Coating processes – Direct application of electrical – magnetic – wave – or... – Polymerization of coating utilizing direct application of...
Patent
1994-08-03
1998-02-10
Beck, Shrive
Coating processes
Direct application of electrical, magnetic, wave, or...
Polymerization of coating utilizing direct application of...
427164, 427277, 427517, B05D 506, B05D 306, C08J 704, C08F 248
Patent
active
057166790
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to optical elements with an embossed surface structures, e.g. optical diffraction gratings, interferometers, Fresnel lenses, launching gratings and output gratings for integrated optics, optical filters, couplers, branching elements, multiplexers, microstrips, optical switches and sensors, compact disks, Bragg mirrors and holographic elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The production of such optical elements made of transparent polymers such as polymethylmethacrylate (PNMA) or polycarbonates is already known. One drawback with these polymers is, however, their relatively high thermal shrinkage of approximately 15% by volume, which does not allow the material to be embossed with high precision near the final shape. Inorganic/organic composite materials have also been already proposed as the materials, but here the shrinkage is up to 50% by volume.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Surprisingly it has now been found that optical elements made of specific composite materials can be embossed with high precision and dimensions that are close to the final shape according to a special process with unusually low shrinkage (maximum 3 to 5% by volume).
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The subject matter of the invention are optical elements having an embossed surface structure, which are characterized by the fact that the embossed surface is made of a transparent composite material, which exhibits in a polymer matrix a three dimensional skeleton comprising inorganic or organically modified inorganic components in the form of nanoscaled particles.
Suitable polymer matrices are any transparent plastics, which are known for optical application, such as polyacrylic acid, polymethacrylic acid, polyacrylates, polymethacrylates, polyolefins, polystryene, polyamides, polyimides, polyvinyl compounds, such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetate, and corresponding copolymers, such as poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate), polyester, such as polyethylene terephthalate or polydiallyl phthalate, polyarylates, polycarbonates, polyethers such as polyoxymethylene, polyethylene oxide or polyphenylene oxide, polyether ketones, polysulphones, polyepoxides, fluoropolymers, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and organo-polysiloxanes.
A relatively "stiff" three dimensional skeleton comprising inorganic or organically modified inorganic components in the form of nanoscaled particles is incorporated into this polymer matrix.
Nanoscaled particles are, for example. oxides (including oxide hydrates, oxide/hydroxides and hydroxides) and other chalcogenides such as sulfides, selenides and tellurides; halogenides (fluorides, chlorides, bromides or iodides); antimonides; arsenides; carbides; nitrides; phosphides; phosphates; silicates, zirconates; aluminates; stannates; or corresponding mixed oxides.
Specific examples are oxides such as ZnO, CdO, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, ZrO.sub.2, Ce.sub.02, SnO.sub.2, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, In.sub.2 O.sub.3, La.sub.2 O.sub.3, Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3, NiO, Cu.sub.2 O; V.sub.2 O.sub.5, MoO.sub.3 or WO.sub.3 ; sulfides such as CdS, ZnS, PbS or Ag.sub.2 S; selenides such as GaSe, CdSe or ZnSe; and tellurides such ZnTe or CdTe; halogenides such as AgCl, AgBr, AgI, CuCl, CuBr, CdI.sub.2 or PbI.sub.2 ; carbides such as CeC.sub.2 or SiC; arsenides such as AlAs. GaAs or GeAs; antimonides such as InSb; nitrides such as BN, AlN, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 or Ti.sub.3 N.sub.4 ; and phosphides such as GaP, InP, Zn.sub.3 P.sub.2 or Cd.sub.3 P.sub.2 ; and mixed oxides with perovskite structure such as BaTiO.sub.3, PbTiO.sub.3 or PbTiO.sub.3.
These nanoscaled particles can be produced in the conventional manner, e.g. Matijevic, "Preparation and Interactions of Colloids of Interest in Ceramics" in "Ultrastructure Processing of Advanced Ceramics", Eds.: J. D. Mackenzie, D. R. Ulrich, John Wiley & Sons, New York (1988) 429, and other H. Schmidt, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 121 (1990) 329-333; M. A. Anderson et al., Journal of Membrane Science, 39 (1988) 243-258!, B.
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Krug Herbert
Nass Rudiger
Schmidt Helmut
Spanhel Lubomir
Beck Shrive
Institut fur Neue Materialien gemeinnutzige GmbH
Parker Fred J.
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