Micro-optical bench device with highly/selectively-controlled optical surfaces

A micro-optical bench device is fabricated by a process that provides control over one or more properties of the micro-optical bench device and/or one or more properties of optical surfaces in the micro-optical bench device. The process includes etching a substrate to form a permanent structure including optical elements and a temporary structure. The shape of the temporary structure and gaps between the temporary structure and permanent structure facilitate control of a property of the micro-optical bench and/or optical surfaces therein. The process further includes removing the temporary structure from an optical path of the micro-optical bench device.

The present invention relates in general to micro-optical bench devices, and in particular to the fabrication of optical surfaces within micro-optical bench devices. Various aspects of the present disclosure provide a micro-optical bench device fabricated by a process that provides control over one or more properties of the micro-optical bench device and/or one or more properties of optical surfaces in the micro-optical bench device. The process includes etching a substrate to form a permanent structure including optical elements and a temporary structure. The shape of the temporary structure and gaps between the temporary structure and the permanent structure facilitate control of a property of the micro-optical bench and/or optical surfaces of optical elements therein. The property may include, for example, surface roughness, selective coating of surfaces, or inclination angles of the surfaces with respect to a plane of the substrate. The process further includes removing the temporary structure from an optical path of the micro-optical bench device.