Optical elements having gradient optical properties
AssigneeMomentum Optics LLC
InventorJeremy Goeckeritz
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Abstract
A method for creating gradient optical properties within a substrate is disclosed herein. More specifically, the present invention teaches a method whereby a material disposed on a substrate is patterned in three dimensions such that the thickness and diffusivity properties of the material can be used to regulate the diffusion of ions into the substrate. An example is given in which ions, injected into a substrate through an ion exchange process, alter the refractive index within the substrate in a pre-selected fashion to form a gradient refractive index lens.
Claims21
A method for constructing optical elements with gradient optical properties within at least a portion of a substrate, wherein the substrate has a top and bottom surface, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate having a material on the top surface thereof and a film on the bottom surface thereof, the material having a diffusivity lower than the diffusivity of the substrate, the film forming an ion diffusion preventing mask;
- forming a surface relief pattern of variable thickness in the material;
- and
- diffusing ions into the top surface of the substrate using the patterned material as a semi-permeable mask, the distribution of the diffused ions into the substrate being moderated by the duration of the diffusion process, the thickness of the material, and diffusivity properties of the material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.