# US 2014/0192420 A1 · Aspherical grin lens > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0192420 A1 - Document ID: US20140192420A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/864,730 - Filed: 2013-04-17 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2010-10-18 - Assignees: Case Western Reserve University - Inventors: Eric Baer; Anne P. Hiltner; Michael T. Ponting - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140192420A1 ## CPC - G02B 3/0087: {with index gradient} - B29D 11/00355: {with a refractive index gradient} - B29D 11/023: {Implants for natural eyes} - G02C 7/02: Lenses; Lens systems {; Methods of designing lenses} - G02C 2202/22: Correction of higher order and chromatic aberrations, wave front measurement and calculation - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00) - G02C: SPECTACLES; SUNGLASSES OR GOGGLES INSOFAR AS THEY HAVE THE SAME FEATURES AS SPECTACLES; CONTACT LENSES (trial frames for testing the eyes A61B3/04; goggles or eyeshields not having the same features as spectacles A61F9/00) ## Abstract A method of fabricating an aspherical gradient refractive index lens includes co-extruding a first polymer material having a first refractive index and a second polymer material having a second refractive index different than the first refractive index to form multilayered polymer composite films, assembling the multilayered polymer composite films into a multilayer composite GRIN sheet and shaping the multilayered composite GRIN sheet into an aspherical lens. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of fabricating an aspherical gradient refractive index (GRIN) lens comprising: co-extruding a first polymer material having a first refractive index and a second polymer material having a second refractive index different than the first refractive index to form multilayered polymer composite films; assembling the multilayered polymer composite films into a multilayer composite GRIN sheet; and shaping the multilayered composite GRIN sheet into an aspherical lens. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the GRIN lens has an axial, radial, spherical, or aspherical GRIN distribution. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the GRIN sheet is thermoformed, molded, and/or machined into an aspherical GRIN lens. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein each of the multilayered polymer composite films includes a plurality of at least two alternating layers (A) and (B) represented by formula (AB)x, where x=2n, and n is in the range of from 2 to 18; wherein layer (A) is comprised of component (a) and layer (B) is comprised of component (b); and wherein the components (a) and (b) have different refractive indexes. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the components (a) and (b) are selected from the group consisting of a polymeric material, a composite polymer and a polymer blend. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of a glassy material, a crystalline material, a liquid crystalline material, and an elastomeric material. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the layers have a thickness of from 5 nm to 1,000 μM. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the multilayered composite polymer films are stacked in ordered layers to form a hierarchical multilayered composite GRIN sheet; and wherein adjacent multilayered composite polymer films are chosen to exhibit progressively different refractive indexes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the multilayered composite polymer film comprises at least 10 alternating layers. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the multilayered composite GRIN sheet is comprised of from 5 to 100,000 multilayered polymer composite films. ### Claim 11 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein components (a) and (b) are chemically the same materials. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene naphthalate, an isomer thereof, a polyalkylene terephthalate, a polyimide, a polyetherimide, a styrenic polymer, a polycarbonate, a poly(meth)acrylate, a cellulose derivative, a polyalkylene polymer, a fluorinated polymer, a chlorinated polymer, a polysulfone, a polyethersulfone, polyacrylonitrile, a polyamide, polyvinylacetate, a polyether-amide, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, a styrene-ethylene copolymer, poly(ethylene-1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate), an acrylic rubber, isoprene, isobutylene-isoprene, butadiene rubber, butadiene-styrene-vinyl pyridine, butyl rubber, polyethylene, chloroprene, epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene-propylene, ethylene-propylene-diene, nitrile-butadiene, polyisoprene, silicon rubber, styrene-butadiene, urethane rubber, and polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene, and tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene vinylidene (THV). ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the layers further comprise an organic or inorganic material designed to affect the refractive index. ### Claim 14 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, exhibiting an index gradient in the range of from 0.02 to 1.0. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the multilayered polymer composite film or multilayered composite GRIN sheet is uniaxially or biaxially oriented. ### Claim 16 A gradient index lens comprising: a co-extruded, multilayered composite GRIN sheet having an aspherical shape; wherein the multilayered composite sheet includes a plurality stacked co-extruded multilayered polymer composite films; wherein each of the multilayered polymer composite films includes a plurality of at least two alternating layers (A) and (B) represented by formula (AB)x, where x=2n, and n is in the range of from 4 to 18; wherein layer (A) is comprised of component (a) and layer (B) is comprised of component (b); and wherein the components (a) and (b) have different refractive indexes. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The lens of claim 16, wherein the components (a) and (b) are elastomers and the multilayered composite sheet is mechanically and reversibly deformable. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The lens of claim 16, wherein the refractive index of the multilayered composite GRIN sheet is varied mechanically by pressure, tension, compression, shear or a combination of these stresses. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The lens of claim 16, exhibiting an index gradient in the range of from 0.02 to 1.0. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The lens of claim 16, wherein the sheet defines an oblate ellipse, which has a first half-parabolic GRIN distribution, and a prolate ellipse, which has a second half-parabolic GRIN distribution, through the lens thickness. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The lens of claim 20, wherein the refractive index decreases in a direction towards a periphery of the lens.