Fabrication of Micro-Optic Elements by the Sol-Gel Method

Micro-lens arrays composed of organic-inorganic materials were molded on glass substrates by the sol-gel method. Each lens had the same focal length and accurate pitch. There was no change in appearance or focal length after heat treatment at 350°C. The arrays had a refractive index of 1.53 (@1550 nm) and a transmittance of 98%/mm (@1550 nm). The film material did not change in appearance during evaluation for acid resistance.     

Effects of UV-irradiation on the formation of oxide thin films from chemically modified metal-alkoxides

The effects of UV-irradiation on the properties of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ gel films prepared from corresponding metal-butoxides modified with acetylacetone (AcAc) or benzoylacetone (BzAc) have been studied. It was found that the chelate bonds of -diketones remaining in the gel films were dissociated by the UV-irradiation. The UV-irradiation also changed the properties of the gel films such as solubility; the solubility in acidic solutions was decreased for ZrO₂ gel films modified with AcAc and TiO₂ gel films modified with BzAc became insoluble in alcohol. Based on these findings, a new fine-patterning process has been established, which enables us to make fine-patterns of ZrO₂ and TiO₂ films on a variety of substrates.