FABRICATION PROCESS FOR MASTERING IMAGING LENS ARRAYS

• US 20120198677A1
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fotonation Cayman Limited
• Original Assignee: Pelican Imaging Corporation
• Inventors: Duparre, Jacques
• Application Number:
  US13/445,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20120198677A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/407.01
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0025 Machining, e.g. grinding, polishing, diamond turning, manufacturing of mould parts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/808 Lens mold
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49764 with testing or indicating

Abstract

A process and method for fabricating a master lens array for use in the manufacture of duplicate lens arrays is provided. The fabrication methods provided herein are capable of maximizing the quality of the master lens array in an efficient and cost effective manner, thereby reducing the propagation of errors in the lenses formed using the master lens array.

Claims

1. A method of mastering a waferscale imaging lens array comprising:

fabricating a plurality of master lens pins, each master lens pin being of a different lens profile;

checking each of said master lens pins for shape deviations and repeating the fabricating step until a set of final master lens pins are formed, said final set of master lens pins being substantially free of shape deviations; and

duplicating each of said master lens pins on a substrate as a lens element a number of times sufficient to form the master waferscale lens array.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the lens profiles of the lens pins differ in accordance to at least one of either radius of curvature and aspheric coefficents.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the lens array has the same number and placement of lens elements as is required for a desired camera module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of duplicating is performed by a step and repeat tool.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the individual lens pins is fabricated by diamond turning.