Free-form polymeric micro lens array molded by electrostatic force

deformed template

Zhao Wu, Hongda Sun, Shusen Jiang, Miao Lu*

Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and technology, Xiamen University
Xiamen, China, 361005
* lm@xmu.edu.cn

ABSTRACT

This paper introduced a new method to fabricate a free-form micro lens array. A conductive template was deformed by
applied voltage on its underneath electrodes, and polymer primer was poured in this template to form a micro lens array
after curing and de-molding process. A integrate simulation process of the micro lens array was proposed. The geometry
of the template at a certain bias was figured out through multiple physical field simulation. Next, a three dimensional
solid body was generated by surrounding the deformed surface of the template with a flat surface. Finally, This solid
body was input into an optical lens simulation environment to obtain its optical performance. As a demonstration, a
PDMS free-form micro lens array was designed and fabricated using this Molding by Electrostatic Force Deformed
Template (MEFDT) method successfully. Metal electrodes layer, SU-8 layer and conductive membrane layer were
deposited and patterned in sequence to realize the template, and then PDMS micro lens array was duplicated using this
template with an applied voltage. Through changing the initial shape of the template as well as the position and bias of
the electrodes, this MEFDT method is believed to have the ability to achieve micrometer size lens with precisely
controlled geometry.

Keywords: Freeform lens, electrostatic deformed template

1. INTRODUCTION

Micro lens array was used broadly in optical system for beam homogenization [1, 2], beam shaping [3, 4], photonic
interconnection [5] and solar concentration [6], etc. Freeform lenslet with micrometer size is promising in more and more
applications to achieve better performance and less complexity of optical system [7, 8]. Several approaches had been
reported to obtain free form lens array. Diamond micromilling was used to realize freeform metal mold by cylindrical
coordinate machining method (CCM), and glass or polymer micro lens were duplicated from this mold [9, 10]. Based on
a planetary contour scanning laser machining method along with a shading metal mask and sample movable stage, an
array of micro-lenses with precisely controlled surface profiles was fabricated [11]. However, micro lens below 100
micron were hardly realized by diamond or laser machining due to their limited processing accuracy. Micro cutting tools
shaped with focused ion beam (FIB) milling were reported to fabricate a high accuracy template successfully for micro
lens [12], but more effective and low cost technology should be explored for expanding application of free form micro
lens array. Other alternative approaches included reflowing patterned photosensitive polymer above a critical

6th International Symposium on Advanced Optical Manufacturing and Testing Technologies: Design, Manufacturing, and
Testing of Smart Structures, Micro- and Nano-Optical Devices, and Systems, edited by T. Ye, X. Luo, S. Hu, X. Bao, Y. Li,
Proc. of SPIE Vol. 8418, 841807 · © 2012 SPIE · CCC code: 0277-786/12/$18 · doi: 10.1117/12.977641

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 temperature [13], or generating stable and reproducible polymer drops as micro lens array by micro ink-jet printing [14],
However, the shape of the micro lens formed by these approaches was normally out of control.
Some efforts were reported to precisely control the shape of micro lenslet. Y-C. Wang, et, al. used dielectrophoresis
force to adjust the focus gradient of a PDMS lens array [15]. K. Jeong et, al. utilized a pneumatic deformed elastomer
membrane as reconfigurable micro template, accordingly polymer micro lenses with different geometry were replicated
[16]. However, some restrictions still exist on the shape of the lenslet using these approaches.
In this paper, a so-called Molding by Electrostatic Force Deformed Template (MEFDT) method was proposed to realize
freeform micro lens array utilizing a low cost, reconfigurable template. An electrostatic force deformed membrane was
employed as the template instead of the pneumatic deformed membrane template in reference [16], More geometry
designs can be accomplished using this electrostatic force deformed template by setting the original shape of the template
as well as the positions and bias of the underneath electrodes.

2. PRINCIPLE AND DESIGN

The illustration of MEFDT method was shown in Figure 1. Conductive membrane was built on the top surface of a micro
cavity and electrodes located below the membrane (Fig. 1a). The conductive membrane deformed by electrostatic force
while a voltage was applied (Fig.1b). Polymer was poured on the deformed membrane and curing (Fig. 1c), Here the
conductive membrane acted as a template. Later, the polymer was peeled off to form a micro lens array (Fig. 1d).

Figure 1: Illustration of the MEFDT method. (a) fabricated the electrostatic deformed template, (b) deformed the template by applied
voltage, (c) polymer was poured in the template and curing, (d) polymeric micro lens array was peeled off the template.

The structure of the template shown in Fig. 1a was prepared by micro fabrication technology. Dimensions of the
conductive template are in the range from several microns to several millimeters and their shapes are arbitrary.
Therefore, it sets less restriction on the design of micro lens array than previous methods [15, 16]. Fig. 2 showed the
deformation of templates with different shapes.

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 Figure 2: Electrostatic force deformed templates with different shapes

The geometry of the template can be adjusted by applied voltage as well as the locations of the electrodes. As shown in
Fig. 3a, the distance between the template and its underneath electrode is 10 micron, when 200 volt voltage was applied
between the template and the electrode, the deformation was shown by the upper mesh, and the underlying mesh showed
the deformation at 600 volt bias. In Fig. 3b, two electrodes, a ring electrode on upper position and a circular electrode on
bottom are bias 200 volt simultaneously. The distance between the template and the circular electrodes was kept at 10
micron while the distance between the template and ring electrode, D, was changed. The deformations of the template
with different distance D were shown in Fig. 3b.

Figure 4: Integrated simulation environment for freeform

Figure 3: Different geometry of the template by different bias
and location of the electrodes. (a) variable deformation by
different applied voltage, (b) variable deformation by different
position of the electrodes.
micro lens array using the MEFDT method. (a) deformation
of the template by electrostatic force was analyzed by multi-
physical field simulation, (b) a three dimensional body
surrounded by the deformed surface and a flat surface was
generated, (c) the three dimensional body was arrayed to
form a micro lens array, (d) the optical performance of the
micro lens array was simulated

Generally, the shape of the template, electrodes arrangement and applied voltage will determine the final geometry of the
template. Various micro lens with optimized geometry for superior optical performance can be duplicated from these
freeform templates.
An integrated simulation environment from the configuration of the template to the final optical performance of the
micro lens array was presented. First, the electric field distribution at certain of applied voltage was figured out by
electromagnetic field simulation. Next, the electromagnetic field distribution was input into a finite element analysis
environment to obtain the electrostatic force on the template, and then a deformed surface was derived (Fig. 4a). The
output scattering points on the deformed surface were treated mathematically to generate a three dimensional body

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 surrounded by the deformed surface and a flat surface (Fig. 4b), This body was arrayed to form a micro-optics
component, which was input into a optical simulation environment to get its optical performance (Fig. 4c, 4d).
Design and optimization of the freeform micro lens array by MEFDT method can be accomplished in this integrated
simulation environment. Because the accuracy of the multi-physical simulation and the optical lens simulation were
demonstrated by long term usage in their own areas, this integrated simulation was believed to possess a acceptable
accuracy.

3. FABRICATION AND RESULTS

A micro lens array was fabricated utilizing the MEFDT method as an example. The fabricating process flow of the
template was shown in Figure 5. A silicon wafer with silicon dioxide layer 500 nm thick on top surface was used as the
substrate, and chromium layer 20 nm thick and gold layer 200 nm thick were deposited as the bottom electrode (Fig. 5a).
SU8 2015 about 10 microns thick was spin-coated and patterned to form the shape of the template (Fig 5b). A thick
photo resist, AZ4620 was spin-coated in multi-times to fill the cavity completely (Fig. 5c). The AZ 4620 on the top
surface was removed in a polishing process to expose the buried SU8 layer (Fig. 5d). Another layer of chromium 10 nm
thick and gold 50 nm thick was sputtered and patterned as the conductive template (Figure 5e). Finally, AZ 4620 was
stripped completely to leave a cavity between the bottom electrode and upper conductive template.
The fabricated template was placed on a probe station, and the template was deformed by applied voltage between the
electrode and the template. PDMS primer was poured on the template while the applied voltage was kept on during the
curing process. The PDMS layer was peeled up, and coated with a thin layer of Platinum about 2 nm thick and measured
by a 3D laser measuring microscope (OLS1200-FAR2, Olympus). The image of a duplicated micro lens array was
shown in Fig. 6. Here the lenslet in this 2×2 micro lens array were about 30×60×4 μm in dimensions.

d89'E
'qO : xooI
1.016 L mooz : xo'1
"bar : Z.VY
:'o;ui H-AD

Si/SiO2 SU8 Au AZ4620

Figure 5:Process flow of the template. (a) chromium 20 nm Figure 6: Image of the duplicated PDMS micro lens
thick and gold 200 nm thick were deposited on array.
silicon/silicon dioxide substrate, (b) SU8 layer 10 micron
thick was spin-coated and patterned, (c) AZ 4620 was
coated to form the sacrificial layer, (d) polishing process to
expose the SU8 layer, (e) chromium 5 nm thick gold 50 nm
thick were deposited and patterned, (f) AZ 4620 was
stripped completely.

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 The simulation results and the experimental data of a square template 60 μm×60 μm in dimension were compared in
Fig. 7. The maximum deformation was about 4.5 μm with a 200 volt bias in multi-physical simulation as shown in Fig.
7a. The experimental data was shown in Fig. 7b, and a maximum deformation of 4.017μm was measured at 200 volt
bias. Here an error about 10% existed mainly due to the process error in molding and de-molding process.

4. CONCLUSIONS

A Molding by Electrostatic Force Deformed Template (MEFDT) method was proposed in this paper to realize polymeric
freeform micro lens array. Thin film metal template was employed to demonstrate the feasibility of this method and
prepared PDMS micro lens array successfully. Through adjusting the shape of the template, the position of the electrodes
and the applied voltage, the geometry of micro lenslet was reconfigurable. Comparing with other reported approaches to
prepare micro lens array, MEFDT method possesses merits like freeform profile, high process accuracy and low cost. In
the next work, conductive polymer will be employed as the template to extend the range of deformation.

- -10 0
A
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(a)

74:17 rt'... 96.000

72.000
11.580
48.000
6.790
0.000 24.000
76.800
0
128.
(b) um

Figure 7: Simulation Comparison with experimental data. (a) deformation of a 60 μm×60 μm template with applied voltage 200 volt
and 10 μm space between the template and the electrode. (b) profile of the duplicated PDMS lenslet by MEFDT method using 60 μm
×60 μm template and 200 volts bias.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under the project no.
2011121025 and supported by NSFC under the project no. 21127001

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