From Grating Patents (Class 359/566)
  • Patent number: 8792169
    Abstract: Described herein are diffraction gratings and methods for the manufacture thereof. One method comprises applying a force to a substrate to strain the substrate, disposing a thin film on at least a portion of the substrate, and reducing the force applied to the substrate, thereby causing the thin film to buckle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2014
    Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University
    Inventors: Hanqing Jiang, Hongbin Yu, Cunjiang Yu, Kevin O'Brien, Yong-Hang Zhang
  • Patent number: 8780445
    Abstract: By suitably correcting a secondary spectrum, a clear, bright optical image is obtained. Provided is a rigid-scope optical system including: an objective optical system; and at least one relay optical systems that are formed of positive front groups, middle groups, and back groups in this order from an entrance side and that reimage an optical image imaged at imaging planes at the entrance side onto imaging planes at an exit side, wherein axial chromatic aberration between two wavelengths is corrected by an optical system other than the diffractive optical element, and axial chromatic aberration between the two wavelengths and another wavelength is corrected by the diffractive optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corp.
    Inventor: Takahiro Inoue
  • Patent number: 8773599
    Abstract: A near-to-eye optical system includes an optically transmissive substrate having a see-through display region and a repeating pattern of diffraction elements. The repeating pattern of diffraction elements is disposed across the see-through display region of the optically transmissive substrate and organized into a reflective diffraction grating that bends and focuses computer generated image (“CGI”) light impingent upon the reflective diffraction grating. The see-through display region is at least partially transmissive to external ambient light impingent upon an exterior side of the optically transmissive substrate and at least partially reflective to the CGI light impingent upon an interior side of the optically transmissive substrate opposite the exterior side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Ehsan Saeedi, Babak Amirparviz, Xiaoyu Miao
  • Patent number: 8774240
    Abstract: A frequency-drift amplification device for a pulsed laser, including: a stretcher for time-stretching an incident laser pulse; at least one amplifying medium for amplifying the laser pulse; a main compressor for time-compressing the laser pulse to a desired duration for an output pulse of the amplification device; and at least one adjustment compressor between the stretcher and the main compressor, and in which the laser pulse undergoes four diffractions on diffraction gratings to time-compress the stretched laser pulse to a duration that is greater than the desired duration for the output pulse of the amplification device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Ecole Polytechnique
    Inventor: Gilles Cheriaux
  • Patent number: 8765360
    Abstract: Films for optical use, articles containing such films, methods for making such films, and systems that utilize such films, are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Polarization Solutions, LLC
    Inventors: Jian Jim Wang, Xuegong Deng, Anguel N. Nikolov
  • Patent number: 8767299
    Abstract: An embedded vertical optical grating, a semiconductor device including the embedded vertical optical grating and a method for forming the same. The method for forming the embedded optical grating within a substrate includes depositing a hard mask layer on the substrate, patterning at least one opening within the hard mask layer, vertically etching a plurality of scallops within the substrate corresponding to the at least one opening within the hard mask layer, removing the hard mask layer, and forming an oxide layer within the plurality of scallops to form the embedded vertical optical grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Fei Liu, Qiqing C. Quyang, Keith Kwong Hon Wong
  • Publication number: 20140168651
    Abstract: The present disclosure pertains to metal or dielectric nanostructures of the subwavelength scale within the grating lines of optical diffraction gratings. The nanostructures have surface plasmon resonances or non-plasmon optical resonances. A linear photodetector array is used to capture the resonance spectra from one of the diffraction orders. The combined nanostructure super-grating and photodetector array eliminates the use of external optical spectrometers for measuring surface plasmon or optical resonance frequency shift caused by the presence of chemical and biological agents. The nanostructure super-gratings can be used for building integrated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectrometers. The nanostructures within the diffraction grating lines enhance Raman scattering signal light while the diffraction grating pattern of the nanostructures diffracts Raman scattering light to different directions of propagation according to their wavelengths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Inventor: Junpeng Guo
  • Publication number: 20140168774
    Abstract: A system which may be used to generate a plurality of spots on a surface is provided. The spots may be aligned with the incident plane of oblique illumination. The system may include a diffractive optical element configured to split a beam into a plurality of beams by generating a plurality of diffraction orders. The system may also include a focusing lens configured to focus at least some of the plurality of beams on the surface in the plurality of spots. At least some of the plurality of beams may be focused on the surface at an oblique illumination angle. The system may also include an illumination source positioned off-axis relative to an optical axis of the diffractive optical element. Using the system, a plurality of spots may be generated on an inclined surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Publication date: June 19, 2014
    Applicant: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: KLA-TENCOR CORPORATION
  • Patent number: 8717650
    Abstract: Methods create images viewable under different selected angles on optical storage devices and other photosensitive surfaces and optical storage devices with super-imposed images. Generally, a photosensitive surface is exposed with multiple diffraction patterns creating super-imposed images. These diffraction patterns create super-imposed images on the photosensitive surfaces, which can be read by either a human or a computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Stamper Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Bruce Ha
  • Patent number: 8690341
    Abstract: An image display device having an RGB illuminating module that includes a diffractive beam combiner. The diffractive beam combiner includes a first light source arranged to provide a first light beam having red color and a second light source arranged to provide a second light beam having green color. A centerline of the first light beam and a centerline of the second light beam are arranged to intersect at an intersection point. A diffractive output grating is located in the vicinity of the intersection point. The diffractive output grating is arranged to form an output light beam by diffracting light of the first light beam and light of the second light beam substantially in the same direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: EpiCrystals Oy
    Inventor: Tuomas Vallius
  • Patent number: 8687277
    Abstract: A “Stacked-Grating Light Modulator” (“SGLM”) comprises two diffraction grating elements, a reflection grating and a transmission grating, in close parallel proximity. An incident beam transmits through the transmission grating and is reflected by the reflection grating back through the transmission grating. The relative lateral position of the two gratings is varied to modulate the beam's zero-order reflectance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Johnson
  • Patent number: 8681423
    Abstract: A light modulator includes a light guide to guide light, a diffraction grating at a surface of the light guide, and a fluid having a refractive index substantially matched to a refractive index of the diffraction grating. The diffraction grating is to couple out a portion of guided light from the light guide using diffractive coupling. The index-matched fluid is to be selectively moved both into contact with the diffractive grating to defeat the diffractive coupling and out of contact with the diffraction grating to facilitate the diffractive coupling to modulate the coupled out guided light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Gary Gibson, David A Fattal
  • Patent number: 8682120
    Abstract: An optical device comprising a planar waveguide located on a planar substrate, the planar waveguide including a light-transmissive layer and an optical grating coupler being located along the planar substrate and being adjacent to and optically coupled to the planar waveguide. The optical coupler includes an optical grating of the light-transmissive layer. The optical grating includes a periodic arrangement of light-refractive structures and one or more slotted openings separating the optical grating into two or more grating segments that have long axes that are substantially parallel to a propagation direction of a light beam configured to pass between the planar waveguide and the optical coupler. Pitch distances between adjacent ones of the grating segments are less than a wavelength of the light beam divided by an effective refractive index of the light-transmissive layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Christopher R. Doerr
  • Patent number: 8670181
    Abstract: A generator of duality modulated radiation and a corresponding method for its use. The generator depletes or enriches the proportion of energy relative to the wave intensity of a beam. Duality modulation is achieved using a single input beam that is incident on a diffractive grating. For a selected grating structure, the angle of incidence, the wavelength of the input beam and the periodicity of the grating are selected to achieve a desired duality modulation in a diffracted output beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventors: Stuart Gary Mirell, Daniel Joseph Mirell
  • Patent number: 8654348
    Abstract: The application relates to a method for analyzing the wave surface of a light beam from a source to the focus of a lens. The beam illuminates a sample on the analysis plane and having a defect. A diffraction grating of the plane is a conjugate of an analysis plane through a focal system. An image is formed in a plane at a distance from the grating plane and analyzed by processing means. The invention encodes this grating by a phase function resulting from the multiplication of two phase functions, a first exclusion function defining a meshing of useful zones transmitting the beam to be analyzed in the form of light pencil beams, and a second phase fundamental function which creates a phase opposition between two light pencil beams coming out of adjacent meshes of the exclusion grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aerospatiales (Onera)
    Inventors: Jérôme Primot, Bruno Toulon, Nicolas Guérineau, Sabrina Velghe, Riad Haidar
  • Publication number: 20140022642
    Abstract: An optical element 1 comprises a base 2 having a surface 2a formed with a depression 3 and a formed layer 4 disposed on the base 2. The formed layer 4 has a main part 5 located within the depression 3 when seen in the depth direction of the depression 3 and an overhang 6 located on the surface 2a of the base 2 while being connected to the main part 5. A curved surface 4b opposing a bottom face 3b of the depression 3 in the main part 5 is provided with an optical function part 10.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Publication date: January 23, 2014
    Applicant: HAMAMATSU PHOTONICS K.K.
    Inventors: Takafumi Yokino, Katsumi Shibayama
  • Publication number: 20130335825
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for manufacturing an optical grating, and the optical grating manufactured thereby. A workpiece is secured to a carriage driven by a linear actuator. A tool is maintained in contact with the workpiece at either a constant force or a constant displacement normal to the surface of the workpiece while the carriage is translated. A plurality of grooves is ruled into the workpiece in this manner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2013
    Publication date: December 19, 2013
    Applicant: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventor: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
  • Publication number: 20130321920
    Abstract: An imaging lens includes, from the object side to the image side, an aperture stop, a first lens with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface near an optical axis, a second lens with positive refractive power having a convex image-side surface near the axis, a third lens with positive refractive power having a convex image-side surface near the axis, and a fourth lens with negative refractive power having a concave image-side surface near the axis, wherein all lens surfaces are aspheric, all lenses are made of plastic material, a diffractive optical surface is formed on at least one of the lens surfaces from the first lens image-side surface to the second lens image-side surface, and at least one of the three positive lenses satisfies expression (1): 1.58<Ndi??(1) where Ndi: refractive index of the i-th positive lens at d-ray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: December 5, 2013
    Applicant: KANTATSU CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisanori Suzuki, Yukio Sekine
  • Patent number: 8599484
    Abstract: To provide a diffractive optical element and a measuring device capable of generating light spots of dispersive type. The problem is resolved by providing a diffractive optical element having concaves and convexes and diffracting incident light in two dimensions so as to generate diffracted light, wherein when the number of a part of light spots formed by the diffracted light is denoted by n, an average distance W to the nearest neighbor in the light spots normalized by an area of a region onto which the light spots are projected falls within a range of 1/(2×n1/2)<W<1/(n1/2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2013
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Koji Miyasaka, Takuji Nomura
  • Patent number: 8574710
    Abstract: A composition includes a substrate (a) including a surface and (b) a multi-layer coating of nanowires positioned on at least a portion of the surface. The coating includes three or more laminar layers of nanowires and a bottom layer of nanowires affixed to the surface and a top-most layer of nanowires. A nanowire within a laminar layer is oriented substantially parallel to another nanowire within the same laminar layer. Nanowires within adjacent laminar layers are not substantially parallel to one another. The top-most layer of nanowires has a refractive index of about 5% to about 70% of the refractive index of the bottom layer of nanowires, and the refractive index of the three or more laminar layers of nanowires is decreases by about 10% or more per laminar layer from the bottom layer of nanowires to the top-most layer of nanowires.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Nano Terra Inc.
    Inventors: David Christopher Coffey, Brian T. Mayers, Joseph M. McLellan
  • Publication number: 20130286483
    Abstract: An optical shuffle system includes a plurality of sources that are to output respective beams of light and a plurality of receivers that are to receive respective beams of light, wherein the plurality of receivers are spaced apart from the plurality of sources. The optical shuffle system further includes an output lens formed of a plurality of output sub-wavelength grating (SWG) sections, wherein each of the plurality of output SWG sections is positioned in a respective output optical path of the plurality of sources, and wherein each of the plurality of output SWG sections is to collimate and direct light received from respective ones of the plurality of sources toward respective ones of the plurality of receivers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2012
    Publication date: October 31, 2013
    Inventors: Marco Fiorentino, David A. Fattal, Raymond G. Beausoleil
  • Patent number: 8570509
    Abstract: A spectrometry apparatus includes a transmissive diffraction grating that transmits incident light. The transmissive diffraction grating has inclined surfaces made of a first dielectric material. The inclined surfaces are arranged so that they are inclined relative to a reference line. When the angle of incidence of light incident on the transmissive diffraction grating is measured with respect to the reference line and defined as an angle ?, and the angle of diffraction of diffracted light is measured with respect to the reference line and defined as an angle ?, the angle of incidence ? is smaller than a Bragg angle ? defined with respect to the inclined surfaces, and the angle of diffraction ? is greater than the Bragg angle ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Amako, Kohei Yamada
  • Publication number: 20130279004
    Abstract: Highly-compliant polymer-based resonant diffraction gratings, and methods of use thereof, are provided. In one illustrative embodiment, an amount of pressure applied to a grating surface may be determined by straining a grating, adapted to move into a plurality of pitches, to an applied pitch in the plurality of pitches in response to an application of strain onto a surface adjacent the grating. Electromagnetic radiation comprising a plurality of wavelengths may be applied to the grating, and a resonance wavelength, in the plurality of wavelengths, may be identified while the strain is applied to the grating. The amount of strain applied to the grating surface may then be determined based on the resonant wavelength.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Applicant: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventors: Steven John Foland, Jeong Bong Lee
  • Publication number: 20130271837
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides an optical resin composition and use thereof. The optical resin composition of the present disclosure comprises unsaturated phenol formaldehyde epoxy acrylate oligomer: 40%-50%, episulfide oligomer: 20%-30%, methacrylate resin: 20%-50%, and multifunctional active acrylate monomer: 2%-5%, which achieves an optimal match with the refractive index of the liquid crystal lens layer, so as to improve the visual effect of the naked-eye 3D/2D switchable birefringent grating under 2D conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2013
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicant: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Chunmiao ZHOU
  • Publication number: 20130264470
    Abstract: A light-trapping sheet of the present invention includes: a light-transmitting sheet 2 having first and second principal surfaces; and a plurality of light-coupling structures 3 arranged in an inner portion of the light-transmitting sheet at a first distance or more and a second distance or more from the first and second principal surfaces, respectively, wherein: each of the plurality of light-coupling structures 3 includes a first light-transmitting layer, a second light-transmitting layer, and a third light-transmitting layer arranged therebetween; a refractive index of the first and second light-transmitting layers is smaller than a refractive index of the light-transmitting sheet 2; a refractive index of the third light-transmitting layer is larger than the refractive index of the first and second light-transmitting layers; and the third light-transmitting layer has a diffraction grating parallel to the first and second principal surfaces of the light-transmitting sheet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 10, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Seiji Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 8537465
    Abstract: An apparatus usable with a laser resonator has a generally stationary base, a positioning slide carried on the guide and shiftable thereon in an adjustment direction, and two (or more) holders carried on the slide and each having a platform adapted to secure a respective diffraction grating. Each of the platforms can be shifted on the respective holder with at least two degrees of freedom relative to the slide. The positioning slide can also be shifted relative to the base for moving each of the gratings into a working position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: Sirah Lasertechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Paulus Jauernik
  • Patent number: 8529068
    Abstract: A beam light source of an image display device which displays an image on a screen by scanning an optical beam in a two-dimensional direction in which the beam light source includes a light source that emits a diffuse light modulated according to an image signal, and an optical element that shapes the light emitted from the light source to the optical beam. The optical beam has an elliptically shaped beam spot on the screen in which a major axis of the beam spot is substantially perpendicular to a scanning direction. A horizontal spot size of the optical beam on an exit surface of the optical element is at least or equal to a horizontal spot size of the optical beam on the screen, and the horizontal spot size of the optical beam on the screen is no greater than a horizontal pixel pitch displayed on the screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: Hitachi Consumer Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoki Kobori, Yoshiho Seo, Tadayoshi Kosaka, Mayumi Nagayoshi, Satoshi Ouchi
  • Patent number: 8517535
    Abstract: A phase diversity wavefront sensor includes an optical system including at least one optical element for receiving a light beam; a diffractive optical element having a diffractive pattern defining a filter function, the diffractive optical element being arranged to produce, in conjunction with the optical system, images from the light beam associated with at least two diffraction orders; and a detector for detecting the images and outputting image data corresponding to the detected images. In one embodiment, the optical system, diffractive optical element, and detector are arranged to provide telecentric, pupil plane images of the light beam. A processor receives the image data from the detector, and executes a Gerchberg-Saxton phase retrieval algorithm to measure the wavefront of the light beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: AMO Wavefront Sciences, LLC.
    Inventors: Thomas D Raymond, Paul Pulaski, Stephen W Farrer, Daniel R Neal, Alan H Greenaway, David M Faichnie, Heather I Campbell Dalgarno, Graham N Craik
  • Publication number: 20130215406
    Abstract: A lithography method and apparatus is disclosed herein. In a described embodiment, the method comprises (i) providing a first mask having an exposure pattern for forming a three dimensional structure; (ii) exposing the first mask to radiation to form the exposure pattern on a radiation-sensitive resist; the exposure pattern defined by irradiated areas and non-irradiated areas of the resist; (ii) providing a second mask; and (iii) during exposure, changing relative positions between the first mask and the second mask to shield selected portions of the irradiated areas from radiation to enable varying depth profiles to be created in the three dimensional structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2011
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Applicant: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
    Inventors: Sascha Pierre Heussler, Herbert O. Moser
  • Publication number: 20130208358
    Abstract: A method of forming an optical device in a body (32), comprises performing a plurality of laser scans (34,36) to form the optical device, each scan comprising relative movement of a laser beam and the body thereby to scan the laser beam along a respective path (34a, 34b 34f; 36a, 36b 36f) through the body to alter the refractive index of material of that path, wherein the paths are arranged to provide in combination a route for propagation of light through the optical device in operation that is larger in a direction substantially perpendicular to the route for propagation of light than any one of the paths individually.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2011
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Inventors: Nicholas D. Psaila, Ajoy Kumar Kar, Henry Thomas Gibson Bookey, Robert R. Thomson, Graeme Brown
  • Patent number: 8508847
    Abstract: In a diffractive optical element, first and second optical members are stacked, and a diffraction grating is formed at an interface between the first and second optical members. In the diffractive optical element, an absorption coefficient ? (mm?1) of the first optical member and a grating height h (?m) of the diffraction grating satisfy expressions (1) and (2): ??0.04??(1) h?263.18×??0.9454??(2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Kazuhiro Minami, Yasuhiro Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8507073
    Abstract: An exterior part (200) includes (a) a structure color generation portion (210) having a minute shape (structure color generation region (211)) formed therein, light in a visible light range being produced from the minute shape by a physical phenomenon such as interference or diffraction with the incidence of light, and (b) a resin portion (220) that is made of resin having a light transmitting property and serves as the outer surface of a product, (c) the structure color generation portion (210) and the resin portion (220) are formed by molding, and (d) the structure color generation portion (210) is made of resin different from the resin of the resin portion (220), and covered with the resin portion (220).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yukio Nishikawa, Masayuki Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20130182327
    Abstract: Disclosed are a diffractive optical element and a measurement device that are capable of reliably suppressing occurrence of a zero-order diffracted light beam and generating light spots in a wide range. The diffractive optical element has concave and convex portions and diffracts incident light in two dimensions to generate diffracted light. When a maximum diffraction angle with reference to an optical axis of the incident light is an angle range ?, the angle range ? is 7.5° or greater, and diffraction efficiency in a zero-order diffracted light beam is 5% or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2013
    Publication date: July 18, 2013
    Applicant: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
    Inventor: ASAHI GLASS COMPANY, LIMITED
  • Patent number: 8488242
    Abstract: A security device includes an optically variable device (OVD) having diffraction-based micro-optics including at least one moiré magnified visual representation of a micro-object. A diffractive structure provides micro-objects with unique optical effects when the OVD is viewed through the micro-object structure from a predetermined relative observation point. In addition to magnifying the micro-objects, the diffractive structure can impart optical effects such as change in observed color, enhanced contrast, animation of the observed visual representation, and change in size or shape of the observed visual representation. The micro-objects and the diffractive structure can be disposed on the same or different portions of a substrate. A method of making OVDs, and an article employing such OVDs are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Opsec Security Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Dean R. Hill, Robert E. Renton, Andrew K. Rowe, Paul Dunn
  • Patent number: 8488646
    Abstract: Enhanced reflectivity High-Contrast Gratings are described which operate in different medium. An HCG is described with a deep/buried metallization layer separated at a distance of least three to four grating thicknesses from the grating. Reflective bandwidth of the HCG is substantially increased, such as by a factor or five, by inclusion of the deep/buried metallization layer. An HCG is described which provides high reflectivity, even when embedded into materials of a moderate to high index of refraction, such as semiconductor material. Vertical cavity surface emitting laser embodiments are described which utilize these reflectivity enhancements, and preferably utilize HCG reflectors for top and/or bottom mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: Connie Chang-Hasnain, Christopher Chase, Igor Karagodsy
  • Patent number: 8488030
    Abstract: To enable an imaging apparatus to achieve high resolution and sufficient color reproducibility. A diffraction grating 1 is provided on the incident light side of a spectral image sensor 10, the diffraction grating 1 including scatterers such as scatterers 3, slits 5, and scatterers 7 which are disposed in that order. An electromagnetic wave is scattered by the scatterers to produce diffracted waves, and by using the fact that interference patterns between the diffracted waves change with wavelengths, signals are detected for respective wavelengths by photoelectric conversion elements 12B, 12G, and 12R in each photodiode group 12.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Toda, Hirofumi Sumi
  • Publication number: 20130170021
    Abstract: Provided is a microscope optical system in which the occurrence of flare due to unnecessary-order diffracted light exited from a diffractive optical element is suppressed. A microscope objective lens MS is configured by including an objective lens OL which has a diffractive optical element GD and converts light from an object into a substantially parallel light flux, and a second objective lens IL which forms an image of the object by focusing the substantially parallel light flux from the objective lens OL, and is configured such that, in case where an m-th order of diffracted light from the diffractive optical element GD is used for the image formation, the following expression is satisfied: |?|>tan?1(0.06/0) when the light of a maximum NA emitted from the object located on an optical axis enters the diffractive optical element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventor: NIKON CORPORATION
  • Publication number: 20130170041
    Abstract: A diffractive optical element disclosed in the present application includes a body 102 formed of a first optical material containing a first resin, the body 102 having a surface 102a including a first area 105 at which a diffraction grating 104 is provided and a second area 106 located outer to the first area; an optical adjustment layer 103 formed of a second optical material containing a second resin, the optical adjustment layer 103 being provided on the body while covering the first area and at least a part of the second area 106 of the surface of the body; and an adhesive interface section 109 containing an adhesive material which is adhesive to the second optical material, the adhesive interface section 109 being, at the second area 106 of the surface of the body, at least partially located below the optical adjustment layer 103 and being located at least in a region from the surface to the inside of the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuka Okada, Tatsutoshi Suenaga, Akiko Murata
  • Publication number: 20130163086
    Abstract: A photorefractive device (100) and method of manufacture are disclosed. The device (100) comprises a layered structure in which one or more polymer layers (110) are interposed between a photorefractive material (106) and at least one transparent electrode layer (104). One or more electrolytes are dispersed into the one or more polymer layers (110). When a bias is applied to the device (100), the device (100) exhibits an increase in signal efficiency compared to a similar device without electrolyte. Both grating decay time and grating response time are greatly reduced by dispersing electrolytes into one or more polymer layers in the photorefractive device. The grating decay time can be adjusted by dispersing different kinds of the electrolytes and/or different concentration of the electrolytes, which can be fitted into all kinds of applications with different requirements for grating response and decay time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Applicant: NITTO DENKO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tao Gu, Weiping Lin, Wan-Yun Hsieh, Michiharu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8455810
    Abstract: An optical element incorporated into an imaging optical system, comprising: an effective diameter area that allows effective light flux contributing to imaging to pass, a non-effective diameter area that surrounds the effective diameter area; and an outer peripheral face that surrounds the non-effective diameter area. The effective diameter area, the non-effective diameter area and the outer peripheral face are centered on an imaging optical axis. At least a thickness-direction part of the outer peripheral face or a circumferential part thereof is a non-parallel face having an inclination to an imaging optical axis. A light incident from a face of an object side, reflected on a face of an image-plane side to the outer peripheral face and reflected on the outer peripheral face is not incident to an image plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Ryoko Tomioka, Tetsuya Okumura, Takayuki Noda
  • Patent number: 8451443
    Abstract: A concave reflection type diffraction optical element used for a Rowland type spectrometer, in which: the Rowland type spectrometer detects wavelengths in a range including a wavelength ?1 or more and a wavelength ?2 or less (?1<?2); the concave reflection type diffraction optical element has a diffractive efficiency D(?) at a wavelength ? which shows local maximum and maximum value at a wavelength ?a satisfying, ? 1 ? ? a < 7 ? ? 1 + 3 ? ? 2 10 ; the concave reflection type diffraction optical element includes a reference surface having an anamorphic shape; and the following condition is satisfied: R>r, where R indicates a meridional line curvature radius of the reference surface and r indicates a sagittal line curvature radius thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tokuji Takizawa, Kazumi Kimura
  • Publication number: 20130121126
    Abstract: A holder has walls defining a holding region for holding an optical element, and has a protrusion part overlapping the holding region. The protrusion part is formed at a deformable support part, and can be displaced in a direction away from the holding region by deformation of the support part. When the optical element is fitted into the holding region, the support part deforms and the protrusion part runs on a side surface of the optical element. In this state, the optical element is pressed until a back surface of the optical element abuts a support surface of the holder. The optical element is pressed against the wall and positioned by a return force of the support part.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicants: Sanyo Optec Design Co., Ltd., Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yasufumi YAMAGISHI
  • Patent number: 8441729
    Abstract: An optical arrangement includes a light source which emits coherent light of a wavelength ?, and a diffraction grating which has a multiplicity of diffraction structures which follow one another periodically at the spacing of a grating period d and are arranged along a base surface, the individual diffraction structures respectively having a blaze flank and an antiblaze flank, the blaze flanks being arranged at an angle ? and the antiblaze flanks being arranged at an angle ? to the base surface, and respectively neighbouring blaze and antiblaze flanks enclosing an apex angle ?, and an incident light beam being arranged at a Littrow angle ?L relative to a grating normal of the diffraction grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss Laser Optics GmbH
    Inventor: Bernd Kleemann
  • Patent number: 8441907
    Abstract: In an optical head device which performs recording/reading of data in/from a high-density optical disc using an objective lens with a large NA, a saw-tooth shape diffraction element is used for also performing recording/reading of data in/from a conventional optical disc, such as DVD, CD, or the like. A step difference that produces an optical path length for blue light which is equal to or longer than the wavelength of the blue light and optical path lengths for red and infrared light which are shorter than the wavelengths of the red and infrared light is utilized so as to exert an inverse action on the blue light to those exerted on the red and infrared light. The effect of increasing the working distances for CD and DVD enables multiple compatibility. The optical element is integrally combined with the objective lens to perform a tracking servo following operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Komma, Toshiyasu Tanaka, Fumitomo Yamasaki
  • Patent number: 8441726
    Abstract: Light from an optical fiber is incident on a frequency dispersion element. The frequency dispersion element disperses the incident light into light beams in different directions according to their frequencies and directs the dispersed light beams to a lens. The lens develops the incident light beams over an xy plane according to their frequencies in a strip-like form. A frequency selective element has pixels arranged in a frequency dispersion direction and brings pixels located at positions corresponding to the frequency to be selected into a reflective state. A light beam selected by the frequency selective element is emitted from an optical fiber through the same path. By changing reflection characteristics of the frequency selective element according to each pixel, optical filter characteristics can be desirably changed so as to achieve change of passband width and frequency shift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Santec Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuki Sakurai
  • Patent number: 8437238
    Abstract: There is provided a diffraction grating including a convex portion and a concave portion which are used for lights having different wavelengths ?1, ?2 and ?3 and are alternately disposed on at least one surface of a substrate with a predetermined pitch. An average refractive index of the convex portion is smaller than an average refractive index of the concave portion. A phase difference in the lights having the wavelength ?1 which transmit the convex portion and the concave portion and a phase difference in the lights having the wavelength ?2 which transmit the convex portion and the concave portion are both substantially the integral multiple of 2?, and a phase difference in the lights having the wavelength ?3 which transmit the convex portion and the concave portion is substantially the non-integral multiple of 2?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Asahi Glass Company, Limited
    Inventors: Koji Miyasaka, Hiromasa Sato
  • Publication number: 20130100656
    Abstract: A transmission type optical element (10) comprises a surface relief micro-grating (5, 9) for guiding light (13) propagating through the optical element. According to the present invention, at least a portion (5) of the thickness of the optical element (10) is formed of a colored material (4) so as to make the optical element colored.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Applicant: NANOCOMP OY LTD
    Inventor: Valtteri Kalima
  • Publication number: 20130093936
    Abstract: The invention provides an energy dispersion device, spectrograph and method that can be used to evaluate the composition of matter on site without the need for specialized training or expensive equipment. The energy dispersion device or spectrograph can be used with a digital camera or cell phone. A device of the invention includes a stack of single- or double-dispersion diffraction gratings that are rotated about their normal giving rise to a multiplicity of diffraction orders from which meaningful measurements and determinations can be made with respect to the qualitative or quantitative characteristics of matter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 18, 2013
    Applicant: SPECTROCLICK, INC.
    Inventors: Alexander Scheeline, Bui Anh Thu
  • Publication number: 20130088781
    Abstract: In a diffraction optical element having a structure in which a base and an optical adjustment layer adhere to each other, defects such as cracks and peeling occur in the optical adjustment layer, when the adhesive strength between the base and the optical adjustment layer is degraded. In a diffraction optical element 100 of the present invention, a plurality of anchor grooves 3 are formed in a planar second region 6 of a base 1. Further, a depth of an anchor groove of the plurality of anchor grooves 3, which is positioned on an outermost side, is designed so as to be smaller than a depth of another anchor groove of the plurality of anchor grooves 3, which is positioned on an innermost side. An optical adjustment layer 9 adheres so as to cover a first region 5 in which a diffraction grating 2 is formed and the second region 6 in which the anchor grooves 3 are formed of the base 1.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: PANASONIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tatsutoshi Suenaga, Yuka Okada, Akiko Murata
  • Publication number: 20130088780
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for providing a first light-guiding structure and a second light-guiding structure to receive an input optical beam and output an output optical beam to be viewed by a user. At least one of the first or the second light-guiding structure has a non-flat shape. The first and the second light-guiding structures are configured to produce virtual images at different viewing distances.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2010
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Inventors: Toni J. Jarvenpaa, Pasi Riso Olavi Saarikko