Center Smart Materials and Adaptive Systems CeSMA
Array of 3D printed aspherical microlenses
Microoptical elements are key components for further integration of complex optical devices. Powerful smartphone camera, high luminance projectors and optical detectors are only a few application examples that utilize microoptical components for improved performance.
Fraunhofer ISC contributes to the broader adoption of microoptical components by developing process technology and materials, which are specifically designed for excellent optical properties and geometric flexibility. In particular, two-photon polymerization is used to generate any kind of refractive or diffractive microscopic component directly from computer design. The desired surface function can be generated very similar to 3D printing but on a micron scale. This enables the manufacturing of freeform microlenses, microlens array, and multilevel diffractive optical elements (DOEs) on large scales and on almost any kind of substrate.
