Microlens formation by thin-film deposition with mesh-shaped masks.

Thin-film microlens arrays with high fill factors have been fabricated in a one-step process by shading a vapor beam in a vacuum-deposition apparatus with metallic meshes placed at defined distances to the substrate surface. To generate three-dimensional mask structures with the necessary depth profiles, microgalvanic technology has been applied. Profiles and optical properties of the microlenses have been studied theoretically and experimentally.