Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence (한국산업융합학회 논문집)

The Korean Society of Industry Convergence (한국산업융합학회)
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Fabricating a Micro-Lens Array Using a Laser-Induced 3D Nanopattern Followed by Wet Etching and CO2 Laser Polishing

  • Seung-Sik Ham (R&D center, JY engineering) ;
  • Chang-Hwam Kim (Division of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Yeungnam University college) ;
  • Soo-Ho Choi (Laser Application Center, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Jong-Hoon Lee (Laser Application Center, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Ho Lee (Laser Application Center, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2023.06.14
  • Accepted : 2023.07.19
  • Published : 2023.08.31
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Abstract

Many techniques have been proposed and investigated for microlens array manufacturing in three-dimensional (3D) structures. We present fabricating a microlens array using selective laser etching and a CO2 laser. The femtosecond laser was employed to produce multiple micro-cracks that comprise the predesigned 3D structure. Subsequently, the wet etching process with a KOH solution was used to produce the primary microlens array structures. To polish the nonoptical surface to the optical surface, we performed reflow postprocessing using a CO2 laser. We confirmed that the micro lens array can be manufactured in three primary shapes (cone, pyramid and hemisphere). Compared to our previous study, the processing time required for laser processing was reduced from approximately 1 hour to less than 30 seconds using the proposed processing method. Therefore, micro lens arrays can be manufactured using our processing method and can be applied to mass productionon large surface areas.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was partially supported by Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT) grant funded by the Korea Government (MOTIE)(N0000598, P0017662) This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2022R1I1A3063 490). The authors acknowledge Display Nanomaterials Institute for providing measurement.

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