Along with the rising and flourishing development of the modern technology and human knowledge, the demands for optical-electric products and communication systems are getting more and more. By combining the semi-conductor technology process with micro optical elements, a complete micro optical system can be integrated. The functions of a micro optical system include beam-splitting, beam-light offsetting, focusing, and switching, etc. Letting micro optical elements be integrated on a substrate, the fix and alignment problems, which are caused by the relative displacements between the elements, can be improved. Also, the production rate can be increased and cost can be reduced if the products are made by micro mold and array fabricated process. Thus, the technology of the Micro Optical Electro Mechanical System is widely applied to manufacture the products of optical-electric and communication, such as the backlight module of a LCD, projector, and optical fiber communication system, etc. The main purpose of this study is to design and fabricate a microball-lens array, and to apply it to couple optical fibers. The proposed product is a 3D micro-ball-lens array with vertical and non-vertical focus directions and better coupling efficiency. A v-groove is fabricated by using semi-conductor technology in order to fix the micro-ball-lens array and optical fiber such that an optical fiber switch coupling system can be obtained. The packaging of the optical fiber switch coupling system is formed by UV-cure and a microcap which is fabricated by MEMS. It can provide the protection to the system. Also, the completed system can achieve the demands of the industry fields such as precise localization, cost reduction and so on.

Yes / Liquid crystal is a new emerging biomaterial. The physical property of liquid crystal plays a role in supporting the adhesion of cells. Nano and microball indentation techniques were applied to determine the elastic modulus or viscoelasticity of the cholesteryl ester liquid crystals in the culture media. Nano-indentation results (108 ± 19.78 kPa, N = 20) agreed well with the microball indentation (110 ± 19.95 kPa, N = 60) for the liquid crystal samples incubated for 24 hours at 37o C, respectively. However, nanoindentation could not measure the modulus of the liquid crystal (LC) incubated more than 24 hours. This is due to the decreased viscosity of the liquid crystal after immersion in the cell culture media for more than 24 hours. Alternatively, microball indentation was used and the elastic modulus of the LC immersed for 48 hours was found to decrease to 55 ± 9.99 kPa (N = 60). The microball indentation indicated that the LC did not creep after 40 seconds of indentation. However, the elastic modulus of the LC was no longer measurable after 72 hours of incubation due to the lost of elasticity. Microball indentation seemed to be a reliable technique in determining the elastic moduli of the cholesteryl ester liquid crystals. / Science Fund Vot. No. S024 or Project No. 02- 01-13-SF0104 and FRGS Vot. No. 1482 awarded by Malaysia Ministry of Education