Optical: systems and elements – Lens – With support
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-04
2002-06-11
Epps, Georgia (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Lens
With support
C359S811000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06404566
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to optical devices and their fabrication, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for precisely controlling the angular relationship between optical elements and a substrate plane within an optical device.
BACKGROUND
Optical filters are well known for use with optical devices, such as, for example, hybrid optical components. Conventional assembly methodologies for constructing optical devices, such as hybrid optical components, are generally designed such that optical elements are mounted in a single structural plane. Specifically, optic:al elements such as mirrors, filters, polarizers, beam splitters, lenses and other reflective or transmissive optical elements within the optical device are positioned and bonded in a single plane on a substrate surface. It is important to properly align the optical filters and other optical elements along the structural plane so that optical signal is not lost through improper transmission from one optical element to another.
Conventionally, optical elements utilized in optical devices have been epoxied or otherwise affixed to a substrate surface. Referring to
FIGS. 1-3
, an optical device
10
is shown having a carrier substrate
12
. The optical device
10
has an optical input point
14
and an optical output point
40
positioned in the same structural plane. Further mounted on the carrier substrate
12
are a first optical element
18
, a second optical element
28
, and a third optical element
34
, all mounted in the same structural plane. The optical elements
18
,
28
,
34
may be any reflective or transmissive optical elements, such as lenses, mirrors, polarizers, beam splitters, filters, or other like optical elements.
The first optical element
18
has a first surface
20
(FIG.
2
), a second surface
22
, and a reflecting surface
24
. By design, optical signals from the input point
14
are to travel along a first signal pathway
16
and be reflected off of the reflecting surface
24
toward the second optical element
28
. The reflected optical signals travel along a second signal pathway
26
and reflect off of a reflecting surface
30
of the second optical element
28
. The twice reflected optical signals then travel along a third signal pathway
32
and are reflected off of a reflecting surface
36
of the third optical element
34
into a fourth signal pathway
38
leading to the output point
40
.
In practice, as noted above, the optical elements
18
,
28
,
34
generally are affixed to the carrier substrate
12
through an epoxy
42
. Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the epoxy
42
is deposited on a first surface
13
of the carrier substrate
12
and the optical elements
18
,
28
,
34
are each lowered into contact with the epoxy
42
. Often, however, in lowering an optical element to be bonded to the carrier substrate
12
, the optical element does not bond with the carrier substrate
12
such that the first surface
20
is parallel to the first surface
13
. As illustrated in
FIG. 3
, the first optical element
18
has been lowered onto the epoxy
42
, but remains at an angle to the first surface
13
of the carrier substrate
12
. Improper alignment of the optical elements
18
,
28
,
34
leads to the transmission of optical signals out of the structural plane, thereby preventing the optical signals from reaching the output point
40
.
SUMMARY
The invention provides a mounting structure for mounting an optical element. The mounting structure includes a substrate having a first surface, a plurality of protrusions extending by a substantially equal amount from the substrate first surface, and one or more walls extending from the substrate first surface and surrounding the protrusions and defining a well.
The invention further provides an optical device which includes a substrate having a first surface, at least one mounting structure, and at least one optical element mounted on protrusions of the at least one mounting structure.
The invention further provides a method of mounting one or more optical elements onto an optical device having one or more mounting structures which include a plurality of protrusions surrounded by one or more walls defining a space. The method includes the steps of adding an epoxy material to the space, lowering the optical element into contact with the epoxy material, contacting the optical element to the protrusions, and curing the epoxy material.
The invention further provides a method of planarly aligning two or more optical elements mounted onto an optical device having two or more mounting structures which include a plurality of protrusions surrounded by one or more walls defining a space. The method includes the steps of adding an epoxy material to the space of each mounting structure, lowering each optical element into contact with the epoxy material in a respective space, contacting each optical element to the protrusions of a respective mounting structure, aligning each optical element to the other optical elements, and curing the epoxy material.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the invention, which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5457063 (1995-10-01), Park
patent: 5563683 (1996-10-01), Kamiya
patent: 5681362 (1997-10-01), Waind
patent: 5838703 (1998-11-01), Lebby et al.
patent: 5905750 (1999-05-01), Lebby et al.
patent: 5930057 (1999-07-01), Sechrist et al.
patent: 6223103 (2001-05-01), Ikeda
Andersen Bo A. M.
Dautartas Mindaugas F.
Dickstein , Shapiro, Morin & Oshinsky, LLP
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
Seyrafi Saeed
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