Microfluidics assisted optics manufacturing technique

Abstract The conventional micro/nano-manufacturing techniques can hardly process interior microstructures. The entire fabrication process is complex and requires large-footprint and high-cost equipment. The presented microfluidics assisted optics manufacturing technique is feasible to create the curved surface inside microstructure using various modified materials. The fabrication process is simple. Only small, low-cost devices are needed. In this paper, microfluidics assisted optics manufacturing technique is introduced in detail and compared with the current manufacturing techniques. A diversity of interesting micro-optics, including microlens array and compound eye, are demonstrated. These optical components are all fabricated by the microfluidics assisted manufacturing technique and possess their own outstanding features.