Patents by Inventor Peter G. R. Smith

Peter G. R. Smith 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).

  • Pattern formation method using light-induced suppression of etching
    Patent number: 7070702
    Abstract: A method of selectively etching a substrate (1) comprises applying etchant (4) at a surface of the substrate and illuminating an area of the surface with light from a light source (7), whereby etching is at least partially inhibited in the illuminated area (18) of the substrate. Preferably LiNbO3 is patterned in HF KOH, or HF?HNO3 solutions by selective illumination using UV laser light with 300 to 1000 mn wavelength, thereby allowing for interferometric or holographic structures to be formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2006
    Assignee: QinetiQ Limited
    Inventors: Robert W Eason, Ian E Barry, Peter G R Smith, Graeme W Ross
  • Optical waveguide and fabrication method
    Patent number: 6834151
    Abstract: An optical waveguide with at least a guiding lamina (10) of optical material bonded by direct interfacial bonding to a superstructure lamina (20) of optical material, in which regions of the guiding lamina have modified optical properties so as to define a light guiding path along the guiding lamina. In a particular example, a periodically poled LiNbO3 planar waveguide is buried in LiTaO3 by direct interfacial bonding and precision polishing techniques and used in an optical frequency doubling system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: QinetiQ Limited
    Inventors: Peter G R Smith, Graeme W Ross, David C Hanna, David P Shepherd, Corin B E Gawith
  • Etching method
    Patent number: 6344150
    Abstract: A method of etching structural depressions in a substrate comprises aligning the ferroelectric domains within the substrate to domain orientations selected from two or more possible domain orientations, whereby the rate at which substrate material is etched by an etchant varies with the domain orientation of the substrate material; and exposing the substrate to the etchant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Qinetiq Limited
    Inventors: Robert W. Eason, Graeme W. Ross, Peter G. R. Smith, Ian E. Barry