Replicated optical MEMS in sol-gel materials

Replication technology using sol-gel materials offers an interesting alternative to the current approach to optical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabricated in silicon using lithographic and micromachining technologies. The use of UV-curable sol-gel materials enables optical features such as microlenses and diffractive optical elements to be fabricated in the same process step as the MEMS structures, and has the potential of low-cost high-resolution mass-production technology. This paper describes progress in work aimed at investigating the potential of this approach.