Fabrication of fused silica microlens arrays

Abstract

Microlenses and microlens arrays can be applied to optical power transfer problems such as coupling light from a laser into a fiber, improving the sensitivity of detector arrays, and free-space optical interconnect. We report fabrication of diffraction-limited refractive microlens arrays in fused silica (SiO,) with diameters ranging from 1Op.m to 400p.m and f-numbers of F/1.5 to F/5. Our microlenses are made by melting photoresist into lens shapes and etching these into the SiO, substrate using reactive ion etching.