Method of fabricating photonic glass structures by extruding, sintering and drawing
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsNicholas Francis Borrelli, John Forrest Wight, Jr., Raja Rao Wusirika
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Abstract
Disclosed is a method of making a photonic crystal using a combination of extruding and drawing techniques. The method is contemplated as being capable of producing both two and three dimensional crystals due to the maturity and diversity of extruding and drawing technology. The method allows the drawing of relatively large photonic crystals and is flexible enough to provide a periodic array of channels or filaments as the crystal features. After the extruding step or steps and before the step of heating and drawing, a plurality of elongated extruded bodies can be bundled and drawn as a unit.
Claims35
A method of making a photonic crystal which propagates a pre-selected band of wavelengths and has a band gap comprising the steps:
- a) extruding through a die a material comprising at least one glass powder and a binder to form a body having a first face spaced apart from a second face, each face having an area, wherein a plurality of channels extend from the first to the second face and form openings in the respective faces, the channels separated one from another by intervening walls which have a cross section, the cross section of the walls serving to separate the array of openings, one from another, in the respective faces;
- b) heating the body to drive off the binder and viscously sinter the glass powder to form a glass body;
- c) drawing a glass fiber or rod from the glass body.
A method of making a photonic crystal which propagates a pre-selected band of wavelengths and has a band gap comprising the steps:
- a) extruding through a die a material comprising at least one glass powder and a binder to form a body having an axis between a first face spaced apart from a second face, each face having an area, wherein a plurality of channels extend from the first to the second face and form openings in the respective faces, the channels separated one from another by intervening walls which have a cross section, the cross section of the walls serving to separate the array of openings, one from another, in the respective faces;
- b) heating the body to drive off the binder and viscously sinter the glass powder to form a glass body;
- c) drawing a glass fiber or rod from the glass body;
- d) repeating steps a) through c) to form a plurality of glass fibers or rods;
- e) bundling together at least two of the glass fibers or rods using means for holding the at least two glass fibers or rods in side by side registration along the axes of the glass fibers or rods;
- f) drawing a glass fiber or rod from the bundled glass fibers or rods.
A method of making a photonic crystal which propagates a pre-selected band of wavelengths and has a band gap comprising the steps:
- a) extruding through a die a material comprising a first glass powder and a binder and a second glass powder and a binder to form a body having a first face spaced apart from a second face, each face having an area, wherein a plurality of continuous filaments comprising the first glass powder and binder extends from the first to the second face, the filaments separated one from another by walls comprising the second glass powder and binder, wherein the area of each face comprises the filament ends comprising the first glass powder and binder separated one from another by intervening wall cross sections comprising the second glass powder and binder;
- b) heating the body to drive off the binders and viscously sinter the first and second glass powders to form a glass body;
- c) drawing a glass fiber or rod from the glass body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.