Deep proton lithographic CAD-CAM for the fabrication of monolithic micro-optical elements

The technology of deep proton lithography in PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) is a fabrication method for monolithic integrated refractive micro-optical elements and micro-mechanical holder structures, which allows structural depths in the order of several hundred microns. Different optical functions can be fabricated in one block and form monolithic integrated optical systems. In addition mechanical support structures and alignment features can be integrated with these optical systems. This paper will focus on the technological requirements of the irradiation, the development and diffusion procedures, and of the computer aided design-computer aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) approach, which are necessary to achieve reproducible micro-optical components.