Abstract

Reflective as well as refractive optical elements produced by the epoxy replication process have been in use for many years. The basic transfer process of a precise optical surface from a master onto a substrate is widely known and understood. However, to take full advantage of what the technology has to offer, one must be familiar with the application boundaries. These boundaries in the technical sense are set not only by the laws of physics, but even more so by the lack of available ideal materials. The task is therefore to do the best of what is available and continue to search for better materials and methods. Progress has been made over the years in this direction and to report on this progress is the purpose of this paper. Included in the presentation are some fundamental rules which must be observed when applying optical replication as the chosen manufacturing method. The intent is to guide the design engineer in his layout approach and to avoid possible disappointing surprises. Some thought about the future of replication will be given.

© 1988 Optical Society of America