Replicated optical MEMS in sol-gel materials

Replication technology using sol-gel materials offers an interesting alternative to the current approach to optical MEMS fabricated in silicon using lithographic and micro-machining technologies. The use of UV-curable sol-gel materials enables optical features such as micro-lenses and diffractive optical elements to be fabricated in the same process step as the MEMS structures, and has the potential of low-cost, high resolution mass-production technology. The paper describes progress in work aimed at investigating the potential of this approach.