Kuang-Sheng Hong et al 2006 J. Micromech. Microeng. 16 1660 doi:10.1088/0960-1317/16/8/030
Kuang-Sheng Hong1, Jing Wang2, Alexey Sharonov3, Dinesh Chandra1, Joanna Aizenberg4 and Shu Yang1
Show affiliationsInterest in dynamically tuning light has attracted great attention to the fabrication of tunable microlens arrays. Here we discuss the fabrication and characterization of a simple, robust, yet tunable microfluidic optical device with an integrated microlens array. The microfluidic device with a desired channel structure was micromachined on a polycarbonate plate with a resolution of up to 100 µm, followed by thermal bonding two plates above their glass transition temperature. The microlens arrays were replica molded on a glass slide, which was then attached to the polycarbonate plates. By simply actuating the liquids with variable refractive index into the fluidic channel to immerse the lens arrays without moving or deformation of microlenses, a large change of focal length of more than ten times (f = 0.74–8.53) was achieved. When a dye-containing liquid was pumped into the microfluidic channel to cover the lenses, the light transmission through the lenses was reduced from about 95% to 55% when the dye concentration was increased to 10 w/v%. The knowledge we gain from these studies will provide important insights to construct new, adaptive, micro-scale optical devices with multiple functionalities.
85.85.+j Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) and devices
42.79.Bh Lenses, prisms and mirrors
42.82.Et Waveguides, couplers, and arrays
42.82.Cr Fabrication techniques; lithography, pattern transfer
Issue 8 (August 2006)
Received 4 May 2006, in final form 15 June 2006
Published 11 July 2006
Kuang-Sheng Hong et al 2006 J. Micromech. Microeng. 16 1660
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