Microlens Fabrication by Replica Molding of Electro-Hydrodynamic Printing Liquid Mold
Feiyu Fang,
Xulei Tao,
Xun Chen,
Han Wang,
Peixuan Wu,
Jiarong Zhang,
Jun Zeng,
Zimin Zhu,
Zhen Liu
Affiliations
Feiyu Fang
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xulei Tao
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Xun Chen
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Han Wang
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Peixuan Wu
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Jiarong Zhang
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Jun Zeng
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Zimin Zhu
State Key Laboratory of Precision Electronic Manufacturing Technology and Equipment, School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Zhen Liu
Department of Physics and Engineering, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD 21532, USA
In this paper, we synergistically combine electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing and replica molding for the fabrication of microlenses. Glycerol solution microdroplets was sprayed onto the ITO glass to form liquid mold by an EHD printing process. The liquid mold is used as a master to fabricate a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold. Finally, the desired micro-optical device can be fabricated on any substrate using a PDMS soft lithography mold. We demonstrate our strategy by generating microlenses of photocurable polymers and by characterizing their optical properties. It is a new method to rapidly and cost-effectively fabricate molds with small diameters by exploiting the advantages of EHD printing, while maintaining the parallel nature of soft-lithography.
