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Hot embossing of aspherical Fresnel microlenses: design, process, and characterization

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Abstract

Hot embossing is a technique used to fabricate high-precision and high-quality polymeric components that combines low costs with high aspect ratio fidelity replication. In this study, we manufactured two aspherical Fresnel molds employing the single-point diamond turning process on an electrolytic copper workpiece, one with 10 μm constant height 30 zones and the other with 250 μm constant width 40 zones. The micromachined mold reproduced PMMA convex-plane lens optical quality replicas through the micro hot embossing technique. We used a scanning electron microscope (SEM), spectrophotometry, and non-contact optical profilometer to evaluate the replication fidelity qualitatively: the lens mold and the fine three-dimensional microstructures on the PMMA substrate surfaces. The results of the surface finish of the diamond machined mold sample are in the range of 4.92 nm (areal average surface roughness Sa) and 6.04 nm (areal root-mean-squared roughness Sq), respectively, and the values for the replicas being 4.73 nm and 5.94 nm, respectively. The results demonstrated that the geometry form accuracy obtained of the microfeatures was at the submicron level with little viscoelastic recovery. The surface roughness in the nanometer level got successfully replicated.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank IFSP and USP for assistance in this national science public research program and FAPESP for financial support (grant number: 2008/53641-5).

Funding

IFSP and USP supported this work assisting the program of postdoctoral science public research (IFSP postdoctoral number: 23309.001171.2019-13; USP project: 2019 - 987). FAPESP funded this study with financial support (grant number: 2008/53641-5).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo, Sertãozinho, SP, Brazil

    João Paulo Colafemina

  2. Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo, Araraquara, SP, Brazil

    Marcel Henrique Militão Dib

  3. Precision Engineering Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering School of São Carlos, University of São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, Brazil

    Renato Goulart Jasinevicius

Authors
  1. João Paulo Colafemina
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  2. Marcel Henrique Militão Dib
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  3. Renato Goulart Jasinevicius
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, literature review, writing, discussion, data collection, and analysis got performed by João Paulo Colafemina and Renato Goulart Jasinevicius. João Paulo Colafemina and Marcel Dib Militão made the development discussion and concept of the LF2020 software, including its discussion and sketches. João Paulo Colafemina wrote the first draft of the manuscript and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to João Paulo Colafemina.

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Colafemina, J.P., Militão Dib, M.H. & Jasinevicius, R.G. Hot embossing of aspherical Fresnel microlenses: design, process, and characterization. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 113, 935–953 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-06637-y

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