Method of forming precision glass microlens arrays and a microlens array formed therewith

Abstract

A method wherein an array of optical elements is formed by forming a mount, including a plurality of element receiving bores therethrough arranged in a predetermined array; placing the mount on a lower mold surface of a lower mold, inserting a glass preform in each of the plurality of element receiving bores, each glass preform extending through a respective element receiving bore, each glass preform extending beyond a top surface of the mount; heating at least the glass preforms to at least a glass transition temperature thereof, aligning an upper mold having an upper mold surface with a plurality of desired optical features formed therein with the predetermined array- and pressing the glass preforms between the upper mold surface and the lower mold surface to mold the glass preforms into the array of optical elements permanently retained in the mount, the pressing of the glass preforms causing glass from each glass preform to flow generally radially outward therefrom across the top surface of the mount thereby creating an upper flange on each element that aids in retaining each optical element in the mount.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.