Technology for Fabricating Micro-Lens Arrays Utilizing Lithographically Replicated Concave Resist Patterns

Lithography has been generally used for printing two-dimensional patterns on flat wafers. Recently, however, it is also applied to a three-dimensional patterning for fabricating various MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) components. The purpose of this research is to develop a new method for fabricating micro-lens arrays. At first, resist (Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, PMER LA-900PM) mold patterns with densely arrayed square or hexagonal concaves were replicated by intentionally shifting the focal position of projection exposure. The size of resist-mold was 2 mm square, and the initial thickness of the resist was 10 rim. Next, the wafer with the concave resist patterns was cut into small chips, and each wafer chip was fixed at the bottom of a paper cup using an adhesive tape. Then the epoxy resin (Nissin resin, Crystal resin Neo) was poured on the concave resist-mold patterns, and the resin was coagulated. Afterward, the hardened resin was grooved along the wafer chip using a cutter knife, and the wafer chip with the resist-mold patterns was forcibly removed using a pair of tweezers. Finally, both sides of the resin block were polished, and the thickness was reduced. Although the transparency and roughness of the resin block surfaces should be improved, epoxy micro-lens arrays were certainly fabricated. The mean values of curvature radius and lens height were 28.3 mu m and 4.9 mu m, respectively.