Kenneth J. Weible

Characterization of microlenses by digital holographic microscopy

We demonstrate the use of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) as a metrological tool in micro-optics testing. Measurement principles are compared with those performed with Twyman-Green, Mach-Zehnder, and white-light interferometers. Measurements performed on refractive microlenses with reflection DHM are compared with measurements performed with standard interferometers. Key features of DHM such as digital focusing, measurement of shape differences with respect to a perfect model, surface roughness measurements, and optical performance evaluation are discussed. The capability of imaging nonspherical lenses without any modification of the optomechanical setup is a key advantage of DHM compared with conventional measurement tools and is demonstrated on a cylindrical microlens and a square lens array.

Applications of SOI-based optical MEMS

After microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices have been well established, components of higher complexity are now developed. Particularly, the combination with optical components has been very successful and have led to optical MEMS. The technology of choice for us is the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology, which has also been successfully used by other groups. The applications presented here give an overview over what is possible with this technology. In particular, we demonstrate four completely different devices: (a) a 2 /spl times/ 2 optical cross connector (OXC)with an insertion loss of about 0.4 dB at a switching time of 500 /spl mu/s and its extension to a 4 /spl times/ 4 OXC, (b) a variable optical attenuators (VOA), which has an attenuation range of more than 50 dB (c) a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) with a spectral resolution of 6 nm in the visible, and (d) an accelerometer with optical readout that achieves a linear dynamic range of 40 dB over /spl plusmn/6 g. Except for the FTS, all the applications utilized optical fibers, which are held and self-aligned within the MEMS component by U-grooves and small leaf springs. All devices show high reliability and a very low power consumption.

On the chromatic aberration of microlenses

The optical properties of plano-convex refractive microlenses with low Fresnel Number (typically FN < 10) are investigated. It turns out that diffraction effects at the lens aperture limit the range of the effective focal length. The upper limit of the focal length is determined by the diffraction pattern of a pinhole with equal diameter. In addition achromatic microlenses can be realized because refraction and diffraction have opposing effects on the focal length. Gaussian beam propagation method has been used for simulation. The presented results are of relevance for applications, where microlenses with small apertures and long focal lengths are used, for example, Shack Hartmann wavefront sensors or confocal microscopes.

Advanced mask aligner lithography: new illumination system

A new illumination system for mask aligner lithography is presented. The illumination system uses two subsequent microlens-based Köhler integrators. The second Köhler integrator is located in the Fourier plane of the first. The new illumination system uncouples the illumination light from the light source and provides excellent uniformity of the light irradiance and the angular spectrum. Spatial filtering allows to freely shape the angular spectrum to minimize diffraction effects in contact and proximity lithography. Telecentric illumination and ability to precisely control the illumination light allows to introduce resolution enhancement technologies (RET) like customized illumination, optical proximity correction (OPC) and source-mask optimization (SMO) in mask aligner lithography.

Rectangular channels for lab-on-a-chip applications

We investigated the application of two technologies for the fabrication of rectangular microchannels with reasonable path lengths for UV detection in UV transparent materials. The first approach uses inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-reactive ion etching (RIE) to fabricate channels in fused silica wafers, using a 4-µm-thick nickel layer as protective mask. The effects of the process parameters on the etched channel profile and surface quality were studied directly using electron scanning microscopy, and indirectly through capillary electrophoresis experiments. In the second approach, narrow channels were easily realized in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) using replica molding and dry-etched silicon masters. UV absorbance detection of tryptophan was possible vertically through these PDMS channels, using pre-aligned optical fibers to guide light to the channel and collect and bring the transmitted light to the detector.

Fabrication and characterization of linear diffusers based on concave micro lens arrays

We present a new approach of beam homogenizing elements based on a statistical array of concave cylindrical microlens arrays. Those elements are used to diffuse light in only one direction and can be employed together with flys eye condensers to generate a uniform flat top line for high power coherent light sources. Conception, fabrication and characterization for such 1D diffusers are presented in this paper.

Two step process for the fabrication of diffraction limited concave microlens arrays

A two step process has been developed for the fabrication of diffraction limited concave microlens arrays. The process is based on the photoresist filling of melted holes obtained by a preliminary photolithography step. The quality of these microlenses has been tested in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The method allows the fabrication of concave microlens arrays with diffraction limited optical performance. Concave microlenses with diameters ranging between 30 microm to 230 microm and numerical apertures up to 0.25 have been demonstrated. As an example, we present the realization of diffusers obtained with random sizes and locations of concave shapes.

4X4 matrix switch based on MEMS switches and integrated waveguides

We present the development of a 4×4 matrix of optical switches based on silicon microfabricated switches and integrated waveguides. The device consists of two chips connected together by flip-chip bonding. The first chip has 16 latched silicon switches with micro-mirrors, while the second one contains the integrated waveguides and ensures the electrical connection of the 16 switches. The incorporation of integrated waveguides, patterned using a SU-8 mask and deep reactive ion etching, in our switch devices allows both the size and the packaging complexity to be reduced, and a technology for higher order matrices to be developed.

Microlens laser beam homogenizer: from theory to application

Many applications in laser manufacturing like semiconductor lithography, micro-machining, micro-structuring or material-analysis require a homogeneous intensity distribution of the laser beam over its complete profile. Refractive and diffractive beam homogenizer solutions have been developed for this challenge, but their applicability strongly depends on the physics of the individual laser beam. This paper investigates the influence of laser beam properties like spatial coherence for microlens beam homogenizers. Diffraction at the small lens apertures and interference effects of periodic arrays are explained by using diffraction theory. Different microlens beam homogenizer configurations are presented. Design considerations that might be helpful for the layout of a specific microlens beam homogenizer system are discussed. It is shown that, among other factors, the Fresnel number is the most important quantity to characterize the influence of diffraction effects on microlens laser beam homogenizers. The influence of the spatial partial coherence will be explained for the example of a Flys eye condenser. For cw laser sources, the influence of a rotating diffuser plate on grating interference and speckles effects is investigated. Finally, the theory will be compared to some practical examples in planar laser measurement techniques, in combustion diagnostics and micromachining with Excimer lasers.

Optical symbolic substitution using diffraction gratings.

An optical symbolic substitution system based on diffraction gratings and Fourier filtering is presented. The computational capability and design requirements of the system are derived. Binary applications of the system in the areas of correlation, arithmetic, and image algebra are discussed, and experimental results are presented.