Integration of cross-scale milli/microlenses by ion beam etching and femtosecond laser modification

Abstract

Integrated cross-scale milli/microlenses offer irreplaceable functions in modern integrated optics with the advantage of reducing the size of the optical system to millimeters or microns. However, the technologies for fabricating millimeter-scale lenses and microlenses are always incompatible, which makes the successful fabrication of cross-scale milli/microlenses with a controlled morphology challenging. Here, ion beam etching is proposed as a means to fabricate smooth millimeter-scale lenses on various hard materials. In addition, by combining femtosecond laser modification and ion beam etching, an integrated cross-scale concave milli/microlens (27,000 microlenses on a lens with a diameter of 2.5 mm) is demonstrated on fused silica, and can be used as the template for a compound eye. The results provide a new, to the best of our knowledge, route for the flexible fabrication of cross-scale optical components for modern integrated optical systems.