Optical device and method for modifying the refractive index of an optical material
AssigneeUniversity of Rochester
InventorsWayne H. Knox, Li Ding, Jay F. Kunzler, Dharmendra Jani
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical device comprising an optical hydrogel with select regions that have been irradiated with laser light having a pulse energy from 0.01 nJ to 50 nJ and a wavelength from 600 nm to 900 nm. The irradiated regions are characterized by a positive change in refractive index of from 0.01 to 0.06, and exhibit little or no scattering loss. The optical hydrogel is prepared with a hydrophilic monomer.
Claims17
A method of changing the index of refraction of an optical, polymeric material, the method comprising:
- irradiating selected regions of the optical, polymeric material with laser light from a visible or near-IR laser focused through a focusing objective, having a pulse energy from 0.05 nJ to 1000 nJ and a light wavelength from 400 nm to 1200 nm;
- and
- scanning a focus of the laser light through the selected regions for producing a change in refractive index of the optical, polymeric material, thereby forming a three-dimensional refractive structure that exhibits little or no scattering loss;
- wherein the laser system includes negative compensation to compensate for a positive dispersion of pulse width of the laser introduced by at least one of the focusing objective and other optical elements within an optical path of the laser.
A method of changing the index of refraction of an optical, polymeric material, the method comprising:
- irradiating selected regions of the optical, polymeric material with laser light from focused, visible or near-IR laser having a pulse energy from 0.05 nJ to 1000 nJ and a light wavelength from 400 nm to 1200 nm;
- and
- scanning a focus of the laser light through the selected regions for producing a change in refractive index of the optical, polymeric material, thereby forming a three-dimensional refractive structure that exhibits little or no scattering loss;
- in which the optical, polymeric material is in the form of an optical device and the three-dimensional refractive structure corrects for measured aberrations in the optical device.
A method of changing the index of refraction of an optical, polymeric material, the method comprising:
- irradiating selected regions of the optical, polymeric material with laser light from focused, visible or near-IR laser having a pulse energy from 0.05 nJ to 1000 nJ and a light wavelength from 400 nm to 1200 nm;
- and
- scanning a focus of the laser light through the selected regions for producing a change in refractive index of the optical, polymeric material, thereby forming a three-dimensional refractive structure that exhibits little or no scattering loss;
- wherein the optical, polymeric material is a hydrated, optical, polymeric material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.