US 5,784,507 A · Integrated optical wavelength discrimination devices and methods for fabricating same

Abstract

A top incident spectrometer includes a first distributed wavelength wedge filter region of order n.sub.1 that discriminates incoming radiation as a function of wedge location, at least one second wedge region order n.sub.2 (which region may be a graded dielectric film), and an underlying detector array. In another embodiment, a second dielectric wedge element includes a Fabrey-Perot etalon, a wedge dielectric film, or a graded index film matching the second dielectric wedge region to an underlying substrate. One or more slopes associated with wedge elements may also be varied to alter filter characteristics. Spatial characteristics may further be modified by including a dielectric material whose dielectric constant varies as a function of location. Wedge filter crosstalk is minimized by partitioning a wedge dielectric region in the lateral dimension. Another embodiment provides an edge incident spectrometer including an optical waveguide or thin film structure whose spatial optical impedance varies as a function of position. Outcoupling of optical radiation occurs as a function of wavelength along the spectrometer propagation direction. Outcoupling of optical radiation may also be made to overlying structures, or to regions within a common, preferably solid state, structure. Wedge structures may further be combined to intentionally create gaps in the spectral transmission for a filter structure. A shadow masking fabricates thin film elements having spatially varying features. A material is deposited onto a substrate using an edge to provide a shadow mask affecting the deposition stream.

Claims57

Dependent claims

A substantially linear optical device (i.e., an optical device with locally linear regions, such as might be fabricated on a curved or flat substrate) with a filter plane defined by an x-axis and a y-axis, a normal defined by a z-axis and a lateral defined by said y-axis, comprising:

(a) an optical waveguide means for guiding propagating optical energy or light along an energy average propagation or vector direction parallel to said y-axis, said propagating light being character by an energy distribution and a bandwidth, and
(b) a wavelength selective filter comprising an outcoupling device for selecting wavelengths from said energy distribution of said propagating light and delivering spatially distributed outcoupled radiation charactertized by said selected wavelengths at separate outcoupling positions longitudinally along said wavelength means.

An optical energy transfer system comprising:

(a) an optical waveguiding structure to carry propagating optical energy or light, said propagating light including at least one optical carrier, each of said optical carriers having different carrier wavelengths;
(b) at least one wedge filter structure, each of said wedge filter structures having a first and second surface, said first surface located adjacent said optical waveguiding structure and performing an optical function selected from the group consisting of outcoupling said propagating energy from said optical waveguiding structure or incoupling incident light illuminating said second surface into said optical waveguiding structure, said wedge filter structures performing said outcoupling being called outcoupling structures, said wedge filter structures performing said incoupling being called incoupling structures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Integrated optical wavelength discrimination devices and methods for fabricating same

Life of this patent

Integrated optical wavelength discrimination devices and methods for fabricating same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims57