Reactive oxide micro-molding of thick lenses containing diffractive optical elements

摘要

We present a novel approach for the realization of complex molds in poly-dimethylsiloxane and their subsequent use for replication of thick lenses containing diffractive features in silica glass. Our technology is based on (ⅰ) an original sol-gel process to prepare a stable concentrated solution of reactive oxide oligomer units and nano-particles, (ⅱ) micro-molding of this solution in the poly-dimethylsiloxane molds and (ⅲ) a subsequent thermal treatment to trigger chemical reactions and generate a pure and dense microstructure in silica glass. Three-dimensional millimeter-size lenses provided with nanometer-size features like Fresnel patterns and diffraction gratings have been realized.