Wafer level glass optics: precision glass molding as an alternative manufacturing approach

In this paper the manufacturing approach of wafer scale molded glass optics is described including a detailed view on each process step that needs to be accomplished. At first, an appropriate mold design based on FE-simulation results is applied. As in every replication process the mold is the key factor of success which is precision ground to its required shape. At this point different grinding kinematics with their characteristics are presented. In the final molding process one of the major challenges is the alignment of the upper and lower mold die to guarantee the centricity of the optical surfaces.

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