ABSTRACT
Passive optical components, shown in Fig. 1.1, are used in optical systems to collect, distribute or modify optical radiation. Refractive and reflective components, such as lenses, prisms and mirrors, are well-known. Following the trend of miniaturization, novel technologies have been developed to shrink the size of these elements. Refractive microlenses with diameters of 1 mm down to a few microns can now be fabricated with high quality (see Chapter 5).
