Microlenses are fabricated on silicone rubber surfaces employing phenomena in which silicone rubber swells and is modified to SiO2 by F2 laser irradiation at a laser fluence lower than the ablation threshold. In this method, silicone rubber is irradiated using a F2 laser beam through a mask which has circular apertures 10, 20, and 25 µm in diameter. Since silicone rubber swells by laser irradiation, it is necessary to separate the mask from the silicone rubber surface. The swelling is spherical and its surface becomes smooth when the distance between the mask and the silicone rubber surface is very small. The focal lengths of the microlenses are 10–170 µm, which are controlled by adjusting the number of irradiated pulses. Additionally, a 790 nm femtosecond laser beam is focused by the fabricated microlenses, and enables the microdrilling of fluorinated rubber.
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