Light-Tracking Optical Device and Application to Light Concentration
AssigneeGlint Photonics, Inc.
InventorPeter Kozodoy
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Abstract
An automatic optical coupling device that uses liquid to couple focused light into a light-guide is described. The liquid moves within a chamber or layer via the thermocapillary effect in order to automatically track and couple a moving spot of focused light. Also provided is the application of these coupling devices in an array feeding into a common light-guide, optical designs to improve the performance of these arrays, and the application of such arrays to light collection.
Claims71
An apparatus configured to couple light into a light-guiding structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a fluid tracking layer between a reorienting element and a light-guiding layer, the light-guiding layer being capable of transporting light in a first direction through a bulk portion of the light-guiding layer, wherein said fluid tracking layer is comprised of a cladding fluid layer and a coupling fluid layer;
- wherein
- in the absence of a narrow light beam incident the cladding fluid layer is comprised of a continuous layer substantially free of any voids or apertures;
- and
- in the presence of a narrow light beam incident on the reorienting element and forming a coupling location, the cladding fluid layer is comprised of an aperture at or adjacent to the coupling location.
An apparatus configured to couple light into a light-guiding structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a light-guiding layer being capable of transporting light in a first direction through the light-guiding layer;
- and
- a coupling region adjacent to or within the light-guiding layer and serving to couple incoming light into the light-guiding layer at a substantial angle relative to a propagation direction of the incoming light;
- wherein
- the coupling region is located at or adjacent to a local temperature extremum within the light-guiding structure, and the position of the coupling region can be adjusted by varying the location of the local temperature extremum.
An apparatus configured to couple incident light into a light-guiding structure, the apparatus comprising:
- a cladding fluid layer having a first refractive index adjacent to a light-guiding layer having a second refractive index, the light-guiding layer being capable of transporting light in a first direction through a bulk portion of the light-guiding layer;
- and
- a coupling droplet having a third refractive index at least partially in the cladding fluid layer;
- wherein
- the coupling droplet is comprised of a first fluid and the cladding fluid layer is comprised of a second fluid different from the first fluid and immiscible or partially miscible with the first fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.