Method of fabricating optical filters

Optical: systems and elements – Light interference

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C359S581000, C359S588000, C359S247000, C385S014000, C385S015000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06768590

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to optical filters, and particularly to a method of making multi-layer stack dielectric filters.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Coatings of thin dielectric films are useful in a variety of optical applications. For example, multi-layer dielectric thin-film coatings are often used to eliminate unwanted reflection (i.e., anti-reflective coatings) from surfaces in a variety of applications in the optical arts. Beam splitters and dichroic mirrors are useful in many optical applications, and may benefit from multi-layer dielectric stacks.
One well-known example of a multi-layer stack of dielectric thin-films is a quarter-wave stack. The quarter-wave stack is made up of a number of dielectric layers having an optical thickness corresponding to one-quarter wavelength of a particular chosen wavelength. Typically, the layers of dielectric material have alternating high and low indices of refraction. Light is usually incident normal to the surface of the quarter wavelength stack. However, angles of incidence other than the normal, up to approximately 30°, may be used with very little degradation in the response of the dielectric stack. In general, the effect of increasing the angle of incidence relative to the normal is a shift in the reflectance curve down to slightly shorter wavelengths.
Often, the layers of dielectric materials of a multi-layer dielectric stack optical filter have indices of refraction and thicknesses chosen to be transmissive of a desired wavelength. The desired wavelength of light will be transmitted, while all other wavelengths will be substantially reflected.
As the optical communication industry applies the dielectric thin-films stack in a variety of applications, there is an increasing demand for a technique to fabricate dielectric thin-films stacks en masse in a reliable manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an illustrative embodiment, a method of fabricating optical filters includes providing a substrate, selectively etching the substrate to form a plurality of freestanding layers, and depositing a plurality of dielectric layers over an outer surface of each of the freestanding layers.
According to another illustrative embodiment, an optical etalon includes at least two freestanding layers disposed between handles. A plurality of dielectric layers is disposed over each of the freestanding layers.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method of fabricating an optical etalon includes providing a substrate and selectively etching the substrate to form at least one freestanding layer. A plurality of dielectric layers is deposited over the freestanding layer on opposed sidewalls thereof.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3853650 (1974-12-01), Hartlaub
patent: 3893228 (1975-07-01), George et al.
patent: 4203128 (1980-05-01), Guckel et al.
patent: 4234361 (1980-11-01), Guckel et al.
patent: 4446543 (1984-05-01), McLandrich et al.
patent: 4597003 (1986-06-01), Aine et al.
patent: 4682500 (1987-07-01), Uda
patent: 4825262 (1989-04-01), Mallinson
patent: 4926696 (1990-05-01), Haritonidis et al.
patent: 4933545 (1990-06-01), Saaski et al.
patent: 4942767 (1990-07-01), Haritonidis et al.
patent: 5022745 (1991-06-01), Zayhowski et al.
patent: 5144498 (1992-09-01), Vincent
patent: 5247490 (1993-09-01), Goepel et al.
patent: 5381231 (1995-01-01), Tu
patent: 5425115 (1995-06-01), Wagner
patent: 5600070 (1997-02-01), Wlodarczyk
patent: 5619046 (1997-04-01), Engstrom et al.
patent: 5654819 (1997-08-01), Goossen et al.
patent: 5739945 (1998-04-01), Tayebati
patent: 5920391 (1999-07-01), Grasdepot et al.
patent: 5943155 (1999-08-01), Goossen
patent: 6085002 (2000-07-01), Qiu et al.

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Method of fabricating optical filters does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Method of fabricating optical filters, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method of fabricating optical filters will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3228813

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.