Abstract: A method includes pressing a face of a stamp into a first portion of a replication material disposed on a substrate, to cause the replication material to have a predetermined characteristic, exposing the first portion of the replication material to illumination, to modify the first portion of the replication material, and subsequently removing a second portion of the replication material that was not exposed to the illumination. An optical device includes a substrate, a portion of replication material disposed on a first surface of the substrate, the portion of replication material forming one or more diffractive optical elements, and a masking layer disposed on a second surface of the substrate, the second surface being opposite the first surface, in which a sidewall of the replication material has a straight profile, and in which the masking layer defines an aperture aligned with the portion of the replication material.

Abstract: A method includes treating a surface of a substrate to cause the surface to include a hydrophobic portion and a hydrophilic portion, providing a replication material over the hydrophilic portion, and imprinting the replication material to cause the replication material to have a predetermined characteristic.

Abstract: Illumination modules are operable, in some implementations, to project a homogenous diffuse illumination onto a scene. Some implementations allow different subsets of light emitting elements to be addressed independently so that they can be turned on (or off) at different times, which can facilitate multi-mode operation.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a plurality of optical elements comprising the steps of providing a substrate (120) providing a tool (100) comprising, a plurality of replication sections (106) each defining a surface structure of one of the optical elements, and at least one contact spacer portion (112), aligning the tool (100) and the substrate (120) with respect to each other and bringing the tool (100) and a first side of the substrate (120) together, with replication material (124) between the tool (100) and the substrate (120), the contact spacer portion (112) contacting the first side of the substrate (120), hardening the replication material (124), and separating the tool (100) from the substrate (120) with the hardened replication material adhering to the substrate (120), wherein the tool (100) has yard line features (304) around at least a portion of the replication sections (106), the yard line features (304) configured to contain the replication material (124) on a first side of the yard line with respec

Abstract: Wafer-level methods for manufacturing one or more uniform layers of material on one or more surfaces of a plurality of optoelectronic modules include assembling a wafer assembly, injecting a formable material into the wafer assembly, ejecting excess formable material form the wafer assembly, and hardening one or more formable material layers on one or more surfaces of the plurality of optoelectronic modules such that the hardened one or more formable material layers are the one or more uniform layers of material.

Abstract: This disclosure describes optoelectronic modules, methods for manufacturing pluralities of discrete optoelectronic modules, and optoelectronic molding tools. The methods include coating a substrate wafer and a plurality of optoelectronic components with a photosensitive material, and further include exposing select portions of the photosensitive material to electromagnetic radiation. The exposed portions delineate at least in part the dimensions of the optical channels, wherein the optical channels are associated with at least one optoelectronic component. In some instances, optical elements are incorporated into the optical channels. In some instances, the exposed portions are the optical channels. In some instances, the exposed portions are spacers between the optical channels.

Abstract: An example optical encoder includes a rotary shaft having a rotational axis. The rotary shaft is actuatable along the rotational axis. The optical encoder also includes at least one light generating element operable to generate light, and at least one light detecting element operable to detect light and convert the detected light into a signal. The rotary shaft includes a portion operable to reflect light generated from the at least one light generating element onto the at least one light detecting element wherein the signal is generated. The portion is configured such that an actuation of the rotary shaft from a first position to a second position generates a corresponding change in the signal generated in the at least one light detecting element.

Abstract: Molded circuit substrates include a conductive layer surrounded by an insulating sidewall. The insulating sidewall further provides a structural component for an electronic module into which the molded circuit substrate is incorporated. Accordingly, the molded circuit substrates can permit better performance, reduce electronic module thickness, and reduce fabrication costs. Methods for fabricating molded circuit substrates can facilitate precise positioning of insulating sidewalls, insulating partitions, electrical contacts and other components.

Abstract: Optical stack assemblies and fabrication techniques thereof. The optical stack assembly includes first and second sub-assemblies, each of which include a substrate and a sub-structure fixed to the respective substrate. Each sub-structures includes a respective first edge feature and a respective second edge feature that project away from the substrate of that sub-structure, each second edge feature being disposed laterally closer to an outer periphery of the respective sub-structure than the first edge feature of the same sub-structure. The first edge feature of the first sub-structure is in direct contact with the first edge feature of the second sub¬structure, while the second edge feature of the first sub-structure and the second edge feature of the second sub-structure are attached to one another by adhesive. At least one of the first or second sub-structures includes an optical element on a same side of the sub-structure as the first and second edge features of that sub-structure.

Abstract: Wafer-level methods for manufacturing one or more uniform layers of material on one or more surfaces of a plurality of optoelectronic modules include assembling a wafer assembly, injecting a formable material into the wafer assembly, ejecting excess formable material form the wafer assembly, and hardening one or more formable material layers on one or more surfaces of the plurality of optoelectronic modules such that the hardened one or more formable material layers are the one or more uniform layers of material.

Abstract: Molded circuit substrates include a conductive layer surrounded by an insulating sidewall. The insulating sidewall further provides a structural component for an electronic module into which the molded circuit substrate is incorporated. Accordingly, the molded circuit substrates can permit better performance, reduce electronic module thickness, and reduce fabrication costs. Methods for fabricating molded circuit substrates can facilitate precise positioning of insulating sidewalls, insulating partitions, electrical contacts and other components.

Abstract: This disclosure describes optoelectronic modules, methods for manufacturing pluralities of discrete optoelectronic modules, and optoelectronic molding tools. The methods include coating a substrate wafer and a plurality of optoelectronic components with a photosensitive material, and further include exposing select portions of the photosensitive material to electromagnetic radiation. The exposed portions delineate at least in part the dimensions of the optical channels, wherein the optical channels are associated with at least one optoelectronic component. In some instances, optical elements are incorporated into the optical channels. In some instances, the exposed portions are the optical channels. In some instances, the exposed portions are spacers between the optical channels.

Abstract: Fabricating optical devices can include mounting a plurality of singulated lens systems over a substrate, adjusting a thickness of the substrate below at least some of the lens systems to provide respective focal length corrections for the lens systems, and subsequently separating the substrate into a plurality of optical modules, each of which includes one of the lens systems mounted over a portion of the substrate. Adjusting a thickness of the substrate can include, for example, micro-machining the substrate to form respective holes below at least some of the lens systems or adding one or more layers below at least some of the lens systems so as to correct for variations in the focal lengths of the lens systems.

Abstract: An optoelectronic module that includes a reflectance member which exhibits mitigated or eliminated fan-out field-of-view overlap can be concealed or its visual impact minimized compared to a host device in which the optoelectronic module is mounted. In some instances, the reflectance member can be implemented as a plurality of through holes and in other instances the reflectance member may be a contiguous spin-coated polymeric coating. In general, the reflectance member can be diffusively reflective to the same particular wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths as the host device in which it is mounted.

Abstract: Optical encoding systems include a generalized cylindrical code scale having one or more regions with different light reflective properties. In an example process, a code scale can be created by coating an elongated generalized cylinder with one or more different layers of materials having different light reflective properties. Portions of these layers can be removed selectively in order to expose a particular overlying material and create a particular pattern of features having different optical characteristics (e.g., absorbing, specularly reflecting, diffusely reflecting).

Abstract: The optical device comprises a first substrate comprising at least one optical structure comprising a main portion and a surrounding portion at least partially surrounding said main portion. The device furthermore comprises non-transparent material applied onto said surrounding portion. The opto-electronic module comprises a plurality of these optical devices comprised in said first substrate. The method for manufacturing an optical device comprises the steps of a) providing a first substrate comprising at least one optical structure comprising a main portion and a surrounding portion at least partially surrounding said main portion; and b) applying a non-transparent material onto at least said surrounding portion. Said non-transparent material is present on at least said surrounding portion still in the finished optical device.

Abstract: Optical stack assemblies and fabrication techniques thereof. The optical stack assembly includes first and second sub-assemblies, each of which include a substrate and a sub-structure fixed to the respective substrate. Each sub-structures includes a respective first edge feature and a respective second edge feature that project away from the substrate of that sub-structure, each second edge feature being disposed laterally closer to an outer periphery of the respective sub-structure than the first edge feature of the same sub-structure. The first edge feature of the first sub-structure is in direct contact with the first edge feature of the second sub¬structure, while the second edge feature of the first sub-structure and the second edge feature of the second sub-structure are attached to one another by adhesive. At least one of the first or second sub-structures includes an optical element on a same side of the sub-structure as the first and second edge features of that sub-structure.

Abstract: Molded circuit substrates include a conductive layer surrounded by an insulating sidewall. The insulating sidewall further provides a structural component for an electronic module into which the molded circuit substrate is incorporated. Accordingly, the molded circuit substrates can permit better performance, reduce electronic module thickness, and reduce fabrication costs. Methods for fabricating molded circuit substrates can facilitate precise positioning of insulating sidewalls, insulating partitions, electrical contacts and other components.

Abstract: Optical encoding systems include a generalized cylindrical code scale having one or more regions with different light reflective properties. In an example process, a code scale can be created by coating an elongated generalized cylinder with one or more different layers of materials having different light reflective properties. Portions of these layers can be removed selectively in order to expose a particular overlying material and create a particular pattern of features having different optical characteristics (e.g., absorbing, specularly reflecting, diffusely reflecting).

Abstract: Fabricating optical devices can include mounting a plurality of singulated lens systems over a substrate, adjusting a thickness of the substrate below at least some of the lens systems to provide respective focal length corrections for the lens systems, and subsequently separating the substrate into a plurality of optical modules, each of which includes one of the lens systems mounted over a portion of the substrate. Adjusting a thickness of the substrate can include, for example, micro-machining the substrate to form respective holes below at least some of the lens systems or adding one or more layers below at least some of the lens systems so as to correct for variations in the focal lengths of the lens systems.