Patents by Inventor Erik Shipton

Erik Shipton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10613268
    Abstract: A manufacturing system for fabricating self-aligned grating elements with a variable refractive index includes a patterning system, a deposition system, and an etching system. The manufacturing system performs a lithographic patterning of one or more photoresists to create a stack over a substrate. The manufacturing system performs a conformal deposition of a protective coating on the stack. The manufacturing system performs a deposition of a first photoresist of a first refractive index on the protective coating. The manufacturing system performs a removal of the first photoresist to achieve a threshold value of first thickness. The manufacturing system performs a deposition of a second photoresist of a second refractive index on the first photoresist. The second refractive index is greater than the first refractive index. The manufacturing system performs a removal of the second photoresist to achieve a threshold value of second thickness to form a portion of an optical grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew E. Colburn, Giuseppe Calafiore, Matthieu Charles Raoul Leibovici, Erik Shipton, Pasi Saarikko
  • Publication number: 20200041791
    Abstract: A multilayer grating is a diffraction grating that includes a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers arranged to form a 2-dimensional grating, the layers including at least a first patterned layer and a second patterned layer. The first patterned layer includes a plurality of different materials that are arranged in a first pattern such that the first patterned layer has a first index profile. The second patterned layer includes a plurality of different materials that are arranged in a second pattern such that the second patterned layer has a second index profile that is inverted relative to the first index profile. Ambient light incident on the first patterned layer and the second patterned layer creates a first diffracted ray and a second diffracted ray, respectively, and the first diffracted ray and the second diffracted ray destructively interfere with each other based in part on the inverted index profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Giuseppe Calafiore, Pasi Saarikko
  • Publication number: 20200006606
    Abstract: A light-emitting disclosure (LED) and an LED array are disclosed. The LED includes a semiconductor junction for emitting light and an optical surface coupled to the semiconductor junction for outputting at least a portion of the light. The optical surface can include a grating structure configured to increase the portion of the light outputted by the optical surface, and/or a redirecting structure configured to redirect the portion of the light to form an output optical beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Tanya Malhotra
  • Publication number: 20200006605
    Abstract: A light-emitting disclosure (LED) and an LED array are disclosed. The LED includes a semiconductor junction for emitting light and an optical surface coupled to the semiconductor junction for outputting at least a portion of the light. The optical surface can include a grating structure configured to increase the portion of the light outputted by the optical surface, and/or a redirecting structure configured to redirect the portion of the light to form an output optical beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Publication date: January 2, 2020
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Tanya Malhotra
  • Publication number: 20190339449
    Abstract: A diffraction grating with independently controlled diffraction angles for optical beams at different wavelengths may be used to redirect and couple light to a waveguide in an efficient, space-saving manner. The diffraction grating can include a layer with optical permittivity and associated index contrast of the grating grooves at different grating periods dependent on wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Bharath Bangalore Rajeeva
  • Publication number: 20190339447
    Abstract: A diffraction grating with independently controlled diffraction angles for optical beams at different wavelengths may be used to redirect and couple light to a waveguide in an efficient, space-saving manner. The diffraction grating can include a layer with optical permittivity and associated index contrast of the grating grooves at different grating periods dependent on wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Bharath Bangalore Rajeeva
  • Publication number: 20190339448
    Abstract: A diffraction grating with independently controlled diffraction angles for optical beams at different wavelengths may be used to redirect and couple light to a waveguide in an efficient, space-saving manner. The diffraction grating can include a layer with optical permittivity and associated index contrast of the grating grooves at different grating periods dependent on wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Bharath Bangalore Rajeeva
  • Patent number: 10374324
    Abstract: An antenna having radio-frequency (RF) resonators and methods for fabricating the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises a physical antenna aperture having an array of antenna elements, where the array of antenna elements includes a plurality of radio-frequency (RF) resonators, with each RF resonator of the plurality of RF resonators having an RF radiating element with a microelectromchanical systems (MEMS) device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: KYMETA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryan Stevenson, Kianoush Naeli, Mohsen Sazegar, Benjamin Sikes, Timothy Mason, Erik Shipton, Nathan Kundtz
  • Publication number: 20190227321
    Abstract: A waveguide display includes a first substrate and one or more grating layers on a first surface of the first substrate. The one or more grating layers are configured to cause destructive interference between ambient light diffracted by at least two grating layers or between ambient light diffracted by different portions of one grating layer. In some embodiments, the waveguide display also includes an angular-selective transmissive layer. The angular-selective transmissive layer is configured to reflect, diffract, or absorb ambient light incident on the angular-selective reflective layer with an incidence angle greater than a threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Hee Yoon Lee, Ningfeng Huang, Eric Fest, Pasi Saarikko, Erik Shipton, Giuseppe Calafiore
  • Publication number: 20180123260
    Abstract: Antennas such as flat panel, leaky wave antennas with directional coupler feeds and waveguides are disclosed. In one example, an antenna includes a surface having antenna elements, a guided wave transmission line, and a coupling surface. The guided wave transmission line provides a guided feed wave. The coupling surface is between and separates the guided wave transmission line and the surface having antenna elements. The coupling surface controls coupling of the guided feed wave to the antenna elements. The coupling surface can also spatially filter the guided feed wave to provide a more uniform power density for the antenna elements. The guided feed wave can be a high power density electromagnetic wave or a density radially decaying electromagnetic wave.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Benjamin Sikes, Erik Shipton, David Levesque, Mohsen Sazegar, Ryan Stevenson, Chris M. Eylander
  • Publication number: 20170302004
    Abstract: An antenna having radio-frequency (RF) resonators and methods for fabricating the same are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises a physical antenna aperture having an array of antenna elements, where the array of antenna elements includes a plurality of radio-frequency (RF) resonators, with each RF resonator of the plurality of RF resonators having an RF radiating element with a microelectromchanical systems (MEMS) device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Ryan Stevenson, Kianoush Naeli, Mohsen Sazegar, Benjamin Sikes, Timothy Mason, Erik Shipton, Nathan Kundtz
  • Publication number: 20170301475
    Abstract: An antenna having radio-frequency (RF) resonators with tunable capacitors. In one embodiment, the tunable capacitor for tuning an RF resonator comprises: a first substrate with a first electrode attached thereto; a second substrate with a second electrode attached thereto; and a membrane between the first and second electrodes, the membrane being movable between the first and second electrodes in order to change capacitance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Ryan Stevenson, Kianoush Naeli, Mohsen Sazegar, Benjamin Sikes, Timothy Mason, Erik Shipton, Nathan Kundtz
  • Publication number: 20170170557
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for improved switching speed and/or tunability for radio-frequency (RF) devices are described. In one embodiment, a liquid crystal (LC) component comprises an LC structure in a mixture with right-handed (R) and left-handed (S) chiral dopants.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Philip Sullivan