Background
As optical systems move toward integration, weight reduction, and miniaturization, optical elements tend to be miniaturized, shifting from discrete combinations of multiple elements to array elements, and thus microlens arrays have evolved. Common microlens surfaces are spherical, aspherical, parabolic, free surfaces, and the like. The micro lens array has the advantages of light weight, small volume, flexible design, easy integration and the like, can realize the functions of light beam divergence, focusing, deflection, segmentation, recombination, switching, coupling, acceptance and the like, and is widely applied to the fields of wavefront detection, integral imaging, 3D display, optical data storage, image processing, optical interconnection and the like.
At present, the processing method of the micro lens array mainly comprises precision compression molding, glass 3D printing, mask photoetching, ultra-precision micro processing, laser direct writing and the like. In the processing method, the precise compression molding can copy the surface shape of the die to the surface of the optical substrate in equal proportion at one time, thereby realizing the efficient and precise transfer of the micro lens array, and having the characteristics of low cost, good consistency and the like. Therefore, precision press molding is still the optimal choice in mass production of microlens arrays. The efficient preparation of the microlens array mold is a key factor for realizing precise molding, and in order to ensure that the mold still maintains excellent mechanical properties and durability in a high-temperature molding state, conventional mold materials are mainly ceramics, stainless steel and the like. These materials have certain limitations in terms of processing cost and efficiency, particularly in the manufacture of microlens array molds of complex morphology.
The existing mould processing technology of the micro lens array mainly comprises ultra-precise milling and turning, mask photoetching, electrochemical etching, femtosecond laser direct writing and the like. Ultra-precise milling and turning are known for high precision and reliability, but when processing hard and brittle materials with high hardness and high wear resistance, the cutter is severely worn, high processing precision and consistency are difficult to ensure, processing errors are difficult to predict, and the processing efficiency is low. The mask photoetching technology forms a required structure through adjusting the transmittance of ultraviolet light passing through different positions of a mask plate and further through exposure and development processes, but the processing steps are complicated, the efficiency is low, the nonlinear error of a mask graph is difficult to correct, and the mask photoetching technology is not suitable for processing a large-area array. The electrochemical etching processing precision is high, the method is suitable for ultra-smooth surface processing, but is not suitable for deep groove and large-area processing, and the etching process parameters are required to be accurately controlled, the difficulty is high and the efficiency is low when the hard and brittle materials are processed. The femtosecond laser direct writing technology utilizes high-energy beams to bombard the surface of a material, so that the material is selectively removed, the thermal damage to the material can be avoided, but the processing efficiency is limited, and the microstructure morphology has strong randomness and is not suitable for high-precision microlens array processing. The problems of damage risk, inaccurate microstructure array morphology, difficult guarantee of array consistency, high cost, low efficiency and the like of a die during processing of the micro lens made of superhard materials are generally faced by the technologies, and therefore, the prior art needs to be improved.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, the present application aims to provide a mold for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning, a preparation method thereof, a lens array and a preparation method thereof, and aims to solve the problem that the mold is easy to damage and fail when the superhard material is used for preparing the lens array in the prior art.
The technical scheme of the application is as follows:
The application provides a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning, which comprises a substrate, a plurality of positioning holes and round balls, wherein the positioning holes are distributed in an array mode, and the round balls are embedded in the positioning holes and are detachably connected with the positioning holes.
Optionally, the aperture R of the positioning hole satisfies the following formula:
Wherein n is a safety factor, a is the maximum horizontal acceleration to which the die is subjected, ρ is the radius of the sphere, and g is the gravitational acceleration;
the depth H of the positioning hole meets the following formula:
optionally, the materials of the substrate and the sphere include at least one of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, tungsten carbide, nickel-based alloy, cobalt-based alloy, steel, stainless steel, and cast iron, respectively.
In a second aspect of the application, a method for preparing a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning according to the first aspect of the application is provided, and the method comprises the steps of providing a substrate and a ball, preparing a positioning hole on the substrate by using laser processing, and placing the ball in the positioning hole to prepare the die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning.
Optionally, the step of using laser to manufacture the positioning hole on the substrate comprises the steps of using laser to draw an outer contour of the positioning hole on the substrate, and filling the outer contour according to a 'back' shape path to manufacture the positioning hole, wherein the aperture of the outer contour is the same as that of the positioning hole.
Optionally, the output power of the laser is less than or equal to 20W, the wavelength of the laser is 532nm, and the pulse width of the laser is 10-200ns.
Optionally, the scanning times of the laser are positively correlated with the depth of the positioning hole.
The application provides a preparation method of a lens array, which comprises the steps of providing a die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning and a lens array precursor of the first aspect, covering the surface of the die where the round ball is located with the lens array precursor, heating the surface to a first preset temperature to prepare a lens array intermediate, pressurizing the lens array intermediate in an inert atmosphere, and finally cooling to prepare the lens array.
Optionally, the first preset temperature T is in the range of T g-10℃≤T≤Tg+20℃,Tg which is the conversion temperature of the lens array precursor, and the step of pressurizing treatment comprises pressurizing for 1-5s with a pressurizing force of 0.01-0.02kN/s to a maximum pressure of 0.01-0.5kN and maintaining the pressure for 60-300s.
In a fourth aspect of the present application, there is provided a lens array manufactured by the manufacturing method of the lens array of the third aspect of the present application.
Compared with the prior art, the application has the following advantages:
(1) The lens array die adopts an assembly mode, can flexibly configure the die assembly according to design requirements, and can flexibly replace part of the die assembly in a life cycle, so that the problem of failure of the whole array die caused by local damage of the die in the high-temperature glass pressing process is avoided.
(2) The preparation method of the lens array mold prepares the positioning holes through laser processing, has high processing precision, good consistency, excellent efficiency, various selectable materials, wide application field and high freedom degree of array design, and can realize array design with various shapes.
(3) The preparation method of the lens array adopts two steps to prepare the lens array, firstly prepares a lens array die through an assembly mode, and then prepares the optical lens array through precise compression molding, and has simple process flow, low production cost, high preparation efficiency and good engineering realizability.
Detailed Description
For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to fall within the scope of the application. The following embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.
It should be noted that, if there is a description of "first," "second," etc. in the practice of the present application, the description of "first," "second," etc. is for descriptive purposes only and is not to be construed as indicating or implying any particular importance or implying any particular order among or between such descriptions. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In addition, the technical solutions of the embodiments may be combined with each other, but it is necessary to enable those skilled in the art to implement the embodiments as a basis, and when the technical solutions are contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that the combination of the technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.
The embodiment of the application provides a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning, which mainly comprises a substrate and a plurality of balls, wherein the substrate is provided with a plurality of positioning holes distributed in an array, the balls are embedded in the positioning holes and detachably connected with the positioning holes, and the number of the balls is the same as that of the positioning holes. The lens array may be a microlens array, and specifically may be a concave microlens array.
In the processing method of the lens array, the precise compression molding can copy the surface shape of the die to the surface of the lens array precursor in equal proportion at one time, thereby realizing the efficient and precise transfer of the lens array, and having the characteristics of low cost, good consistency and the like. The efficient preparation of the lens array mold is a key factor for realizing precise molding, and in order to ensure that the mold still maintains better mechanical performance and durability in a high-temperature mold pressing state, the conventional mold materials mainly comprise ceramics, stainless steel and the like. In the die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning, the round balls are detachably connected with the positioning holes, so that the replacement of the round balls can be realized, the problem that the whole array die is invalid due to local surface damage in the process of high-temperature glass molding for many times in the process of preparing the lens array is solved, and the prepared lens array is ensured to have smooth surface, uniform characteristics and small residual stress and has excellent focusing and imaging capabilities.
In some embodiments, to ensure that the ball is in sufficient contact with the surface of the locating hole, the aperture R of the locating hole satisfies the following equation:
wherein n is a safety factor, a is the maximum horizontal acceleration to which the lens array mold is subjected, ρ is the radius of the sphere, and g is the gravitational acceleration. Further, the depth H of the pilot hole needs to satisfy the following formula:
in some embodiments, the material of the substrate and the sphere comprises at least one of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, tungsten carbide, nickel-based alloys, cobalt-based alloys, steel, stainless steel, cast iron.
Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the embodiment of the application further provides a method for preparing a mold for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning, which comprises the following steps:
S101, providing a substrate and a ball.
The lens array is prepared according to the requirements, the size and the number of the spheres are designed, and the arrangement mode of the positioning holes is designed on the substrate in advance. The diameter and depth of the positioning hole can be calculated according to the formula so as to ensure that the sphere is fully contacted with the circumference of the top of the positioning hole, and the combined lens array die is more stable. In addition, the bottom surface of the positioning hole processed by laser is not absolutely flat and smooth. Irregular protrusions may create gaps between the mold ball and the top circumference of the alignment holes, resulting in unstable mold ball alignment and affecting the uniformity of the microlens array. Thus, the depth H of the locating hole must be such that the bottom surface of the locating hole remains separated from the die ball while ensuring that the die ball surface remains in contact with the top circumference of the locating hole.
In some embodiments, the material of the substrate and the spheres comprises at least one of silicon carbide, silicon nitride, single crystal silicon, tungsten carbide, nickel-based alloys, cobalt-based alloys, steel, stainless steel, cast iron. Preferably, the substrate is a silicon carbide ceramic material which has the advantages of high hardness, high strength, high heat resistance, excellent chemical corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion coefficient and the like so as to meet the environmental requirements of high-temperature die pressing. The die ball is made of silicon nitride material, is a ceramic material with high mechanical strength and toughness, can bear high load and impact, has excellent corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity, and has no adhesion between an interface and an optical material at high temperature, thereby meeting the requirement of high-temperature die pressing.
S102, preparing a positioning hole on the substrate by using laser.
The specific steps include drawing the outline of the locating hole on the substrate by laser according to the depth of the outline of the locating hole designed in the step S1, and filling the outline according to a 'back' path to obtain the locating hole, wherein the aperture of the outline is the same as that of the locating hole. Since there may be powder residues in the laser-processed substrate and alignment holes, in some embodiments, the laser-drawn substrate is subjected to ultrasonic cleaning in an ethanol solution for 10 minutes to remove the powder residues.
In some embodiments, the laser is selected from one of a femtosecond laser, a nanosecond laser, and a picosecond laser. In some embodiments, the output power of the laser is no greater than 20W, for example the power of the laser may be 1W, 2W, 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, or the like. The wavelength of the laser is 532nm, the pulse width of the laser is 10-200ns, for example, the pulse width of the laser is 10ns, 20ns, 50ns, 100ns, 120ns, 150ns, 180ns or 200ns, etc. The scanning times of the laser are positively correlated with the depth of the positioning hole. After a plurality of laser scans, a positioning hole with a specific depth can be obtained on the substrate, the more the scanning times are, the greater the depth H of the positioning hole is, for example, when the scanning speed is set to 400mm/s, the laser repetition frequency is set to 50kHz, the current is set to 40A, and the scanning times are set to 45, the positioning hole profile close to the design value can be obtained.
S103, placing the spherical ball into the positioning hole, and preparing a die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning.
Referring to fig. 4 and 5, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for manufacturing a lens array, including the steps of:
S201, providing the die for preparing the lens array based on the laser positioning and the lens array precursor according to the embodiment of the application, covering the lens array precursor on the die, and heating to a first preset temperature to obtain the lens array intermediate.
During heating, the viscosity of the lens array precursor is reduced so that it can be brought into sufficient contact with the mold. Among them, the lens array precursor is a raw material for processing into a lens array, such as glass, polymer, etc., specifically, glass including but not limited to silicate glass (e.g., borosilicate glass, also known as K9 glass), quartz glass, and polymer including but not limited to polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC). The first preset temperature T is in the range of T g-10℃≤T≤Tg+20℃,Tg being the conversion temperature of the lens array precursor. For example, when K9 glass is used as the lens array precursor, the first preset temperature may be 590-620 ℃, e.g., the first preset temperature may be 590 ℃, 600 ℃, 610 ℃, 620 ℃, or the like.
And S202, pressurizing the intermediate of the lens array under inert atmosphere (such as nitrogen), and finally cooling to obtain the lens array.
The pressurizing treatment is favorable for deformation of the lens array precursor, so that the surface type of the die can be replicated in equal proportion at one time. The pressurizing treatment includes pressurizing with pressure of 0.01-0.02kN/s for 1-5s to maximum pressure of 0.01-0.5kN and maintaining pressure for 60-300s. The pressurizing force is the first derivative of the pressure with respect to time, and the pressurizing force is controlled to be 0.01-0.02kN/s, so that the stable preparation of the lens array is facilitated, and the yield is higher. The pressure maintaining is beneficial to improving the replication degree of the surface type equal proportion replication of the die.
In the cooling process, the cooling device is divided into a slow cooling stage and a fast cooling stage. The temperature is slowly reduced to 400-500 ℃ in the slow cooling stage so as to ensure lower residual stress. Excessive cooling may result in excessive residual stress or direct damage to the lens array. In the rapid cooling stage, the temperature can be rapidly reduced to 50-120 ℃ so as to facilitate the subsequent removal of the mold and the lens array.
The lens array and the die are cooled in a slow cooling and fast cooling combined mode, so that the phenomenon that internal stress of the lens array is greatly remained in the lens array due to uneven cooling is avoided, the optical performance and the mechanical strength of the lens array are influenced, meanwhile, the efficiency is improved, and the preparation time is shortened.
The embodiment of the application also provides a lens array prepared by adopting the preparation method of the lens array.
Further description will be given below by way of specific examples.
Example 1
(1) SiC ceramic material is selected as a base plate and a ball of a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning. The size of the substrate is 20mm multiplied by 6mm, the nanosecond laser processing system is subjected to focusing according to the height size, and the focal position is adjusted to the upper surface of the substrate. And the designed array of pilot holes (as shown in figure 1) is drawn on a software platform that is self-contained in the nanosecond laser processing system. The drawing process is that firstly, the outline of a single positioning hole is drawn, the radius is R, the proper interval and the filling quantity are set, and the whole circular outline is uniformly filled according to a 'back' shape path. Here, the radius R is 715 μm and the filling pitch is 15 μm. The depth H of the positioning hole is required to be larger than 0.015mm according to the formula. And (3) carrying out array formation on the established positioning hole model according to the regular quadrilateral arrangement form to obtain a positioning hole array model.
The laser output power is 20W, the wavelength of a light source is 532nm, the pulse width is 100ns, the laser scanning speed is 400mm/s, the laser repetition frequency is 50kHz, the current is 40A, the scanning times are 45, and the processing of the positioning hole is completed. And then placing the substrate in an ethanol solution for ultrasonic cleaning for 10min to obtain the substrate with the positioning holes distributed in an array. Finally, siN ceramic balls (round balls) with the diameter of 2mm are placed in each positioning hole, and a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning is obtained.
(2) The K9 glass is selected as a material of the lens array, and a precision mould pressing method is adopted to copy the spherical array on the mould to the surface of the K9 glass. The mold and K9 glass were heated to 600℃and maintained for 240s. The pressure was applied to a final pressure of 0.29kN at a pressurizing force of 0.014kN/s under a nitrogen atmosphere for 240s. The pressure was released, the temperature was slowly lowered to 450 ℃, and then the glass element was rapidly cooled to 100 ℃, and after the shape of the glass element was determined, the mold was separated from the glass element, thereby obtaining a lens array as shown in fig. 6 a.
Example 2
(1) SiC ceramic material is selected as a base plate and a ball of a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning. The size of the substrate is 20mm multiplied by 6mm, the nanosecond laser processing system is subjected to focusing according to the height size, and the focal position is adjusted to the upper surface of the substrate. And the designed array of pilot holes (as shown in figure 1) is drawn on a software platform that is self-contained in the nanosecond laser processing system. The drawing process is that firstly, the outline of a single positioning hole is drawn, the radius is R, the proper interval and the filling quantity are set, and the whole circular outline is uniformly filled according to a 'back' shape path. Here, the radius R is 715 μm and the filling pitch is 0.015mm. The depth H of the positioning hole is required to be larger than 300 mu m according to the formula. And (3) carrying out array formation on the established positioning hole model according to the regular hexagon arrangement form to obtain a positioning hole array model.
Setting the output power of laser at 20W, the wavelength of a light source at 532nm, the pulse width at 100ns, the laser scanning speed at 400mm/s, the laser repetition frequency at 50kHz, the current at 40A and the scanning frequency at 45, obtaining the outline of the positioning hole, and then adjusting the laser scanning frequency to finish drawing the positioning hole. And then placing the substrate in an ethanol solution for ultrasonic cleaning for 10min to obtain the substrate with the positioning holes distributed in an array. And finally, placing SiC ceramic balls (round balls) in each positioning hole to obtain the die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning.
(2) And (3) selecting K9 glass as a material of the lens array, and copying the structured array on the die to the surface of the K9 glass by adopting a precise die pressing method. The mold and K9 glass were heated to 590℃and maintained for 180s. The pressure was applied at a rate of 0.02kN/s under a nitrogen atmosphere to a final pressure of 0.32kN for 60s. The pressure was released, the temperature was slowly lowered to 400 ℃, and then the glass element was rapidly cooled to 50 ℃, and after the shape of the glass element was determined, the mold was separated from the glass element, thereby obtaining a lens array as shown in fig. 6B.
Example 3
(1) SiC ceramic material is selected as a base plate and a ball of a die for preparing a lens array based on laser positioning. The size of the substrate is 20mm multiplied by 8mm, the nanosecond laser processing system is subjected to focusing according to the height size, and the focal position is adjusted to the upper surface of the substrate. And the designed array of pilot holes (as shown in figure 1) is drawn on a software platform that is self-contained in the nanosecond laser processing system. The drawing process is that firstly, the outline of a single positioning hole is drawn, the radius is R, the proper interval and the filling quantity are set, and the whole circular outline is uniformly filled according to a 'back' shape path. Here, the radius R is 1075 μm and the filling pitch is 15 μm. The depth H of the positioning hole is required to be larger than 454 mu m according to the formula. And (3) carrying out array formation on the established positioning hole model according to the regular hexagon arrangement form to obtain a positioning hole array model.
The laser output power is 20W, the wavelength of a light source is 532nm, the pulse width is 100ns, the laser scanning speed is 400mm/s, the laser repetition frequency is 50kHz, the current is 40A, the scanning times are 78, and the processing of the positioning hole is completed. And then placing the substrate in an ethanol solution for ultrasonic cleaning for 10min to obtain the substrate with the positioning holes distributed in an array. And finally, placing SiC ceramic balls (round balls) with the diameter of 3mm into each positioning hole to obtain the die for preparing the lens array based on laser positioning.
(2) PMMA is selected as a material of the lens array, and a structured array on a mold is copied to the PMMA surface by adopting a precision molding method. The mold and PMMA were heated to 140℃and maintained for 180s. Pressurizing with a pressurizing force of 0.01kN/s to a final pressure of 0.3kN, and maintaining the pressure for 60s. The pressure was released, the temperature was slowly lowered to 100 ℃, and then the glass element was rapidly cooled to 40 ℃, and after the shape of the PMMA optical element was determined, the mold was separated from the PMMA, thereby obtaining a lens array as shown in fig. 6C.
Example 4
A lens array was produced in the same manner as in example 3, as shown in D in fig. 6.
In summary, the lens array mold disclosed by the application adopts an assembly mode, can flexibly configure the mold assembly according to design requirements, can flexibly replace part of the assemblies in a life cycle, and avoids the problem of failure of the whole array mold caused by local damage of the mold in the high-temperature glass pressing process. The preparation method of the lens array die prepares the positioning holes through laser processing, has high processing precision, excellent efficiency, various selectable materials, wide application field and high array design freedom, and can realize various array designs. The preparation method of the lens array adopts two steps to prepare the lens array, firstly prepares a lens array die through an assembly mode, and then prepares the lens array through precise compression molding, and has simple process flow, low production cost, high preparation efficiency and good engineering realizability.
It is to be understood that the application is not limited in its application to the examples described above, but is capable of modification and variation in light of the above teachings by those skilled in the art, and that all such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.