Optical waveguides – With optical coupler
Patent
1998-03-04
1999-09-21
Lee, John D.
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
385147, 2191216, 118623, G02B 626
Patent
active
059564385
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an automatically controlled photoionic microhead apparatus used for treating the surfaces of materials, in particular those of electronic circuits in order to repair them.
The invention has applications in the fields of electronics and microelectronics for the localized deposition of special coatings, restoring or eliminating functions from components of micro-circuits or producing new types of alloys for electrical connections.
In particular, the invention can be applied to repairing electronic circuits or components installed in locations where access is difficult such as hostile environments or space.
DISCUSSION OF THE BACKGROUND
It is known in the art that the composition of the surface of a material may be modified by adding matter or through implanting ions of certain chemical species.
To achieve this, materials treatment apparatuses have been designed in which miniaturized photoionic heads are used to modify the composition of the surface of a material. An example of a materials treatment apparatus with a miniaturized photoionic head is disclosed in FR-A-2 709 763.
In general, such materials treatment apparatuses comprise a photoionic head to which is connected the end of an optical fiber. At the other end of the fiber is fitted a power laser capable of emitting a pulsed laser beam. This power laser is associated with means of injecting the laser beam into the optical fiber. Generally speaking, the photoionic head is also associated with a source of pulsed light.
In the commonest current embodiments the pulsed light source and the photoionic head are combined to form a photoionic microhead stylus. This stylus is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of the stylus fastened to an optical fiber 1. The entire length of optical fiber 1 is covered by an electrically conducting sheath 3 (for example, a plaited metal sheath) that covers the entire length of the optical sheath of fiber 1. Moreover, said conducting sheath 3 is itself covered by an electrically insulating sheath 5 that acts as a protective sheath.
Conducting sheath 3 has a dual function as the shielding for optical fiber 1 and the power supply that ensures correct operation of photoionic microhead 2. Insulating sheath 5 forms a leaktight seal around conducting sheath 3 and eliminates any electrical disturbance or breakdown that might disrupt the operation of the microhead.
The assembly composed of the optical fiber covered by conducting sheath 3 and insulating sheath 5 is referred to below as the optical wave guide and given the common reference 4.
A photoionic microhead 2 is fastened to optical fiber 1; the head comprises an electrically insulating confinement ring 7 whose external diameter is more or less equal to the external diameter of optical fiber 1. This confinement ring 7 is fastened to a first end of optical fiber 1. The confinement ring 7 is also designed to be placed against the surface of the material 6 to be treated. The confinement ring 7, whose inner surface is metallic, thus surrounds a zone Z of the surface of material 6. It is this zone Z that is treated.
This confinement ring is designed to apply the electric potential as required or not during the ionic implantation procedure as well as to direct the plasma within a limited space and to localize the interaction with the area localized and selected from zone Z of the surface of the material to be treated in order to induce photoconduction.
A thin film 9 made of the material to be projected onto zone Z of the surface of material 6 is placed inside said confinement ring 7.
In some embodiments thin film 9 is placed against the end surface of optical fiber 1. During treatment of zone Z it is this surface that is projected by shock wave onto the surface of material 6.
In other embodiments, particularly the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate layer 11 is placed between the end of optical fiber 1 and thin film 9. Said intermediate layer 11 constitutes an optical impedance
REFERENCES:
patent: 3622743 (1971-11-01), Muncheryan
patent: 4401477 (1983-08-01), Clauer et al.
patent: 4714628 (1987-12-01), Eloy
patent: 4752455 (1988-06-01), Mayer
patent: 5760362 (1998-06-01), Eloy
Commissariat a l''Energie Atomique
Kang Juliana K.
Lee John D.
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