US 12,687,668 B2Granted

Ultrasonication nano-geometry control process and methods

AssigneeMagic Leap, Inc.

InventorsVikramjit Singh, Lorenzo Mcdonald, Frank Y. Xu

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Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for fabricating nanostructures on a substrate that can be used in eyepieces for displays, e.g., in head wearable devices. Fabricating and/or etching such a substrate can include submerging the substrate in a bath and applying ultrasonication to the bath for a first time period. The ultrasonication applied to the first bath can agitate the fluid to provide a substantially uniform first reactive environment across the surface of the substrate. The substrate can be submerged in a second bath and ultrasonication can be applied to the second bath for a second time period. The ultrasonication applied to the second bath can agitate the fluid to provide a substantially uniform second reactive environment across the surface of the substrate. A predetermined amount of material can be removed from the surface of the substrate during the second time period to produce an etched substrate.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of etching a substrate including a plurality of nano-structures, the method comprising:

submerging the substrate in a first bath, the first bath comprising a first fluid;
applying ultrasonication to the first bath for a first time period, wherein applying ultrasonication agitates the first fluid to provide a substantially uniform first reactive environment across a surface of the substrate;
submerging the substrate in a second bath, the second bath comprising a second fluid;
and
applying ultrasonication to the second bath for a second time period, wherein applying ultrasonication agitates the second fluid to provide a substantially uniform second reactive environment across the surface of the substrate, wherein a predetermined amount of material is removed from the surface of the substrate during the second time period to produce an etched substrate, and wherein a thickness of the predetermined amount of material removed from the surface is in a range of 5-50 nm,
wherein the amount of material is predetermined based on a length of the first time period and based further on a length of the second time period.

3 more elements

A compound comprising:

a substrate comprising:
a base comprising a first surface;
and
a plurality of nano-structures disposed on the first surface,
wherein the substrate is configured to be etched by applying an ultrasonication process sequence to the substrate to form an etched substrate, the etched substrate comprising a plurality of etched nano-structures, and
wherein the etched nano-structures are fabricated by removing a first predetermined amount of material from the first surface and further by removing a second predetermined amount of material from one or more surfaces of the plurality of nano-structures, and wherein a thickness of the first predetermined amount of material removed from the first surface is in a range of 5-50 nm.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/555,445Filed 19 Apr 2022 · us provisional application
Priority: 20 Apr 2021
Published: US 2025/0284041 A111 Sep 2025
Granted: 21 Jul 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G02B 5/1857
Manufacturing methods: using exposure or etching means, e.g. holography, photolithography, exposure to electron or ion beams
B82Y 20/00
Nanooptics
B82Y 40/00
Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
G02B 1/02
Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements: made of crystals, e.g. rock-salt,…