Silica Fresnel Lens for Laser Communications

摘要

This document presents the results of the study on the fabrication andcharacterization of pure silica Fresnel lenses by a replication process. To demonstrate the replication capability of diffractive or Fresnel optics, Fresnel lenses were prepared by a sol-gel molding technique. The optical quality and performance and dimensional characteristics of the lenses are reported. Optical and physical properties tested included glass homogeneity, UV/VIS/NIR transmission, light scattering and surface profilometry. Optical performance testing indicated that these glass Fresnel lenses are as good as their parent plastic Fresnel lenses. Success in this development is to open an avenue to many other applications where silica glass Fresnel lenses would be superior to plastics, both in optical quality and environmental stability. Fresnel lens, Silica glass, Sol-gel, Laser communication.