Design and fabrication of a double-sided aspherical Fresnel lens on a curved substrate

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a novel double-sided aspherical Fresnel (DSAF) lens on a curved substrate to tackle the Fresnel lens problems such as long focal length and large volume. This novel lens contains a curved substrate and a bifacial aspherical Fresnel lens. The structural design and nonlinear optimization method of the lens were discussed. Then, the optical characteristics of the DSAF lens were also analyzed by Ray-tracing simulations. Furthermore, to manufacture the DSAF lens, considering the machining accuracy and cost-effectiveness, a combined method of single-point diamond turning (SPDT) and press molding was proposed for generating the DSAF lens with PMMA material. Machining accuracy was used to validate the performance of the molds before production of the DSAF lens, followed by testing of the fabricated DSAF lens. The results show that the DSAF lens has the advantages of more design degree, short focal length, small volume, and good light-gathering, etc. which is suitable for mass production. The study provides a cost-effective method for the design and preparation of ultrathin Fresnel lenses. (C) 2021 Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Optica Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

This study presents the design and fabrication of a novel double-sided aspherical Fresnel lens on a curved substrate to address the issues of long focal length and large volume associated with traditional Fresnel lenses. The study also proposes a combined method of single-point diamond turning and press molding for manufacturing the lens, which proves to be cost-effective and suitable for mass production. The results demonstrate that the novel DSAF lens offers advantages such as increased design flexibility, shorter focal length, smaller volume, and improved light-gathering capabilities.