed.A maximum conversion efficiency of 66% is obtained when the entrance face of fused silica is set around the focus of the MLA.

Integration of 256×256 Element Si Microlens Arrays with PtSi IR Detector Array Devices

Diffractive 11-phase-level Si microlens arrays are fabricated by a special method, i.e. part-etching. The method can increase focal length of diffractive microlens arrays. By using this method, the microlens arrays on the back side of the Si substrate and PtSi IR focal plane arrays(FPAs) on the front side of the same wafer are monolithically integrated together. The IR response characteristics of the integrated devices are improved greatly.

Fabrication of Silicon Microlens Arrays Using Ion Beam Milling

A spherical mask for the fabrication of microlens arrays was prepared by melting photoresist, and the spherical photoresist shape was transferred into a silicon substrate using ion beam milling. The ion beam milling process was computer simulated using the Sigmund ion beam sputtering theory of collision cascades. The experiment results show that microlens arrays can be effectively formed at low substrate temperature of less than 200 ℃.Shapes and dimensions of photoresist masks and silicon microlens arrays were examined by the scanning electron microscope and tested by the surface stylus measurement.

Etching-assisted femtosecond laser microfabrication

Although femtosecond laser microfabrication is one of the most promising three-dimensional（3D） fabrication techniques, it could suffer from low fabrication efficiency for structures with high 3D complexities. By using etching as a main assistant technique, the processing can be speeded up and an improved structure surface quality can be provided. However,the assistance of a single technique cannot satisfy the increasing demands of fabrication and integration of highly functional 3D microstructures. Therefore, a multi-technique-based 3D microfabrication method is required. In this paper, we briefly review the recent development on etching-assisted femtosecond laser microfabrication（EAFLM）. Various processing approaches have been proposed to further strengthen the flexibilities of the EAFLM. With the use of the multi-technique-based microfabrication method, 3D microstructure arrays can be rapidly defined on planar or curved surfaces with high structure qualities.

RECENT PROGRESS IN MULTIFOCAL MULTIPHOTON MICROSCOPY

Multifocal multiphoton microscopy(MMM)has recently become an important tool in biomedicine for performing three-dimensional fastfluorescence imaging.Using various beamsplitting techniques,MMM splits the near-infrared laser beam into multiple beamlets and produces a multifocal array on the sample for parallel multiphoton excitation and then recordsfluorescence signal from all foci simultaneously with an area array detector,which significantly improves the imaging speed of multiphoton microscopy and allows for high efficiency in use of the excitation light.In this paper,we discuss the features of several MMM setups using different beamsplitting devices,including a Nipkow spinning disk,a microlens array,a set of beamsplitting mirrors,or a diffractive optical element(DOE).In particular,we present our recent work on the development of an MMM using a spatial light modulator(SLM).

Advancing pressure sensors performance through a flexible MXene embedded interlocking structure in a microlens array

Piezoresistive composite elastomers have shown great potentials for wearable and flexible electronic applications due to their high sensitivity,excellent frequency response,and easy signal detection.A composition membrane sensor with an interlocked structure has been developed and demonstrated outstanding pressure sensitivity,fast response time,and low temperature drift features.Compared with a flexible MXene-based flat sensor(Ti_(3)C_(2)),the interlocked sensor exhibits a significantly improved pressure sensitivity of two magnitudes higher(21.04 kPa^(-1)),a fast reaction speed of 31 ms,and an excellent cycle life of 5000 test runs.The viability of sensor in responding to various external stimuli with high deformation capacity has been confirmed by calculating the force distribution of a polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)film model with a microlens structure using the solid mechanics module in COMSOL.Unlike conventional process,we utilized three-dimensional(3D)laser-direct writing lithography equipment to directly transform high-precision 3D data into a micro-nano structure morphology through variable exposure doses,which reduces the hot melting step.Moreover,the flexible pressure device is capable of detecting and distinguishing signals ranging from finger movements to human pulses,even for speech recognition.This simple,convenient,and large-format lithographic method offers new opportunities for developing novel human-computer interaction devices.

High power supercontinuum generation by dual-color femtosecond laser pulses in fused silica

High power supercontinuum(SC) is generated by focusing 800 nm and 400 nm femtosecond laser pulses in fused silica with a microlens array. It is found that the spectrum of the SC is getting broader compared with the case of a single laser pulse, and the spectral energy density between the two fundamental laser wavelengths is getting significantly higher by optimizing the phase matching angle of the BBO. It exceeds μJ/nm over 490 nm range which is from 380 nm to 870 nm,overcoming the disadvantage of relative lower power in the ranges far from the fundamental wavelength.

ERROR ANALYSIS OF 3D DETECTING SYSTEM BASED ON WHOLE-FIELD PARALLEL CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE

Compared with the traditional scanning confocal microscopy, the effect of various factors on characteristic in multi-beam parallel confocal system is discussed, the error factors in multi-beam parallel confocal system are analyzed. The factors influencing the characteristics of the multi-beam parallel confocal system are discussed. The construction and working principle of the non-scanning 3D detecting system is introduced, and some experiment results prove the effect of various factors on the detecting system.

Optically anisotropic,electrically tunable microlens arrays formed via single-step photopolymerization-induced phase separation in polymer/liquid-crystal composite materials

Microlenses or arrays are key elements in many applications.However,their construction methods involve multiple fabrication processes,thereby increasing the complexity and cost of fabrication.In this study,we demonstrate an optically anisotropic,electrically tunable liquid crystal(LC)microlens array using a simple,one-step fabrication method.The microlens array is formed via photopolymerization-induced phase separation inside a polymer/LC composite.It possesses both polarization-dependent and electrically tunable focusing and imaging properties.Without applying voltage,the microlens array has a natural focal length of 8 mm,which is a result of its inherent gradient refractive index profile.Upon applying voltage above the threshold,the LC molecules reorient along the electric field direction and the focal length of the microlens array gradually increases.Based on its superior properties,the microlens array is further used for integral imaging applications,demonstrating electrically tunable central depth plane.Such LC microlens arrays could find numerous potential applications owing to their advantageous features of being flat,ultra-thin,and tunable,including 3D displays,optical interconnects,and more.

Analysis of VCSEL Array Module Using a Simple Microlens Array

A simple microlens array is designed between VCSEL array and fiber array for integration of array module. We increase the optical coupling efficiency from -32.057 dBm to -0.9054 dBm by using our designed microlens array.

Fabrication of a 100%fill-factor silicon microlens array

A simple method has been developed for the fabrication of a silicon microlens array with a 100%fill factor and a smooth configuration.The microlens array is fabricated by using the processes of photoresist（SU8- 2005） spin coating,thermal reflow,thermal treatment and reactive ion etching（RIE）.First,a photoresist microlens array on a single-polished silicon substrate is fabricated by both thermal reflow and thermal treatment technologies. A typical microlens has a square bottom with size of 25μm,and the distance between every two adjacent microlenses is 5μm.Secondly,the photoresist microlens array is transferred to the silicon substrate by RIE to fabricate the silicon microlens array.Experimental results reveal that the silicon microlens array could be formed by adjusting the quantities of the reactive ion gases of SF_6 and O_2 to proper values.In this paper,the quantities of SF_6 and O_2 are 60 sccm and 50 sccm,respectively,the corresponding etch ratio of the photoresist and the silicon substrate is 1 to 1.44.The bottom size and height of a typical silicon microlens are 30.1μm and 3μm,respectively. The focal lengths of the microlenses ranged from 15.4 to 16.6μm.

Profile Compensation for Single-Point Diamond Turning of Microlens Array

To improve the efficiency and consistency of machined microlens array using single-point diamond turning technology,a theoretical model of surface form error is proposed in this paper.Then,a compensation method for this model is studied.In the proposed tool equivalent tilt angle model,the microlens array is regarded as a freeform surface.The corresponding curvature radius of the surface at each cutting point along the cutting direction is calculated by establishing a slow slide servo cutting model.In the spatial form error model,the assumption is that surface form error has a linear relationship with z-axis maximum speed vz.An empirical linear equation is obtained and verified,with a maximum deviation of 0.4μm.Then,after machining,the surface form error is measured and processed using on-machine measurement.The theoretical and measured surface form errors are consistent.The surface form error is compensated in the machining program.The peak-to-valley value is reduced from 5.4 to 0.6μm after compensation.Findings show that the single-point diamond turning and compensation method for the microlens array presented in this paper can predict the surface form error and significantly improve machining accuracy and consistency.

Structured-Light-Field 3D Imaging System With Coaxial Projection

This paper presents a novel 3D measurement method for a light field camera(LFC)in which 3D information of object space is encoded by a microlens array(MLA).The light ray corresponding to each pixel of the LFC is calibrated.Once the matching points from at least two subviews exhibit sub-pixel accuracy,the 3D coordinates can be calculated optimally by intersecting light rays of these points matched through phase coding.Moreover,the proposed method obtains high-resolved results that exceed the subview resolution due to the virtual continuous phase search strategy.Finally,we combine the LFC and coaxial projection to solve the 3D data loss caused by shadowing and occlusion problems.Experimental results verify the feasibility of the proposed method,and the measurement error is about 30μm in a depth range of 60 mm.

Simple and High-Efficiency Preparation Method of Biometric 3D Artificial Compound Eyes for Wide-Field Imaging

Three-dimensional(3D)artificial compound eyes(ACEs)are helpful for wide field-o-fview imaging and sensing system applications.However,existing batch preparation methods are technically challenging.A bio-inspired,simple,and high-efficiency batch preparation method is proposed,which involves bonding a sticky microlens array(MLA)polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)film to an elastic PDMS hemisphere under pressure,followed by abrupt pressure removal.Characterizations from a scanning electron microscope and laser scanning confocal microscope show that 3D ACEs prepared using the proposed method have high numbers of uniformly distributed ommatidia with a high-quality finish.Furthermore,optical imaging investigations demonstrate that the proposed preparation method can achieve clear,distortionfree imaging with a wide field-of-view(up to 140.2°).

Light field imaging for computer vision:a survey

Light field(LF)imaging has attracted attention because of its ability to solve computer vision problems.In this paper we briefly review the research progress in computer vision in recent years.For most factors that affect computer vision development,the richness and accuracy of visual information acquisition are decisive.LF imaging technology has made great contributions to computer vision because it uses cameras or microlens arrays to record the position and direction information of light rays,acquiring complete three-dimensional(3D)scene information.LF imaging technology improves the accuracy of depth estimation,image segmentation,blending,fusion,and 3D reconstruction.LF has also been innovatively applied to iris and face recognition,identification of materials and fake pedestrians,acquisition of epipolar plane images,shape recovery,and LF microscopy.Here,we further summarize the existing problems and the development trends of LF imaging in computer vision,including the establishment and evaluation of the LF dataset,applications under high dynamic range(HDR)conditions,LF image enhancement,virtual reality,3D display,and 3D movies,military optical camouflage technology,image recognition at micro-scale,image processing method based on HDR,and the optimal relationship between spatial resolution and four-dimensional(4D)LF information acquisition.LF imaging has achieved great success in various studies.Over the past 25 years,more than 180 publications have reported the capability of LF imaging in solving computer vision problems.We summarize these reports to make it easier for researchers to search the detailed methods for specific solutions.