Fabrication of a Microlens Array with Controlled Curvature by Thermally Curving Photosensitive Gel Film beneath Microholes

A rapid method is developed for fabricating low-cost and high-numerical-aperture photosensitive-gel microlens arrays (MIAs) with well-controlled curvatures. An UV-curable photosensitive-gel film beneath the microholes of a silicon mold can be flexibly deformed by thermally manipulating the surface tension of the photosensitive gel and the pressure difference across the air photosensitive-gel interface. The concave interface is then solidified through UV curing, forming a MLA with a concave curvature. MLAs with a focal length ranging from 51.4 to 71.9 mu m and a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.49 were fabricated. The photocured MLA has high mechanical and thermal strength and is suitable as a master mold for the further production of convex MIAs. The fabricated microlenses have uniform shapes and smooth surfaces. In a demonstration of imaging and focusing performance, clear and uniform images and focused light spots were observed using concave and convex MLAs.