Multilayer Microlens Array Assembly via Segmented Stacking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of multilayer microlens arrays is challenging due to the small size of lens elements, which limits the detection speed of wafer defects and requires precise alignment and attachment methods.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for assembling microlens array assemblies using a mobile platform and a fixture platform for coarse and fine alignment, with the aid of piezoelectric ceramics and adhesive dispensing, to achieve precise attachment of array elements based on edge and pattern alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the lens size is reduced to increase field of view and detection speed, then the detection speed is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The microlens array is divided into multiple stackable array elements, each containing multiple microlenses. This segmentation allows the complex assembly to be broken down into manageable layers that can be assembled separately and then stacked together, reducing the overall assembly difficulty while maintaining high detection speed through the small lens size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional array arrangement to three-dimensional stacking of array elements. By adding the vertical dimension with multiple stackable elements, the system increases the total number of microlenses without increasing the footprint area, thereby maintaining small lens size for high detection speed while managing assembly complexity through modular vertical stacking
2Area of stationary object
If the lens element size is reduced to increase field of view, then the field of view is enlarged, but the alignment precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment marks are pre-defined on each array element before assembly. These marks serve as reference features that guide the alignment process during stacking, ensuring that even though individual lens elements are small and require high precision, the pre-established reference marks facilitate accurate positioning without increasing the lens size
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment marks act as intermediary features between the small lens elements and the alignment process. These marks provide a larger, more easily measurable reference that mediates the alignment of the actual small lens elements, thereby achieving high alignment precision without directly manipulating the tiny lens dimensions
3Quantity of substance
If multilayer stacking is implemented to increase microlens density, then the detection capability is improved, but the assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multilayer structure is segmented into standardized array elements that can be manufactured independently and then stacked. Each element is a self-contained unit with identical structure and alignment marks, which simplifies the stacking process by making it repetitive and modular rather than requiring complex custom assembly for each layer
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameter from single-layer to multilayer stacking, increasing microlens density vertically. By maintaining consistent geometric parameters and alignment features across all layers, the complexity of stacking is managed through parameter standardization rather than requiring increasingly complex assembly procedures for additional layers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables precise and efficient assembly of microlens arrays, improving detection speed and accuracy by ensuring accurate alignment and attachment of small lens elements, overcoming the challenges of their small size and complex stacking.
Implementation Method 1
adsorbing the first array element using a mobile platform, adsorbing the second array element using a fixture platform
Implementation Method 2
finely aligning the second array element with the first array element includes driving the mobile platform using one or more piezoelectric ceramics
Data Source
AI summary
A method for assembling a microlens array assembly including a set of microlens array elements having at least two array elements having a first array element and a second array element includes adsorbing the first array element using a mobile platform, adsorbing the second array element using a fixture platform, coarsely aligning the second array element with the first array element based on edges of the second array element and edges of the first array element, finely aligning the second array element with the first array element based on an array pattern of the second array element and an array pattern of the first array element, and attaching the second array element to the first array element. The method enables assembling of multiple microlens array elements.