Design and fabrication of a double-sided aspherical Fresnel lens on a curved substrate

Abstract

This paper presents the design and fabrication of a novel double-sided aspherical Fresnel (DSAF) lens on a curved substrate to tackle the Fresnel lens problems such as long focal length and large volume. This novel lens contains a curved substrate and a bifacial aspherical Fresnel lens. The structural design and nonlinear optimization method of the lens were discussed. Then, the optical characteristics of the DSAF lens were also analyzed by Ray-tracing simulations. Furthermore, to manufacture the DSAF lens, considering the machining accuracy and cost-effectiveness, a combined method of single-point diamond turning (SPDT) and press molding was proposed for generating the DSAF lens with PMMA material. Machining accuracy was used to validate the performance of the molds before production of the DSAF lens, followed by testing of the fabricated DSAF lens. The results show that the DSAF lens has the advantages of more design degree, short focal length, small volume, and good light-gathering, etc. which is suitable for mass production. The study provides a cost-effective method for the design and preparation of ultrathin Fresnel lenses.