Design and Fabrication of Multi-Focusing Microlens Array with Different Numerical Apertures by using Thermal Reflow Method

We present design and fabrication of a multi-focusing microlens array (MLA) using a thermal reflow method. To obtain multi-focusing properties with different numerical apertures at the elemental lens of the MLA, double-cylinder photoresist (PR) structures with different diameters were made within the guiding pattern with both photolithographic and partial developing processes. Due to the base PR layer supporting the thermal reflow process and the guiding structure, the thermally reflowed PR structure had different radii of curvatures with lens shapes that could be precisely modeled by the initial volume of the double-cylinder PR structures. Using the PR template, the hexagonally packed multi-focusing MLA was made via the replica molding method, which showed four different focal lengths of 0.9 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.6 mm, and 2.5 mm, and four different numerical apertures of 0.1799, 0.2783, 0.3973, and 0.4775.