Design and fabrication of a negative microlens array

An operation model of a negative microlens array is demonstrated. The array consists of two kinds of materials with different refractive indices. First of all, a positive microlens array with 256×256 elements serving as a pattern is fabricated by argon ion beam etching on the quartz. The diameter and average corona height of the element are 28 and 0.638 μm, respectively. The spacing between two neighboring elements is 2 μm. In the second phase, after being coated by epoxy, the positive microlens array pattern is spun and baked, leading to a complex negative microlens array. Surface stylus measurement shows that the surface of the positive quartz microlens array is smooth and uniform. Focal length measurement of the negative microlens array indicates that the focal length region with −731±3 μm is in good agreement with the theoretical calculation value of −729 μm.