Protective device for selectively reflecting high-intensity light over a broad spectral bandwidth

Abstract

A protective device designed to protect eyes and sensitive photodetectors from high-intensity light over a broad spectral bandwidth while permitting low-intensity and ambient light to be transmitted thereto. In a first embodiment, the device comprises a stack of nonlinear materials having the same linear index of refraction but alternating between a relatively high nonlinear index of refraction and a relatively low nonlinear index of refraction. The respective optical thicknesses of the nonlinear materials are unordered. In a second embodiment, the device comprises a stack of nonlinear materials having the same linear index of refraction and the same optical thickness of a one-half wavelength but unordered nonlinear indices of refraction. In a third embodiment, the device comprises a stack of nonlinear materials having linear indices of refraction alternating between a relatively high linear index of refraction and a relatively low index of refraction and nonlinear indices of refraction which are unordered. The respective optical thicknesses of the nonlinear materials are designed so that the materials are optimally transmissive in the linear domain. In a fourth embodiment, the device comprises a stack of nonlinear materials having the same linear index of refraction but unordered optical thicknesses and nonlinear indices of refraction.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.