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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Fabrication of Refractive-index-matched Devices for Biomedical Microfluidics
Published on: September 10, 2018
Optical properties of a bio-inspired gradient refractive index polymer lens
G Beadie1, James S Shirk, A Rosenberg
1Optical Sciences Division, Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC 20375, USA. guy.beadie@nrl.navy.mil
Abstract:
The design, fabrication, and properties of one of a new class of gradient-index lenses are reported. The lens is an f/2.25 GRIN singlet based on a nanolayered polymer composite material, designed to correct for spherical aberration. The light gathering and focusing properties of the polymer lens are compared to a homogeneous BK7 glass singlet with a similar f-number. The modulation transfer function of the polymer GRIN lens exceeded that of the homogeneous glass lens at all spatial frequencies and was as much as 3 times better at 5 cyc/mm. The weight of the polymer lens was approximately an order of magnitude less than the homogeneous glass lens.
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