Increasing MEMS Micromirror Line-Scan Rates through 3D-Printed Micro-Optics

Line-scan rates of mechanical scanners are in general limited to <100 kHz for scan mirror apertures of up to 1 mm. We present work to increase the line-scan rate of a MEMS micromirror beyond this through a scan multiplication unit consisting of a mirror, a cylindrical lens, and a 3D-printed cylindrical microlens array with 1 mm pitch and 2.5 mm effective focal length. Scan rates of up to 635 kHz at the scan line centre are demonstrated with seven array lenslets, with the compact multiplier having the potential to achieve over 1 MHz line-scan rate using higher element numbers.