Compact Beam Homogenizer Module with Laser-Fabricated Lens-Arrays

We report on manufacturing of a compact beam homogenizer module including two lens arrays and an aperture. Lens arrays are fabricated by an all laser-based technology employing a precise femtosecond pulsed laser ablation and a CO<inline-formula><math display="inline"><semant...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Simon Schwarz, Babette Götzendorfer, Stefan Rung, Cemal Esen, Ralf Hellmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1018
Description
Summary:We report on manufacturing of a compact beam homogenizer module including two lens arrays and an aperture. Lens arrays are fabricated by an all laser-based technology employing a precise femtosecond pulsed laser ablation and a CO<inline-formula><math display="inline"><semantics><msub><mrow></mrow><mn>2</mn></msub></semantics></math></inline-formula> laser polishing step. Each lens array is processed revealing a high contour accuracy and a roughness of 25 nm. The 8x8 lens arrays are designed to have a square footprint to generate a quadratic Top-Hat beam profile and focal length of 10 mm to realize compact packaging. Firstly, the lens arrays are tested in an experimental setup using commercial lens holders with their functionality being demonstrated by shaping a uniform 4.5 mm squared Top-Hat beam profile, as being calculated. Afterwards, a 3D printer is used to additively manufacture the housing for the beam homogenizer module having a length of only 16 mm. After assembling the laser-fabricated lens arrays and a laser-cutted aperture into the housing, the functionality of the miniaturized module is proven.
ISSN:2076-3417