For Diffractive Subtractive Filtering Patents (Class 359/568)
  • Patent number: 11280988
    Abstract: A structure light module comprises: a VCSEL substrate comprising a VCSEL array comprising a plurality of individual VCSELs; a first spacer disposed on the VCSEL substrate; a first wafer level lens comprising a glass substrate and at least a replicated lens on a first surface of the glass substrate disposed on the first spacer; a FOE disposed on the first wafer level lens; a second spacer disposes on the FOE; a second wafer level lens comprising a glass substrate and at least a replicated lens on a first surface of the glass substrate disposed on the second spacer; a third spacer disposed on the second wafer level lens; a DOE disposed on the third spacer, where a structure light is projected from the DOE on a target surface for 3D imaging.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2022
    Assignee: OmniVision Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Wei-Ping Chen, Tsung-Wei Wan, Jau-Jan Deng
  • Patent number: 11073647
    Abstract: The invention disclosed herein generally relates to wideband resonant polarizers that require extremely small amounts of matter in their embodiments. These polarizers can be made with dielectric materials such that light and other electromagnetic waves interacting with them suffer essentially no absorptive loss. This new class of polarizers is fashioned with dielectric or semiconductor nano/microwire grids that are mostly empty space if surrounded by air or vacuum. It is fundamentally and practically extremely significant that the wideband spectral expressions presented herein can be generated in these minimal systems. These ultra-sparse polarizers are useful in various spectral regions for numerous useful applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM
    Inventor: Robert Magnusson
  • Patent number: 11067726
    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: April 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Matthew E. Colburn, Giuseppe Calafiore, Matthieu Charles Raoul Leibovici, Nihar Ranjan Mohanty
  • Patent number: 10914954
    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: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Erik Shipton, Giuseppe Calafiore, Pasi Saarikko
  • Patent number: 10760971
    Abstract: An optical interference device is disclosed herein. In a described embodiment, the optical interference device comprises a phase shifter array for receiving a collimated beam of light. The phase shifter array includes an array of cells for producing optical light channels from respective rays of the collimated beam of light, with at least some of the optical light channels having varying phase shifts. The optical interference device further includes a focusing lens having a focal distance and arranged to simultaneously produce, from the optical light channels, a focused beam of light in its focal plane and an image downstream the phase shifter array for detection by an optical detector. The optical interference device also includes an optical spatial filter arranged at the focal distance of the focusing lens and arranged to filter the focused beam of light to produce a spatially distributed interference light pattern in zeroth order for detection by the optical detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: National University of Singapore
    Inventors: Sascha Pierre Heussler, Herbert Oskar Moser, Alok Pathak
  • Patent number: 10679222
    Abstract: A plasmonic pixel structure, comprising: a substrate; a plurality of nano-scale structures each comprising conducting and dielectric components, whereby the nano-scale structures are configured to act as nano-antennas. The nano-scale structures 5 have resonant frequencies that depend on the conducting component and sizes of the nano-scale structures. The conducting component and the sizes of the nano-scale structures are selected according to a wavelength component or components of incident light desired to be reflected or transmitted by the nano-scale structures, and the conducting component and the sizes of the nano-scale structures are selected 10 such that the nano-scale structures have respective resonant frequencies corresponding to a colour scheme.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: The University of Melbourne
    Inventors: Timothy Denis James, Ann Roberts
  • Patent number: 10642057
    Abstract: A light redirecting film and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The light redirecting film comprises a substrate, a first diffraction grating layer of a first curable resin on the substrate and a second diffraction grating layer of a second curable resin on the first diffraction grating layer. Wherein the grating directions of the first diffraction grating layer and the second diffraction grating layer cross each other at an angle of 90±10°, and the difference of the refractive index of the first curable resin and the second curable resin is no less than 0.1 and no more than 0.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: BenQ Materials Corporation
    Inventors: Chen-Kuan Kuo, Cyun-Tai Hong, Chuen-Nan Shen, Chung-Hung Chien, Hung-Jiun Shieh, Tsung-Chi Yeh, Fung-Hsu Wu
  • 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
  • Patent number: 10591654
    Abstract: The invention disclosed herein generally relates to wideband resonant polarizers that require extremely small amounts of matter in their embodiments. These polarizers can be made with dielectric materials such that light and other electromagnetic waves interacting with them suffer essentially no absorptive loss. This new class of polarizers is fashioned with dielectric or semiconductor nano/microwire grids that are mostly empty space if surrounded by air or vacuum. It is fundamentally and practically extremely significant that the wideband spectral expressions presented herein can be generated in these minimal systems. These ultra-sparse polarizers are useful in various spectral regions for numerous useful applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Board of Regents, The University of Texas System
    Inventor: Robert Magnusson
  • Patent number: 10571607
    Abstract: A color developing structure capable of achieving multi-hued color through a simple process, and a method of producing the same are provided. In the color developing structure formed on a surface of a base material: the color developing structure has a rectangular shape in plan view, and is formed of a concavo-convex structure having a plurality of convexities with different heights and a laminated film including a plurality of layers laminated on the concavo-convex structure; the plurality of layers adjoining in a lamination direction are made of materials that transmit light of the same wavelength band and have different refractive indices with respect to light of the wavelength band; and the plurality of layers have about the same thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Kawashita, Mai Ooki
  • Patent number: 10203455
    Abstract: An optical transmitter including first, second, third and fourth signal generators configured to transmit first, second, third and fourth optical signals, a first filter configured to combine the first optical signal with the second optical signal to form a first multi-channel signal, a second filter configured to combine the third optical signal with the first multi-channel signal to form a second multi-channel signal, and a third filter configured to combine the fourth optical signal with the second multi-channel signal to form a third multi-channel signal. The first optical signal and the third optical signal have parallel optical axes, as do the second optical signal and the fourth optical signal. The second and fourth optical signals are at an angle of from 5° to 40° with respect to the first and third optical signals and are generally propagated in an opposite direction from the first and third optical signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Source Photonics (Chengdu) Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Moshe Amit
  • Patent number: 10151631
    Abstract: A spectrometer for tailored spectral sampling includes a dispersive element for spatially dispersing a spectrum of a light beam, a detector including a plurality of pixels distributed along a sampling direction, and a spectrum reshaping element including at least one of a reflective surface or a transmissive surface for reshaping the spatially-dispersed spectrum of the light beam from the dispersive element along the sampling direction to provide a selected distribution of the spectrum to the detector. The detector may spatially sample the spectrum of incident light with the plurality of pixels at selected spectral intervals based on the selected distribution of the spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Neil, Johannes D. de Veer
  • Patent number: 9625717
    Abstract: The invention relates to optical devices comprising a transparent substrate and a first transparent grating layer on the substrate, the grating layer comprising periodically alternating zones having different refractive indices. According to the invention, the device comprises a second transparent grating layer located on top of the first grating layer and also comprising periodically alternating zones having different refractive indices so that the zones of the first grating layer having higher refractive index are at least partly aligned with the zones of the second grating layer having lower refractive index and vice versa, the second grating layer reducing the amount of light diffracted to non-zero transmission orders. The invention allows for reducing the so-called rainbow effect for example in head-up displays (HUDs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: DISPELIX OY
    Inventors: Antti Sunnari, Olli-Heikki Huttunen, Juuso Olkkonen
  • Patent number: 9477135
    Abstract: A steerable laser transmitter uses a two-stage architecture for beam steering. A LCWG is used to provide continuous fine steering and a PG stack is used to provide discrete coarse steering. An optical amplifier is inserted between the LCWG and the PG stack to provide gain and increase transmitter power, hence range. The LCWG is configured to limit its steering range to the acceptance angle of the optical amplifier, at most ±2°×±2°. The result is a high-power laser transmitter that can be rapidly and precisely steered over a large FOR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2016
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Gerald P. Uyeno, Sean D. Keller, Irl W. Smith
  • Patent number: 9354363
    Abstract: A sub-wavelength grating device having controlled phase response includes a grating layer having line widths, line thicknesses, line periods, and line spacings selected to produce a first level of control in phase changes of different portions of a beam of light reflected from the grating layer. The device also includes a substrate affixed to the grating layer that produces a second level of control in phase changes of different portions of a beam of light reflected from the grating layer, the second level of control being accomplished abrupt stepping of the substrate in a horizontal dimension, ramping the substrate in a horizontal dimension, or changing the index of refraction in a horizontal dimension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP
    Inventors: Wei Wu, R. Stanley Williams, Jingjing Li, Theodore I. Kamins, Marco Fiorentino
  • Patent number: 9095899
    Abstract: A process for the preparation of particles with controlled dimensions comprising the steps of: (i) providing a laminar substrate having a patterned surface comprising a micro-relief repeat pattern comprising one or more discrete cells, each cell consisting of a floor portion and walls having a height (HW); (ii) depositing organic or inorganic material onto the patterned surface and into the cells to provide a thickness (T) of the deposited material wherein T?HW (iii) stripping the deposited organic or inorganic material from the surface of the substrate; and (iv) collecting the particles formed from said organic or inorganic material; and a composition obtainable from said process comprising a plurality of particles (P), wherein the number (n) of particles in said composition is at least 10, wherein said particles (P) are platelets exhibiting a planar geometry which is circular or which is made up of a number (x) of planar (y)-sided polygon(s), wherein x is from 1 to 20 and y is at least 3 wherein if x is gre
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Inventors: Andrew Henry Szuscik-Machnicki, Mark Edward Dawes
  • Patent number: 8970955
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing a zero-order diffractive filter comprising a high-index material having an upper surface and a lower surface. The high-index material is positioned between a first low-index matter and a second low-index matter; the lower surface is adjacent to said first low-index matter and the upper surface is adjacent to the second low-index matter. Moreover, the high-index material has an index of refraction that is higher than the index of refraction of both said first low-index matter and said second low-index matter. The method comprises at least the following procedure: selectively providing, by employing at least one wet-coating technique, at least one of the following at least partially: the high-index material onto said first low-index matter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2015
    Assignee: CSEM Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA—Recherche et Developpement
    Inventors: Harald Walter, Alexander Stuck
  • Publication number: 20150036217
    Abstract: An optical filter configured to transmit light of a predetermined wavelength includes a substrate; a first conductive thin film that is disposed on the substrate and has apertures extending through the first conductive thin film and arranged with a period of less than the predetermined wavelength; and a second conductive thin film at least a portion of which faces the apertures so as to be separated from the apertures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Takashi NAKANO, Mitsuru NAKURA, Kazuya ISHIHARA, Nobuyoshi AWAYA, Kazuhiro NATSUAKI, Takahiro TAKIMOTO, Masayo UCHIDA
  • Patent number: 8902380
    Abstract: A grating sheet, a LCD device and methods for manufacturing the grating sheet and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The grating sheet comprises a plurality of primary color gratings in parallel, each of which comprises a red R sub-grating, a green G sub-grating and a blue B sub-grating in parallel, and each sub-grating comprises an opening area and a reflective region disposed around the opening area and corresponds to a pixel unit on a sub-array substrate. The grating sheet, the liquid crystal display panel and methods for manufacturing the grating sheet and a liquid crystal display panel may be applicable to a system with a liquid crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Linlin Lu
  • Patent number: 8817350
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing an optical display includes an optical substrate for propagating light received from a light source, a first set of one or more switchable diffractive elements in the substrate, and a second set of one or more switchable diffractive elements in the substrate. Each diffractive element in the second set corresponds to a diffractive element in the first set. Each of the diffractive elements in the first and second sets is configured to switch between on and off states. One of the states is for diffracting light and the other state for allowing light to pass through. Each of the first set of diffractive elements is configured to diffract the light at an angle for propagation in the substrate. Each of the second set of diffractive elements is configured to diffract the light for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Robbins, James H. Stanley, Francois Raynal, Robert D. Brown, James M. Tedesco, Wyatt L. Hendrick, Milan M. Popovich, Jonathan D. Waldern, Alastair J. Grant
  • Publication number: 20140175282
    Abstract: An optical frequency filter comprises a support layer having reflective elements formed thereon, the reflective elements defining at least one periodic grid of substantially parallel slits, the period P, the height, and the width of the slits being selected in such a manner that the reflective elements form a wavelength-selective structure for a wavelength lying in a determined range of wavelengths. The support layer material has a refractive index nh and includes inclusions of a material of refractive index nb, where nb is strictly less than nh. The inclusions are flush with the surface of the support layer opposite from its surface on which the reflective elements are formed, and present height hbwherein 0.5h?hb?1hh, hh being the support layer height, and width lbwhere 0.05P?lb?0.75P. Each inclusion is situated at least in part between two reflective elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2013
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
    Inventor: Roch ESPIAU DE LAMAESTRE
  • Publication number: 20140085725
    Abstract: A two-dimensionally periodic, color-filtering grating has a contiguous high-refractive. In an embodiment, the color-filtering grating includes a metallic ground layer defining a grating plane and above the ground layer a two-dimensionally regular pattern of individual high-refractive, such as metallic areal elements that respectively extend parallel to the grating plane and respectively are spaced apart from the ground layer through an intermediate dielectric by a distance that is greater than the thickness of the ground layer and of the areal elements. The regular pattern has in at least two directions, which run parallel to the grating plane, a periodicity between 100 nm and 800 nm, and preferably between 200 nm and 500 nm.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2012
    Publication date: March 27, 2014
    Applicant: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT GMBH
    Inventors: Hans Lochbihler, Manfred Heim
  • Publication number: 20140071532
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a color filter includes a substrate layer and a medium grating layer, wherein the medium grating layer, arranged on the substrate layer, has a grating structure of periodic arrangement. The color filter is characterized in that: the medium grating layer is provided with a metal profiling film, which covers the ridge portion of the grating structure, one or two sides of the lateral portion of the grating structure, and a part of the groove portion of the grating structure, with the area of the groove portion of the grating structure covered by the metal profiling film occupying 30%-95% of the total area of the lateral portion and the groove portion. By providing the metal profiling film, this invention can break the condition of the original metal surface plasmon resonance, and reduce influence of the incident angle of light on the resonance condition, thus achieving the filtering effect within a relatively wide range of angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicants: Suzhou University, SVG Optronics ,Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yan Ye, Linsen Chen
  • Patent number: 8637840
    Abstract: An EUV projection lens includes a substrate and concentric diffraction patterns on the substrate. The concentric diffraction patterns have an out-of phase height with respect to EUV light and include a material through which the EUV light has a transmittance higher than about 50% at the out-of phase height. The EUV projection lens has a high first order diffraction light efficiency and an optic system having the EUV projection lens has a high resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Dong-Gun Lee, Seong-Sue Kim, Hwan-Seok Seo
  • Publication number: 20130342894
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a wavelength conversion laser system and provides a wavelength conversion laser system including a semiconductor optical amplifier, an optical condenser that condenses light emitted from the optical amplifier, a diffraction grating plate that induces wavelength components of the light having passed through the optical condenser in different directions, and an optical very large scale integration (VLSI) processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Ytel Photonics Inc.
    Inventor: Yong Tak Lee
  • Publication number: 20130228687
    Abstract: According to one aspect, the invention relates a spectral band-pass filter, which is optimized for the transmission of an incident wave at at least a first given central wavelength ?0, and which includes: a metal grating having a thickness (t) greater than approximately ?0/50 and including at least a first set of substantially identical, parallel slots having a width (W) less than around ?0/10, and being spaced apart periodically or quasi-periodically according to a first period that is less than said first central el wavelength, a layer of dielectric material having a thickness (h) and a given refractive index (ng), which is coupled to the metal grating to form a waveguide for the waves diffracted by the grating, said first period of the grating being designed such that only orders 0 and ±1 of a wave having normal incidence and a wavelength ?0 are diffracted in the layer of dielectric material, the assembly of the dielectric layer and grating being suspended, during use, in a fluid having a refractive index
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Applicant: CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE-CNRS
    Inventors: Grégory Vincent, Riad Haidar, Stéphane Collin, Jean-Luc Pelouard
  • Patent number: 8506086
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for representing surface colors for simulating print results through a screen, comprising at least one light source and a projection surface. According to the invention the base colors are generated from white light through filters from surface colors and the mixed colors are generated through subtractive color mixing, preferably through reflexive color filters. Through the method for representing surface colors for simulating print results the capability is created to represent surface colors at different locations and at different times identically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Inventor: Marco Diegel
  • Publication number: 20130188390
    Abstract: A color filter comprises a first filter element and a second filter element. The first filter element includes a plurality of arrayed filter regions allowing a first spectral component of incident light to pass and reflecting other spectral components of the incident light. The second filter element includes a plurality of arrayed filter regions allowing a second spectral component of the incident light to pass and reflecting other spectral components of the incident light. The center of the filter regions of the second filter element is deviated from the center of the filter regions of the first filter element so that the light reflected from the first filter element can pass through the second filter element. Thereby is enhanced the energy efficiency of the color filter. An edge-type backlight module using the abovementioned color filter is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2013
    Publication date: July 25, 2013
    Applicant: NATIONAL TSING HUA UNIVERSITY
    Inventor: National Tsing Hua University
  • Patent number: 8412050
    Abstract: Example embodiments may include a coaxial Free Space Optical (FSO) telescope providing a simplified and more precise structure. Example embodiment telescopes include a prism structure having at least two parallel surfaces associated with a filter and mirror. The filter may reflect or transmit optical signals based on their electromagnetic characteristics. Example embodiment systems include example embodiment coaxial FSO telescopes and transmitters and receivers for receiving and transmitting optical signals. A V-groove and/or lens array may be included in example embodiment FSO systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2013
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Gerald Nykolak
  • Publication number: 20130050697
    Abstract: A tunable optical filter is disclosed having an input port, a beam translator for translating input and output optical beams, an element having optical power for collimating the translated beam, a reflective wavelength dispersive element, and an output port. The beam translator can include a tiltable MEMS mirror coupled to an angle-to-offset optical element. An output port can be extended into a plurality of egress ports, each receiving a fraction of the scanned optical spectrum. A multi-path scanning optical spectrometer can be used as an optical channel monitor for monitoring performance of a wavelength selective switch, or for other tasks.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventors: Paul COLBOURNE, Shane H. Woodside, Oleg Bouevitch
  • Patent number: 8369665
    Abstract: A hybrid guided-mode resonance (GMR) grating, an optical filter and a method of optical filtering employ distributed Bragg reflection. The hybrid GMR grating includes a waveguide layer that supports a GMR having a GMR resonant frequency. The hybrid GMR grating further includes a diffraction grating that couples a portion of a signal incident on the hybrid GMR grating into the waveguide layer; and a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) that reflects another portion of the incident signal. The coupled portion of the incident signal has a frequency corresponding to the GMR resonant frequency. The reflected portion has a frequency away from the GMR resonant frequency. The optical filter includes the hybrid GMR grating and a coupler. The method includes coupling an optical signal into the hybrid GMR grating and further coupling a reflected signal out of the hybrid GMR grating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David A. Fattal, Qianfan Xu, Sagi V. Mathai, Michael R. Tan
  • Publication number: 20120250027
    Abstract: A surface wave assisted system having an aperture layer with a surface and an aperture, and a plurality of grooves around the aperture. The plurality of grooves is configured to generate an optical transfer function at the aperture by inducing a surface wave for interfering with transmission of light of a range of spatial frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Guoan Zheng, Xiquan Cui, Xin Heng, Changhuei Yang, Axel Scherer
  • Publication number: 20120243095
    Abstract: The invention relates to a micromechanical unit, in particular, an adjustable optical filter, and also a method to manufacture the unit. The unit comprises a first device layer and a second substrate layer at least partially fastened to each other, where the device layer comprises a number of reflecting elements divided between a number of non movable, fixed reflecting elements, where the fixed elements are connected with the substrate, and where a cavity is defined between the substrate and each movable element and each movable element is set up to produce a spring-loaded movement into the cavity, and where a number of dielectric spacer blocks are placed in the cavities between each movable element and the substrate to avoid electric contact between them.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2010
    Publication date: September 27, 2012
    Inventors: Hakon Sagberg, Ib-Rune Johansen, Sigurd Teodor Moe, Matthieu Lacolle, Thor Bakke, Dag Thorstein Wang, Elisabeth Larsen Rogne, Henrik Rogne
  • Patent number: 8259201
    Abstract: A color image sensor has a plurality of pixels. On the pixels zero-order diffractive color filters (DCFs) (1) are arranged. Different zero-order DCFs (1), e.g., DCFs (1) transmitting red, green and blue light, respectively, are allocated to the pixels of the color image sensor. The use of DCFs (1) for color imaging devices brings better defined band-pass or notch filters than the presently used lacquers. The DCFs (1) are more stable with respect to time, temperature and any environmental aggression. The manufacture of the DCF pattern is simpler and cheaper than that of a conventional dye-filter pattern, since the different types of DCFs can be manufactured simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: CSEM Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA
    Inventors: Alexander Stuck, Marc Schnieper
  • Patent number: 8257493
    Abstract: The present invention relates to conjugated polymers and a method for their synthesis. Furthermore, the present invention relates to electro-synthesis methods for producing polymers that include the use of at least one Lewis acid and at least one proton trap to form organic conjugated polymers having elevated refractive indices. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to an organic polymer having an elevated refractive index, the organic polymer formed by a process comprising the steps of: providing a solution of unsaturated organic monomer units and at least one acidic component; impeding saturation of the unsaturated organic-monomer units by at least one protic element in the solution; and polymerizing the unsaturated organic monomer units to form a conjugated organic polymer having a refractive index of at least about 2.3 for electromagnetic energy having a wavelength of about 700 nm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: The University of Akron
    Inventors: Stephen Z. Cheng, Matthew J. Graham, Frank W. Harris, Shi Jin
  • Patent number: 8233204
    Abstract: An apparatus for providing an optical display includes an optical substrate for propagating light received from a light source, a first set of one or more switchable diffractive elements in the substrate, and a second set of one or more switchable diffractive elements in the substrate. Each diffractive element in the second set corresponds to a diffractive element in the first set. Each of the diffractive elements in the first and second sets is configured to switch between on and off states. One of the states is for diffracting light and the other state for allowing light to pass through. Each of the first set of diffractive elements is configured to diffract the light at an angle for propagation in the substrate. Each of the second set of diffractive elements is configured to diffract the light for display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven J. Robbins, James H. Stanley, Francois Raynal, Robert D. Brown, James M. Tedesco, Wyatt L. Hendrick
  • Publication number: 20120169966
    Abstract: A grating sheet, a LCD device and methods for manufacturing the grating sheet and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The grating sheet comprises a plurality of primary color gratings in parallel, each of which comprises a red R sub-grating, a green G sub-grating and a blue B sub-grating in parallel, and each sub-grating comprises an opening area and a reflective region disposed around the opening area and corresponds to a pixel unit on a sub-array substrate. The grating sheet, the liquid crystal display panel and methods for manufacturing the grating sheet and a liquid crystal display panel may be applicable to a system with a liquid crystal display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Linlin LU
  • Publication number: 20120154779
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a spectral purity filter is provided in which openings in a first surface of a base material, corresponding to a plurality of apertures of the spectral purity filter, are formed. At least the surfaces of the base material surrounding the openings in the first surface are chemically treated to form a layer of a second material, and the base material is etched from the second surface such that the openings extend from the first surface of the base material to the second surface of the base material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: ASML NETHERLANDS B.V.
    Inventors: Wouter Anthon Soer, Martin Jacobus Johan Jak
  • Publication number: 20120147471
    Abstract: A system and method for addition of broad-area semiconductor laser diode arrays are described. The system can include an array of laser diodes, a V-shaped external cavity, and grating systems to provide feedback for phase-locking of the laser diode array. A V-shaped mirror used to couple the laser diode emissions along two optical paths can be a V-shaped prism mirror, a V-shaped stepped mirror or include multiple V-shaped micro-mirrors. The V-shaped external cavity can be a ring cavity. The system can include an external injection laser to further improve coherence and phase-locking.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: UT-Battelle, LLC.
    Inventors: Bo Liu, Yun Liu, Yehuda Y. Braiman
  • Patent number: 8199231
    Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which is capable of suppressing generation of shadows even when the aperture of the photographic lens is stopped down. A digital camera as an image pickup apparatus includes a photographic lens, a image pickup element that picks up an image of an object, and an optical low-pass filter disposed between the photographic lens and the image pickup element. The filter includes a liner phase diffraction grating having unit cells which are disposed in a regular pattern at a grating pitch P and are formed by equal-width recesses and equal-width protrusions adjacent to each other. When a shortest wavelength of a reference wavelength employed is ?S, and a longest wavelength of the reference wavelength is ?L, an optical path difference ?H between lengths of optical paths of light of which a phase is varied by the phase grating is larger than ?S/2 and smaller than ?L/2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Takamiya
  • Publication number: 20120069421
    Abstract: An optical filter and a light splitter includes a beam incidence portion, a programmable Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) grating, a beam receiving portion, and a drive and control module. Relative positions of the beam incidence portion, the programmable MEMS grating, and the beam receiving portion are fixed and are configured so that the beam receiving portion is located in an emergence direction of the multi-wavelength beam after the multi-wavelength beam is incident onto the programmable MEMS grating from the beam incidence portion so that the beam receiving portion is capable of receiving a beam with a specific wavelength. The optical filter is capable of freely and conveniently selecting the beams with a specific wavelength, and meanwhile, the optical filter has the advantages of a small size, and being easily controlled and integrated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Zhenghua Fu
  • Patent number: 8137869
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing and/or protecting an optical element, wherein the optical element has at least one surface comprising a profile having height differences, thereby providing cavities and elevations having a predetermined maximum height difference, includes providing a transmissive layer in the cavities and on the elevations of the optical elements, the transmissive layer having a first height in the cavities that is larger than the predetermined maximum height difference, and surfacing the transmissive layer after providing the transmissive layer such that the transmissive layer has a second height on the elevations that is substantially zero or larger, thereby providing a transmissive layer with a substantially planar surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: ASML Netherlands, B.V.
    Inventor: Levinus Pieter Bakker
  • Publication number: 20120037217
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems, articles, and methods for discriminating electromagnetic radiation based upon the angle of incidence of the electromagnetic radiation. In some cases, the materials and systems described herein can be capable of inhibiting reflection of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., the materials and systems can be capable of transmitting and/or absorbing electromagnetic radiation) within a given range of angles of incidence at a first incident surface, while substantially reflecting electromagnetic radiation outside the range of angles of incidence at a second incident surface (which can be the same as or different from the first incident surface). A photonic material comprising a plurality of periodically occurring separate domains can be used, in some cases, to selectively transmit and/or selectively absorb one portion of incoming electromagnetic radiation while reflecting another portion of incoming electromagnetic radiation, based upon the angle of incidence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Publication date: February 16, 2012
    Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Rafif E. Hamam, Peter Bermel, Ivan Celanovic, Marin Soljacic, Adrian Y.X. Yeng, Michael Ghebrebrhan, John D. Joannopoulos
  • Publication number: 20120026509
    Abstract: A differential interference contrast (DIC) determination device and method utilizes an illumination source, a layer having a pair of two apertures that receive illumination from the illumination source, and a photodetector to receive Young's interference from the illumination passing through the pair of two apertures. In addition, a surface wave assisted optofluidic microscope and method utilize an illumination source, a fluid channel having a layer with at least one aperture as a surface, and a photodetector that receives a signal based on the illumination passing through the aperture. The layer is corrugated (e.g., via fabrication) and parameters of the corrugation optimize the signal received on the photodetector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Xiquan Cui, Xin Heng, Changhuei Yang, Axel Scherer, Demetri Psaltis
  • Publication number: 20110317268
    Abstract: The present invention relates to pigments comprising or consisting of a layer made of a material with an index of refraction that is higher than the index of refraction of the adjacent material by at least 0.25; whereas said layer has a zero-order diffractive micro-structure; whereas said layer acts as an optical waveguide and whereas said layer has a thickness between 50 nm and 500 nm; to processes for its manufacture and to its use. These pigments show a colour effect upon rotation and/or tilting, and it is believed that this colour effect is based on zero-order diffraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: CSEM Centre Suisse d'Electronique et de Microtechnique SA-Recherche et Developpement
    Inventors: Harald Walter, Alexander Stuck
  • Patent number: 8000001
    Abstract: The invention comprises a polymeric microarray support (1) for an optical assay arrangement (2) comprising optical means (3, 4, 6) for detection of light emitted from the support. The microarray support is provided with microfeatures comprising a surface enlarging pattern (5), i.e. grooves having a selected depth (8). The depth is selected such that the sum of the depth and of the variations in the thickness (7) of the support substantially corresponds to the depth of focus of the optical means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Amic AB
    Inventors: Tomas Lindström, Ove Öhman
  • Patent number: 7972004
    Abstract: A system and method for uniform light generation in projection display systems. An illumination source comprises a light source to produce colored light, and a scrolling optics unit optically coupled to the light source, the scrolling optics unit configured to create lines of colored light from the colored light, and to scroll the lines of colored light along a direction orthogonal to a light path of the illumination source. The scrolling optics unit comprises a single light shaping diffuser to transform the colored light into the lines of colored light, an optical filter positioned in the light path after the light shaping diffuser, and a scrolling optics element positioned in the light path after the optical filter. The single light shaping diffuser is capable of simultaneously transforming colored light into lines of colored light having substantially uniform intensity to provide uniform illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Texas Instruments Incorporated
    Inventors: Terry Alan Bartlett, Paul L. Rancuret
  • Patent number: 7948680
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for spectral beam combination by applying a spatial chirp to each of a plurality of input beamlets using a respective plurality of dispersive elements and combining the spatially-chirped beamlets into a single collimated output beam using a dispersive element configured to remove the spatial chirp. In an embodiment, each dispersive element is a grating combined with a lens that is confocal to the grating and also confocal to a Fourier plane upon which a transverse distribution of beam spectral components is produced. A final lens-grating pair includes a lens and a grating, where the lens is confocal to the grating and also confocal to the Fourier plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Gregory D. Goodno
  • Patent number: 7940457
    Abstract: In an aspect, described herein is a dynamically controllable optoelectronic smart window which utilizes a diffraction grating for selective transmission or rejection of a specific region of the electromagnetic spectrum, for example the infrared, near-infrared and/or visible regions. Window embodiments described herein may further utilize a selectively controlled and/or patterned total internal reflection layer to assist with the selective rejection of a specific spectral region while allowing for transmission of another specific spectral region. In another aspect, the present invention provides methods for dynamically controlling the transmission or rejection of solar near-infrared and/or visible radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
    Inventors: Kanti Jain, Linus Jang, Yoon Soo Han
  • Publication number: 20110096399
    Abstract: A tunable filter is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2010
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Applicant: O-NET COMMUNICATIONS (SHENZHEN) LIMITED
    Inventors: Yang Fang, Bin Chen, Chuan Zhang, Hong Xie