Ultra-thin wafer-level camera with 720p resolution using micro-optics

Brückner, Andreas; Oberdörster, Alexander; Dunkel, Jens; Reimann, A.; Mûller, Martín; Wippermann, Frank

doi:10.1117/12.2061006

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Until now multi-lens optics that have comparable performances are considerably larger 12,23 and at the same time do not show the manifold compound structures and possibilities presented here. Our optical devices consist of several different free-form lens elements with air in between.…”

mentioning

confidence: 85%

“…So far, additively manufactured objects are mostly fabricated from metals, ceramics and opaque plastics. There are a number of different fabrication methods to manufacture small and high-performance micro-optical systems [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] ; however, these technologies suffer from drawbacks such as limited miniaturization, inability to combine multiple elements, restrictions in designing the surfaces [2][3][4]11 and problems with the alignment 12 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Two-photon direct laser writing of ultracompact multi-lens objectives

et al. 2016

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Current lens systems are restricted in size, shape and dimensions by limitations of manufacturing. Multi-lens elements with non-spherical shapes are required for high optical performance and to correct for aberrations when imaging at wide angles and large fields. Here we present a novel concept in optics that overcomes all of the aforementioned difficulties and opens the new field of 3D printed micro-and nano-optics with complex lens designs. We demonstrate the complete process chain, from optical design, manufacturing by femtosecond two-photon direct laser writing and testing to the application of multi-lens objectives with sizes around 100 µm, and validate their high performance and functionality by quantitative measurements of the modulation transfer function and aberrations. The unprecedented flexibility of our method paves the way towards printed optical miniature instruments such as endoscopes, fibre-imaging systems for cell biology, new illumination systems, miniature optical fibre traps, integrated quantum emitters and detectors, and miniature drones and robots with autonomous vision.A dditive manufacturing enables new and unprecedented engineering and production possibilities that are predicted to have an enormous impact in the twenty-first century. The technology allows for the simple three-dimensional (3D) printing of volumetric objects directly from a computer-aided design 1 . So far, additively manufactured objects are mostly fabricated from metals, ceramics and opaque plastics. There are a number of different fabrication methods to manufacture small and high-performance micro-optical systems 2-10 ; however, these technologies suffer from drawbacks such as limited miniaturization, inability to combine multiple elements, restrictions in designing the surfaces 2-4,11 and problems with the alignment 12 .Multiphoton lithography is one of various 3D printing technologies that realize the fabrication of 3D objects 13-15 . Using femtosecond laser pulses and two-photon absorption, this manufacturing method takes 3D printing down to submicrometre feature sizes and therefore pushes the ongoing trend of miniaturization forwards. Direct laser writing with highly transparent photoresists enables 3D printing to enter the realm of manufacturing optical elements at the micro-and nanometre scale [16][17][18][19][20][21][22] . Thus the precise fabrication of complex optical elements on demand becomes possible.We demonstrate that 3D direct laser writing is a suitable tool for fabricating complex multi-lens optical systems that show high optical performances and tremendous compactness. Until now multi-lens optics that have comparable performances are considerably larger 12,23 and at the same time do not show the manifold compound structures and possibilities presented here. Our optical devices consist of several different free-form lens elements with air in between. This work is right at the interface between microand nano-optics and represents a paradigm shift for micro-optics. It takes only a few hours from lens desig...

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confidence: 99%

Two-photon direct laser writing of ultracompact multi-lens objectives

et al. 2016

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“…Moreover, an aperture of the entrance pupil of 4 mm was fabricated using a 3D printer (Ultimaker, Netherlands, Ultimaker3) to implement the small-factor-form LFC system using a smartphone camera with a simple assembly. Through this manufacturing method, it was possible to achieve miniaturization of the camera in a simple way without making and aligning an elaborate spacer, which is one of the most difficult processes in conventional compact cameras [30,31]. Figure 4 shows how to implement the integration of a stitching image using a multi-viewpoint image, which is one of the essential features of the developed LFC.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miniaturized 3D Depth Sensing-Based Smartphone Light Field Camera

Kim

Lee

et al. 2020

Sensors

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The miniaturization of 3D depth camera systems to reduce cost and power consumption is essential for their application in electrical devices that are trending toward smaller sizes (such as smartphones and unmanned aerial systems) and in other applications that cannot be realized via conventional approaches. Currently, equipment exists for a wide range of depth-sensing devices, including stereo vision, structured light, and time-of-flight. This paper reports on a miniaturized 3D depth camera based on a light field camera (LFC) configured with a single aperture and a micro-lens array (MLA). The single aperture and each micro-lens of the MLA serve as multi-camera systems for 3D surface imaging. To overcome the optical alignment challenge in the miniaturized LFC system, the MLA was designed to focus by attaching it to an image sensor. Theoretical analysis of the optical parameters was performed using optical simulation based on Monte Carlo ray tracing to find the valid optical parameters for miniaturized 3D camera systems. Moreover, we demonstrated multi-viewpoint image acquisition via a miniaturized 3D camera module integrated into a smartphone.

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“…The details of the optical design and its optimization have been published in a prior paper 7 . Contrasting to the prior demonstrator, which was integrated on a customized CMOS array image sensor developed by the Fraunhofer IIS (Erlangen, Germany) 7 , the current work concentrates on demonstrators built on commercial CMOS image sensors. This has a few distinctive advantages compared to the prior setup:…”

Section: Optical and Optomechanical Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultra-slim 2D- and depth-imaging camera modules for mobile imaging

et al. 2016

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In this contribution, a microoptical imaging system is demonstrated that is inspired by the insect compound eye. The array camera module achieves HD resolution with a z-height of 2.0 mm, which is about 50% compared to traditional cameras with comparable parameters. The FOV is segmented by multiple optical channels imaging in parallel. The partial images are stitched together to form a final image of the whole FOV by image processing software. The system is able to acquire depth maps along with the 2D video and it includes light field imaging features such as software refocusing. The microlens arrays are realized by microoptical technologies on wafer-level which are suitable for a potential fabrication in high volume

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Ultra-thin wafer-level camera with 720p resolution using micro-optics

Cited by 12 publications

References 7 publications

Two-photon direct laser writing of ultracompact multi-lens objectives

Two-photon direct laser writing of ultracompact multi-lens objectives

Miniaturized 3D Depth Sensing-Based Smartphone Light Field Camera

Ultra-slim 2D- and depth-imaging camera modules for mobile imaging

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