A Self-Assembly Approach to the Fabrication of Patterned, Two-Dimensional Arrays of Microlenses of Organic Polymers

Arrayed microlenses are used in a variety of applications that involve miniaturized optical components, such as optical communications systems, facsimile machines, laser printers, and other digitized information storage or processing devices. Here, a self-assembly method is presented which facilitates the production of 2D arrays of monodispersed polystyrene beads (microlenses) with well-controlled lateral dimensions in the range of 1–10 μm (see Figure).