CDA has extended its integration capability through the manufacture of double-sided structures in plastic. Such structures can comprise any combination of functionality from CDA’s two principal micro-technology platforms, including: refractive microoptical elements and arrays, diffractive structures (DOEs) and optical diffusers for optics, and; microfluidic structures and surface structuring for analytical lab-on-a-chip applications.
The upper and lower molds of the structure are manufactured separately, and then positioned to tolerances of +/-5µm or less for the molding process. The resulting double-sided structure exhibits exactly this positional accuracy between its two surfaces.
Multiple double-sided structures with differing functionalities can be layered (stacked) to the same positional accuracy and subsequently permanently bonded using proprietary technology, ensuring compatibility with adverse environments.
As compatibility with CDA’s integration technology is maintained, the structures allow greater integration of multiple elements into a single compact device. New opportunities are revealed for solutions in structured illumination, optics, microscopy and miniaturised analytical instrumentation.