US 10,649,157 B2 · Freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) for use in an optical transmitter and method of designing and manufacturing the freeform DOE

Abstract

A freeform DOE for use in an optical transmitter and a method of designing and manufacturing the DOE are provided. The freeform DOE is capable of achieving the same, or nearly the same, functionality as that of a glass DOE, but has a design that has been transformed to make the surface profile of the DOE compatible with a molding process that can be used to manufacture the DOE with high quality at low costs. The method of designing and manufacturing the DOE includes preselecting a CGH that will obtain a target freeform DOE design, using a preselected smoothing function to smooth the surface profile of the target freeform DOE design to transform the design into a DOE design that is compatible with a molding process, and using a fabrication process to manufacture a freeform DOE that is based on the transformed DOE design.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An optical transmitter comprising:

a light source that generates a light beam of an operating wavelength;
an optical waveguide having at least a first end face;
and
an optical coupling system optically coupled to the light source and to the first end face of the optical waveguide, the optical coupling system including a freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) comprising,
a DOE material, and
a preselected freeform diffractive pattern formed in a first surface of the DOE material, the freeform diffractive pattern being radially asymmetric relative to an optical axis of the freeform DOE, the radial asymmetry of the preselected freeform diffractive pattern being dictated, at least in part, by a two-dimensional set of saggita (sag) data.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

16/104,351Filed 17 Aug 2018

Published

US 2020/0057213 A120 Feb 2020

Granted

12 May 2020

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

G02B 6/4206
The coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms: optical features
G02B 6/4207
The coupling comprising intermediate optical elements, e.g. lenses, holograms: with optical elements reducing the sensitivity to optical feedback
B29D 11/0075
Production of other optical elements not provided for in B29D11/00009- B29D11/0073: connectors for light guides
G05B 19/41885
Total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, e.g. direct or distributed numerical control [DNC], flexible…:…

Freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) for use in an optical transmitter and method of designing and manufacturing the freeform DOE

Life of this patent

Freeform diffractive optical element (DOE) for use in an optical transmitter and method of designing and manufacturing the freeform DOE

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18