Surface micromachining technique has been successfully applied to the
fabrications of a three-dimensional 8 x 1 micro-Fresnel lens array and
other novel three-dimensional alignment structures, With the help of
these three-dimensional structures, self-aligned integration of the mi
cro-Fresnel lens array and an 8 x 1 vertical-cavity surface-emitting l
aser (VCSEL) array is realized for the first time with passive alignme
nt. Individual addressing of the VCSEL/micro-lens element is also succ
essfully demonstrated, With their three-dimensional and array structur
al characteristics, they are very attractive for free-space optical in
terconnect and other integrated micro-optical systems.