Abstract: Methods for improving the manufacturing of optical gratings and surface relief grating structures are described. An optical grating may be formed by spin coating a liquid monomer solution that includes a solvent, a liquid monomer, and a nanoparticle filler with a higher refractive index than the liquid monomer on a substrate. The optical grating may be formed by pressing a mold that includes nanostructures on its surface into the liquid monomer to form gratings and then hardening the liquid monomer while the mold is held within the liquid monomer. After the mold has been pressed into the liquid monomer, two regions within the liquid monomer may be formed: a first region that includes the gratings and that does not include nanoparticles (or that includes less than a threshold number of nanoparticles) and a second region arranged below the gratings that includes nanoparticles.

Abstract: Methods for improving the manufacturing of optical gratings and surface relief grating structures are described. An optical grating may be formed by spin coating a liquid monomer solution that includes a solvent, a liquid monomer, and a nanoparticle filler with a higher refractive index than the liquid monomer on a substrate. The optical grating may be formed by pressing a mold that includes nanostructures on its surface into the liquid monomer to form gratings and then hardening the liquid monomer while the mold is held within the liquid monomer. After the mold has been pressed into the liquid monomer, two regions within the liquid monomer may be formed: a first region that includes the gratings and that does not include nanoparticles (or that includes less than a threshold number of nanoparticles) and a second region arranged below the gratings that includes nanoparticles.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and manufacturing method for optical protrusions (e.g., dome pins or actuators) attached to a light guide for providing backlight, actuation function and/or tactile feedback in keypad modules of electronic devices. Spatially and spectrally selective out-coupling of light from the light guide (e.g., a planar light guide plate) can be accomplished using these optical actuators integrated with the light guide for keypad illumination to control out-coupling efficiency and/or spectra of the out-coupled light to enable modification of the visual appearance (intensity, colored/white) of individual keys of the keypad.

Abstract: According to the present invention, the method for designing a diffraction grating structure (1), the grating period (d) of the structure comprising at least two grating lines each consisting of a pair of adjacent pillars (2) and grooves (3), comprises the steps of—determining desired diffraction efficiencies ?d of the diffraction orders, and—dimensioning the pillars (2) and grooves (3) so that when calculating for each pillar, on the basis of the effective refractive index neff for the fundamental wave mode propagating along that pillar, the phase shift ? experienced by light propagated through the grating structure, the differences in the calculated phase shifts between adjacent pillars corresponds to the phase profile ?r required by the desired diffraction efficiencies.

Abstract: The specification and drawings present a new apparatus and manufacturing method for optical protrusions (e.g., dome pins or actuators) attached to a light guide for providing backlight, actuation function and/or tactile feedback in keypad modules of electronic devices. Spatially and spectrally selective out-coupling of light from the light guide (e.g., a planar light guide plate) can be accomplished using these optical actuators integrated with the light guide for keypad illumination to control out-coupling efficiency and/or spectra of the out-coupled light to enable modification of the visual appearance (intensity, colored/white) of individual keys of the keypad.