With Structure To Minimize Internal Mirror Stress Patents (Class 359/848)
  • Patent number: 12216269
    Abstract: A deformable mirror is provided that can include a mirror assembly having a reflective face sheet with a reflective surface on a front side of the reflective face sheet. The mirror assembly can also comprise one or more ferrous materials positioned within and making up or forming, in part, the mirror assembly. The deformable mirror can also include one or more electromagnets operable to generate a magnetic field that acts on the ferrous materials to deform the reflective face sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Stephen T. Fasolino, Peter Chung, Alexander McCown, Brett A. Miller, Jesse Dearden
  • Patent number: 12115584
    Abstract: A 3D-printed reflective optic providing very high specific stiffness through the utilization of a hollow shelled design, with closed back, filled with high-stiffness internal volumetric space-filling open-cell lattice structures. Structurally-integrated sacrificial structures are included for the purposes of reduction or elimination of tooling during post-processing operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2024
    Assignee: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
    Inventors: John J. Polizotti, Craig J. Paggi, Michael J. Shaw
  • Patent number: 11947100
    Abstract: A telescope including a fastener plate, a primary mirror carried by a front face of the plate, and a secondary mirror held facing the primary mirror by a support, wherein the support includes a primary sleeve mounted around the primary mirror, a secondary sleeve mounted around the secondary mirror, and arms connecting the secondary sleeve to the primary sleeve, and in that the arms are curved towards the primary mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: SAFRAN ELECTRONICS & DEFENSE
    Inventors: Charlotte Hoeltzel, Cédric Tacconi, Christophe Furui, Franck Seillier, Guillaume Anna
  • Patent number: 11927882
    Abstract: A quartz glass plate has a quartz glass plate body and a quartz glass member adhered to the quartz glass plate body through an adhesive layer, where the adhesive layer contains silica, and a sum of concentrations of Li, Na, and K ions, being alkali metal ions and Ca ions, being alkaline earth metal ions contained in the adhesive layer is 10 ppm by mass or less. Consequently, a step with a uniform thickness can be formed, and a quartz glass plate is not easily damaged by irradiation with a light containing an ultraviolet ray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SHIN-ETSU QUARTZ PRODUCTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsuya Mori, Akira Sato, Atsushi Shimada, Yuya Yokosawa, Nobumasa Yoshida
  • Patent number: 11822147
    Abstract: A system for fastening a mirror to a support is disclosed including intermediate structures, for example bipod structures. At least some of the intermediate structures are provided with torsion devices making it possible to at least partially compensate for optical aberrations of an instrument that includes the mirror. Each torsion device may comprise an elastic element and a variator. The variator is designed to control a deformation of the elastic element, resulting in a torque which is applied to the mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SAS
    Inventors: Didier Castel, Frédéric Chaumeil, Lionel Carminati
  • Patent number: 11817328
    Abstract: A laminate including a glass plate and a coating layer, wherein the coating layer includes one or more components selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, titanium oxide, alumina, niobium oxide, zirconia, indium tin oxide, silicon oxide, magnesium fluoride, and calcium fluoride, wherein a ratio (dc/dg) of a thickness dc of the coating layer to a thickness dg of the glass plate is in a range of 0.05×10?3 to 1.2×10?3, and wherein a radius of curvature r1 of the laminate with negating of self-weight deflection is 10 m to 150 m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Akao, Teruo Fujiwara, Nobuhiko Imajo
  • Patent number: 11763957
    Abstract: A dispersive element is provided with a dispersive crystal for spectrally dispersing X-rays, a first support layer supporting the dispersive crystal, and a second support layer supporting the first support layer. The first support layer is greater in a thermal expansion coefficient than the dispersive crystal. The second support layer is smaller in a thermal expansion coefficient than the first support layer and is greater in rigidity than the first support layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventors: Takuro Izumi, Satoshi Tokuda, Susumu Adachi, Tetsuya Yoneda
  • Patent number: 11712997
    Abstract: A method for assembling a vehicular interior rearview mirror assembly includes providing a mirror mount, a mirror casing, a mirror reflective element at the mirror casing, and a toggle mechanism, which includes a body portion and a toggle lever joined to the body portion. A lower pivot mount of the toggle mechanism is inserted into a lower receiving portion of the mirror casing and an upper pivot mount of the toggle mechanism is inserted into an upper receiving portion of the mirror casing. An outer surface of the body portion corresponds with adjacent outer surfaces of the mirror casing. With a pivot element of the toggle mechanism attached at the mirror mount, and when the toggle lever pivots relative to the lower receiving portion of the mirror casing, the mirror casing pivots relative to the body portion to flip the mirror head between a first orientation and a second orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2023
    Assignee: Magna Mirrors of America, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew V. Steffes, Peter Krebs
  • Patent number: 11594426
    Abstract: A laminate including a glass plate and a coating layer, wherein the coating layer includes one or more components selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, titanium oxide, alumina, niobium oxide, zirconia, indium tin oxide, silicon oxide, magnesium fluoride, and calcium fluoride, wherein a ratio (dc/dg) of a thickness dc of the coating layer to a thickness dg of the glass plate is in a range of 0.05×10?3 to 1.2×10?3, and wherein a radius of curvature r1 of the laminate with negating of self-weight deflection is 10 m to 150 m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: AGC INC.
    Inventors: Hirofumi Yamamoto, Yasuhiko Akao, Teruo Fujiwara, Nobuhiko Imajo
  • Patent number: 11408727
    Abstract: In an observation method, measurement values of an object of measurement at a plurality of different positions in a plane that intersects a depth direction are acquired from an optical coherence tomography instrument (S100). In the observation method, measurement values are integrated in the depth direction at each of the plurality of positions (S104). In the observation method, a shrinkage parameter of the object of measurement is calculated on the basis of the integrated values at each of the plurality of positions (S105).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Shota Toyokura
  • Patent number: 11408726
    Abstract: In an observation method, measurement values of an object of measurement at a plurality of different positions in a plane that intersects a depth direction are acquired from an optical coherence tomography instrument (S100). In the observation method, the measurement values at a same depth position at each of the plurality of positions are averaged (S104). In the observation method, the average values at each of the depth positions are integrated in the depth direction (S105). In the observation method, a shrinkage parameter of the object of measurement is calculated on the basis of the integrated value (S106).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2022
    Assignee: KYOCERA Corporation
    Inventor: Shota Toyokura
  • Patent number: 11262529
    Abstract: A mirror holding structure includes: a holder; at least one protrusion part provided to one of a mirror body and the holder; at least one reception part provided to the other of the mirror body and the holder and having an insertion hole in which the at least one protrusion part is to be inserted; and at least one elastic part located between an outer peripheral surface of the at least one protrusion part and an inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole and being elastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Taichi Tabata, Yoshiaki Ueta, Masaki Amie
  • Patent number: 11237384
    Abstract: An optical scanning device includes a mirror that includes a mirror reflection surface, and torsion bars that support the corresponding sides of the mirror and cause the mirror to rotate. The torsion bars are formed of a silicon active layer whose surface is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUMI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuki Maruyama
  • Patent number: 10989897
    Abstract: An optical element serves for the beam guidance of imaging light in projection lithography. The optical element has a main body and at least one optical surface carried by the main body. At least one coupling unit is arranged on the main body. The coupling unit serves to attach a compensation weight element for compensating a figure deformation of the optical surface. The result is an optical element which can be provided at the use location with a relatively small figure deformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Hembacher, Marwene Nefzi
  • Patent number: 10781128
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing the curved display device includes a process of manufacturing a cover glass assembly by attaching a transparent polymer film to the back surface of a thin film glass of a flat plate, a process of bending and inserting the cover glass assembly into a curved cavity of a mold and then molding an edge member so as to be integrated with an edge portion of the cover glass assembly to maintain the cover glass assembly in a bent state, and a process of attaching a flexible display panel to the back surface of the cover glass assembly in a curved state after molding the edge member. The curved display device includes a cover glass assembly, an edge member to maintain the cover glass assembly in a bent state, and a flexible display panel attached to the back surface of the cover glass assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jongkyo An, Nae Seung Kang, Yang Ho Ryu
  • Patent number: 10007186
    Abstract: An optical arrangement of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus includes a mirror element having a mirror substrate, and a reflection region formed on a surface of the mirror substrate. The arrangement also includes at least one actuator configured to move the mirror element in at least one degree of freedom, and a mounting element, which acts on the mirror substrate. The mounting element alone holds the mirror element at least approximately in an equilibrium position, such that the at least one actuator is at least approximately free of forces in the equilibrium position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Prochnau, Dirk Schaffer
  • Patent number: 9995507
    Abstract: The present invention is primarily directed to cost-effective systems for using large reflective elements that track the sun on two axes to concentrate solar energy onto a receiver that can convert the sun's optical energy to a form usable for extensive displacement of combustion of fossil fuels. The structures of the tracker frame, tracking mechanism and tracker supports are co-optimized with the optical elements and the receiver for high efficiency, low cost, and ease of assembly, making moderate and large-scale implementations cost-competitive with fossil fuels for peak power, and, with suitable storage, for base-load power and dispatchable peaking power in sunny locations. Improvement to small-tracker two-axis systems and one-axis tracking systems that focus in two dimensions are also included, as are improvements in systems for space-based solar power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Inventors: Richard Norman, Philippe Dauphin, Frederick de St. Croix
  • Patent number: 9557453
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a solar panel mirror unit (1) being shaped, such as curved, and having a sandwich structure, said sandwich structure comprising an outermost front reflecting layer (2), intended as the sun reflecting layer and therefore having a reflective coating, said outermost front reflecting layer (2) consisting of a first material having a first thermal expansion coefficient, an intermediate layer (4) having a honeycomb structure and being the core of the sandwich structure, and an innermost rear layer (5) consisting of a second material having a second thermal expansion coefficient, wherein said first and second thermal expansion coefficients are equal or substantially equal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: Carbonia Composites AB
    Inventor: Tobias Blomberg
  • Patent number: 9411127
    Abstract: A honeycomb structure comprises a front part and a rear part. The front and rear parts are honeycomb structures composed of a skin and of stiffeners as a single component, the stiffeners being formed of intermeshing blades oriented substantially perpendicularly to said skin. The two parts comprise protuberances on the stiffeners on the face opposite to the skin and these protuberances are disposed on the front and rear parts in such a manner that each protuberance of the front part is located opposite a protuberance of the rear part when the two parts are superposed. The two parts are assembled by attachment devices into which two opposing protuberances are inserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: THALES
    Inventors: Christophe Devilliers, Aurelien Suau, Laurence Cornillon
  • Patent number: 9314980
    Abstract: A telescope, mirror assembly and method of forming an aspheric mirror is disclosed. The telescope includes the mirror assembly which has a substantially spherical surface contour in a relaxed state. A plurality of actuators distributed substantially along an outer edge of the mirror is configured to apply a load to the mirror assembly to deform the mirror to obtain a substantially aspheric surface contour.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: GOODRICH CORPORATION
    Inventor: Bari M. Southard
  • Patent number: 9184324
    Abstract: A solar energy collection system can include improved mounting hardware for reducing hardware costs and labor required for assembly. For example, mounting hardware can include surfaces for supporting part or all of the weight of a solar module as it is brought into contact with mounting hardware and then moved into a final engaged position. In some systems, a torque tube can include saddle mount assemblies that allow a solar module to be partially engaged and a registered with the saddle mount while being pivoted into a final locked engagement. Some systems can include arrangements sufficient to support the full weight of a solar module in a disengaged position, and as it is moved into a final engaged position. Some systems can include a configuration of apertures and interference or snap-fit features for providing tool-less connections, thereby simplifying the assembly process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: SunPower Corporation
    Inventors: Brian S. Wares, Tyler Grushkowitz, Nicholas McKibben
  • Publication number: 20150116703
    Abstract: A reflective optical element for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus, a mask inspection apparatus or the like. The reflective optical element has an optically effective surface, an element substrate (12, 32, 42, 52), a reflection layer system (14, 34, 44, 54) and at least one deformation reduction layer (15, 35, 45, 55, 58). When the optically effective surface (11, 31, 41, 51) is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation, a maximum deformation level of the reflection layer system is reduced in comparison with a deformation level of an analogously constructed reflective optical element without the deformation reduction layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Boris Bittner, Norbert Wabra, Sonja Schneider, Ricarda Schneider, Hendrik Wagner, Rumen Iliew, Walter Pauls
  • Publication number: 20150098068
    Abstract: A device serves for controlling temperature of an optical element provided in vacuum atmosphere. The device has a cooling apparatus having a radiational cooling part, arranged apart from the optical element, for cooling the optical element by radiation heat transfer. A controller serves for controlling temperature of the radiational cooling part. Further, the device comprises a heating part for heating the optical element. The heating part is connected to the controller for controlling the temperature of the heating part. The resulting device for controlling temperature in particular can be used with an optical element in a EUV microlithography tool leading to a stable performance of its optics.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2014
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventor: Markus Hauf
  • Publication number: 20150036232
    Abstract: A multi-layer mirror comprising a front plate, a backing plate and spacers coupled between the front plate and the backing plate. The spacers are closely packed with one another and arranged in a manner where adjacent spacers contact one another and packing spaces are defined between groups of spacers in contact with one another. Each of the spacers comprises a plurality of ventilation holes extending between a bore of the spacer and an exterior of the spacer. For each spacer, the plurality of ventilation holes comprises a first ventilation hole in fluid communication with a first packing space defined at least in part by the spacer and a second ventilation hole, spaced apart from the first ventilation hole and in fluid communication with a second packing space defined at least in part by the spacer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventor: Dar-Tson SHEN
  • Patent number: 8911098
    Abstract: In a substrate, particularly in a substrate for a mirror support, in which recesses are introduced in one surface, preferably in the back side of the substrate, as a result of which, in particular, bridging pieces are defined between the recesses, in order to achieve the situation that despite a reduced weight, a high rigidity still remains, which means only a slight sagging after its correct uptake in a holding device provided for it, it is provided that at least one first portion of the bridging pieces has a width that is different than a second portion of the bridging pieces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2014
    Assignee: Schott AG
    Inventors: Martin Schaeffer, Thorsten Doehring, Volker Seibert, Thomas Westerhoff, Hans-Joachim Nowak
  • Publication number: 20140233121
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a solar panel mirror unit (1) being shaped, such as curved, and having a sandwich structure, said sandwich structure comprising an outermost front reflecting layer (2), intended as the sun reflecting layer and therefore having a reflective coating, said outermost front reflecting layer (2) consisting of a first material having a first thermal expansion coefficient, an intermediate layer (4) having a honeycomb structure and being the core of the sandwich structure, and an innermost rear layer (5) consisting of a second material having a second thermal expansion coefficient, wherein said first and second thermal expansion coefficients are equal or substantially equal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventor: Tobias Blomberg
  • Publication number: 20140226223
    Abstract: An optical element includes a monolithic body portion, the monolithic body portion having an inner body portion, an outer body portion extending at least partially around the inner body portion, and exactly three flexural hinges connecting the inner body portion to the outer body portion. One of the inner body portion and the outer body portion defines an optical active portion configured to reflect, refract, or diffract light, and the other of the inner body portion and outer body portion defines a mount portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2014
    Publication date: August 14, 2014
    Inventor: Mark Bremer
  • Publication number: 20140211187
    Abstract: An optical module includes a chamber capable of being evacuated and a mirror in the chamber. The mirror includes a plurality of individual mirrors. Each individual mirror includes: a mirror body including a reflection face; a support structure; and a thermally conductive portion that mechanically connects the support structure to the mirror body. For at least one individual mirror, the thermally conductive portion includes a plurality of thermally conductive strips arranged radially, adjacent thermally conductive strips being separated from each other, and each of the plurality of thermally conductive strips connecting the mirror body to the support structure. For at least one individual mirror, an actuator is associated with the mirror body, the actuator being configured to displace the mirror body relative to the support structure in at least one degree of freedom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2014
    Publication date: July 31, 2014
    Applicant: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Markus Hauf, Severin Waldis, Wilfried Noell, Yves Petremend, Marco Jassmann, Lothar Kulzer, Caglar Ataman
  • Publication number: 20140176931
    Abstract: An optical system including an optical element, a positioning mechanism configured to position the optical element into an operational position, and a temperature control mechanism configured to intermittently control the temperature of the optical element between operations. By alternatively positioning the optical element between an operational position and a position in thermal contact with the temperature control mechanism, the two mechanisms for positioning and controlling the temperature of the optical element are de-coupled from one another. As a result, the mechanism for each may be optimized In non-exclusive embodiments, the temperature control mechanism may be used to control the temperature of an individual optical element or a plurality of optical elements, such as for example, a fly's eye mirror used in an illumination unit of an EUV lithography tool.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2012
    Publication date: June 26, 2014
    Applicant: NIKON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Alton H. Phillips, Douglas C. Watson, Travis D. Bow, Hiroyuki Kondo, Atsushi Yamada, Hideo Takino, Hideki Komatsuda
  • Patent number: 8693098
    Abstract: A projection objective for a microlithographic EUV projection exposure apparatus includes a first mirror and a second mirror. The first mirror includes a mirror substrate and a reflective coating carried by the mirror substrate. The second mirror includes a mirror substrate and a reflective coating carried by the mirror substrate. The first and second mirrors are configured so that, with otherwise equal irradiation by EUV light, the mirror substrate of the first mirror compacts less than the mirror substrate of the second mirror under the effect of the EUV light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Carl Zeiss SMT GmbH
    Inventors: Siegfried Rennon, Hans-Juergen Mann, Thomas Schicketanz
  • Publication number: 20140029010
    Abstract: A frame for optics used in interferometers that may include different materials having substantially similar, identical, or as close as practicable coefficients of thermal expansion from the material(s) used to make the beamsplitter and/or compensator without warping, bending, tilting or distorting the optics. The beamsplitter and/or compensator are mounted onto the frame of the interferometer using a three-point method of mounting, preferably using three pins for each component. Preferably, the pins are made of the same material as the beamsplitter and compensator, and all three components are made of Potassium Bromide (“KBr”) or Calcium Fluoride (“CaF2”) such that the optic instrument can operate to scan into the mid or far infrared. Stability in optical alignment is therefore achieved without requiring the optic instrument include only one material. The invention provides stability in situations where it is not possible to utilize a single material for every component of the interferometer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: PLX, Inc.
    Inventors: Zvi Bleier, Alexander Jacobson, Itai Vishnia
  • Patent number: 8439509
    Abstract: Ribbed mirrors allowing heat to be conducted past the glass during optical polish and application of coatings and methods of fabricating same. The method comprises placing a bridge of thermally conductive material in thermal contact with the mirror plate and the supporting rib at the interior angle. The preferred thermally conductive material is room temperature vulcanizing silicone. However, the room temperature vulcanizing silicone can be mixed with a powdered heat conductor such as diamond dust, aluminum oxide and silicon carbide. Alternatively, the thermally conductive fillet can be made from a segment of thermally conductive rigid material, such as copper, diamond, beryllium, silver and aluminum having an exterior angle matching the interior angle and a thermally conductive plastic such as room temperature vulcanizing silicone or thermally conductive grease, silicone or epoxy applied to surfaces of the exterior angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Inventor: Richard A. Schwartz
  • Patent number: 8427726
    Abstract: Provided are a resinous reflecting optical element that achieves high mirror surface precision by mitigating the warping effects associated with contraction during resin hardening and suppressing the distortion of a mirror surface that results from resistance to mold release, and a scanning optical device that uses said reflecting optical element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Shinichiro Hara, Naoki Kaneko, Hiroshi Takagi
  • Publication number: 20120176693
    Abstract: A mirror and method for making the mirror are described. The mirror includes at least three layers. The first layer has an outer surface and an opposed inner surface, the outer surface being a reflective surface. The second layer is positioned between the inner surface of the first layer and an inner surface of a third layer. The second layer includes a structural member adhered to the inner surface of the first layer and to the inner surface of the third layer and is configured to resist changes in geometry of the first layer. The third layer has an outer surface opposed to the inner surface, and is formed from a material having properties and dimensions such that temperature induced changes in geometry of the first layer are substantially the same as temperature induced changes in geometry of the third layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Applicant: GOOGLE INC
    Inventor: John S. Fitch
  • Patent number: 8218014
    Abstract: Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, a scanner for a scanned beam display may comprise a scanning platform having a mirror disposed thereon to reflect a beam of light impinging on the mirror, a drive coil disposed on the scanning platform to scan the reflected beam of light in response to a drive current applied to the drive coil. The drive coil has coil winding segments having a narrower width in one or more regions of the drive coil, and has coil winding segments having a greater width in one or more other regions of the drive coil to provide a the drive coil with a reduced electrical resistance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Microvision, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason B. Tauscher, Dean R. Brown, Matthew Ellis, Wyatt O. Davis, Mark P. Helsel
  • Patent number: 8213084
    Abstract: A fundamental limit to the sensitivity of optical interferometry is thermal noise that drives fluctuations in the positions of the surfaces of the interferometer's mirrors, and thereby in the phase of the intracavity field. A scheme for substantially reducing this thermally driven phase noise is provided in which the strain-induced phase shift from a mirror's optical coating cancels that due to the concomitant motion of the substrate's surface. As such, although the position of the physical surface may fluctuate, the optical phase upon reflection can be largely insensitive to this motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventor: H. Jeff Kimble
  • Patent number: 8162494
    Abstract: A structure such as an electronically deformable mirror contains a deformable membrane, an array of actuators located facing the membrane, each actuator being arranged to actuate local displacement of the membrane perpendicular to its surface. The actuators and the membrane are connected via an array of actuating connections. The actuating connections substantially transmit movement perpendicular to the second surface, but leave planar displacement and/or local rotation of the second surface substantially free. Preferably, the actuators contain an array of soft magnetic islands on a soft magnetic base plane, with actuator coils running around the islands and a system of sort magnetic walls on the base plane to separate the coils. The walls support a soft magnetic resilient surface that extend over of the islands and serve to drive the actuating connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO
    Inventors: Roger Franciscus Mattheus Maria Hamelinck, Petrus Carolus Johannes Nicolaas Rosielle, Jakobus Pieter Kappelhof
  • Patent number: 8148874
    Abstract: A MEMS vertical displacement device for vertically displacing and tilting a vertically displaceable platform. The vertically displaceable platform may be displaced using a plurality of recurve actuators configured to provide vertical displacement without horizontal movement. The vertically displaceable platform may be tilted about two axes to yield tilting that is advantageous in numerous applications. The recurve actuators may be thermal, piezoelectric or formed from other appropriate materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: Huikai Xie, Shane T. Todd
  • Publication number: 20110286075
    Abstract: The invention relates to an adaptive mirror based on a ceramic substrate having a corresponding reflector and piezoelectric actuators, a cooling device being integrated in the substrate. The invention likewise relates to a method for the production of such mirrors. The mirrors according to the invention are used for the modulation or deformation of a laser wavefront of high power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: November 24, 2011
    Inventors: Claudia Bruchmann, Erik Beckert, Thomas Peschel, Christoph Damm
  • Publication number: 20110222178
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the production of an adaptive deformable mirror for compensation of defects of a wavefront.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2009
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicants: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V., FRIEDRICH-SCHILLER-UNIVERSITAT JENA
    Inventors: Claudia Bruchmann, Erik Beckert, Thomas Peschel, Christoph Damm, Sylvia Gebhardt
  • Publication number: 20110181851
    Abstract: A temperature-control device is used for controlling the temperature of an optical assembly with at least one optical body, the temperature of which is to be controlled, with at least one optical surface which can be acted upon by a heat flow. The temperature-control device has a heat sink to receive a heat flow, which is emitted by the optical body or a transmission body which is in thermal connection with the optical body. The heat sink is arranged adjacent to a peripheral region of the optical surface. The temperature-control device has a heating mechanism with at least one heating body, which is arranged adjacent to the optical body. The heating body is connected via a physical heat bridge to the heat sink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Publication date: July 28, 2011
    Applicant: CARL ZEISS SMT GMBH
    Inventors: Armin Schoeppach, Timo Laufer
  • Patent number: 7874060
    Abstract: An optics element, such as an optical, IR, or X-ray mirror or mirror segment, is made by a combination of replication and lamination by depositing a first metallic layer on a replicating surface of a master or mandrel, depositing a light weight backing layer that adheres on the first metallic layer, and depositing a cover layer that adheres on the backing layer whereby the optics element comprises an in-situ deposited composite lamination of the first metallic layer, the backing layer, and the cover layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Melville P. Ulmer, Michael E. Graham, Semyon Vaynman
  • Publication number: 20100296546
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical element for guiding and forming a laser beam, and to a method for recording beam parameters, particularly in a laser system, comprising a carrier substrate (40) and a coating (39), which is applied to at least one side of the carrier substrate (40), and comprising at least one temperature sensor (38). The temperature sensor (38) is comprised of a number of pixels arranged in a matrix, and each respective pixel has at least one temperature-sensitive element (39). The at least one temperature-sensitive element (39) of the pixel is constructed inside the carrier substrate (40) made of silicon.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2006
    Publication date: November 25, 2010
    Applicant: TRUMPF WERKZEUGMASCHINEN GMBH + CO. KG
    Inventors: Jürgen-Michael Weick, Armin Horn, Gerhard Hammann, Peter Laitenberger, Nick Collier, Ross Peter Jones
  • Patent number: 7771066
    Abstract: A light pulse multiprocessing unit has a half mirror and N delay elements, each having a refractive index n. The N delay elements are arranged on one side of the half mirror from one end of the half mirror toward the other end and have thicknesses ?, 2?, . . . , 2N?1? different from each other, where ? is the smallest thickness. The half mirror is placed in parallel in the proximity of an intermediate position between two mirrors and the N delay elements are arranged between one of the mirrors and the half mirror. Each of the N delay elements is a plane-parallel plate and is placed at an angle such that the direction of the normal line of the surface of the plane-parallel plate is different from a direction followed from one end of the half mirror toward the other end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuru Namiki, Yuji Sakai
  • Patent number: 7766494
    Abstract: A light-weight mirror blank assembly, having at least one sheet of corrugated material; and at least one face sheet in intimate contact with a surface of the sheet of corrugated material forming the light-weight mirror blank assembly. The light-weight mirror blank assembly has an areal density less than an equivalent blank assembly having a solid support structure for supporting a mirrored surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Desmitt, David Strafford
  • Publication number: 20100175738
    Abstract: A solar heliostat and system are described with various characteristics particularly suitable for concentrating systems with a relatively large number of small heliostats. Other features contribute to high performance, low cost, high durability, and high temperature operation, such as desired for high efficiency thermal power generation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2008
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Inventors: Shmuel Huss, Hagai Huss, Israel Kroizer, Yoel Gilon, Danny Franck, Susan Walzer
  • Patent number: 7740362
    Abstract: A radius of curvature controlled mirror for controlling precisely the focal point of a laser beam or other light beam. The radius of curvature controlled mirror provides nearly spherical distortion of the mirror in response to differential expansion between the front and rear surfaces of the mirror. The radius of curvature controlled mirror compensates for changes in other optical components due to heating or other physical changes. The radius of curvature controlled mirror includes an arrangement for adjusting the temperature of the front surface and separately adjusting the temperature of the rear surface to control the radius of curvature. The temperature adjustment arrangements can include cooling channels within the mirror body or convection of a gas upon the surface of the mirror. A control system controls the differential expansion between the front and rear surfaces to achieve the desired radius of curvature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Jefferson Science Associates
    Inventors: George R. Neil, Michelle D. Shinn
  • Publication number: 20100033855
    Abstract: The invention relates to an optical instrument (1) comprising at least one mirror called the primary mirror (3), placed in a cavity (2) and comprising an active face capable of being subjected to instantaneous variations of the incident radiative flux. According to the invention, the cavity (2) comprises a rigid internal casing (20) around the mirror consisting of a material having a thermal inertia so as to damp the instantaneous variations of the incident radiative flux thereby making it possible to limit the temperature fluctuations of this cavity and, consequently, the temperature fluctuations of the mirror. The invention applies to the space field.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2006
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: Thales
    Inventors: Olivier ChanalL, David Valentini, Christophe Devilliers
  • Publication number: 20090296245
    Abstract: A table comprising a base and a plurality of support members supported by the base is used to shape a mirror. The height of the plurality of support members is adjusted to form a predetermined shape. A mirror is placed over the plurality of support members, such that the mirror assumes the predetermined shape. A frame is then attached to the mirror such that when the mirror and frame are lifted off the table, the mirror substantially retains the predetermined shape.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: Ausra, Inc.
    Inventors: Philipp Hans Josef Schramek, Anthony John Roddom
  • Publication number: 20090195899
    Abstract: A mirror module for fastening to a structural element, comprises a mirror arrangement that includes at least one mirror stack and a first receiving device for holding the mirror arrangement. Each of the at least one mirror stack comprises at least one individual mirror made of a first material. The first receiving device is made of a second material which has a coefficient of thermal expansion adapted to the first material. For fastening the mirror module to the structural element, a second receiving device made of Invar is provided which holds the first receiving device of the mirror module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: Astrium GmbH
    Inventors: Michael KERSTEN, Guenther Kling, Peter Weimer