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Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy for Analyzing Optical Characteristics and Morphology of an Aspherical Microlens Array

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Abstract

Aspherical microlenses and microlens arrays allow increasing efficiency of various optical devices. However, it is technologically challenging to produce these items. The problem arises from impossibility of making microlenses with an arbitrary profile in a characteristic size region of several tens of micrometers using traditional technologies like single-point diamond milling and thermal reflow. In this work, a precisely aligned combination of an aspherical microlens and a microlens array produced by the two-photon polymerization direct laser writing (2PP-DLW) is presented. This structure is designed and optimized using computer simulation methods. A unique photosensitive composition based on the methacrylate dye (derivative of benzylidene cyclopentanone) is used to produce the structures. A specific feature of the chosen composition is dependence of its mechanical and optical properties on the femtosecond radiation dose which could widely vary during the fabrication. The produced structures are investigated using laser scanning confocal microscopy, which allows reconstruction of the 3D image of the structures and detailed analysis of their morphological properties. The aspherical microlens aligned with the microlens array has a wide range of applications in production of complicated optical devices, optimized microobjective lenses for high-precision wave front sensing, and refractive X-ray lenses.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors are thankful to Dr. M. Arsenyev, Dr. E. Zhiganshina, and Prof. S. Chesnokov from the IOMC RAS for providing a special methacrylate dye (benzylidene cyclopentanone derivative dye) photocomposition with wide fabrication windows and strong property dependence on lithographical parameters, and to Dr. D.A. Chubich and D.D. Merkushev for discussion of the DLW fabrication principle.

Funding

Simulation and DLW lithography work, and LSCM investigations were supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 22-79-10153. Technical and metrological evaluations were supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, grant no. 075-11-2021-086.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, National Research University, 141700, Dolgoprudny, Russia

    R. P. Matital, D. A. Kolymagin, A. V. Pisarenko, D. A. Shcherbakov & A. G. Vitukhnovsky

  2. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    A. G. Vitukhnovsky

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  1. R. P. Matital
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  2. D. A. Kolymagin
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  3. A. V. Pisarenko
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  4. D. A. Shcherbakov
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  5. A. G. Vitukhnovsky
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Correspondence to D. A. Kolymagin.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Translated by M. Potapov

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Matital, R.P., Kolymagin, D.A., Pisarenko, A.V. et al. Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy for Analyzing Optical Characteristics and Morphology of an Aspherical Microlens Array. Phys. Wave Phen. 31, 217–222 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1541308X23040076

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1541308X23040076

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