Photodefinition of optical devices
AssigneeGemfire Corporation
InventorsHilary S. Lackritz, William K. Bischel, Tony C. Kowalczyk, Simon J. Field, Travis P. S. Thoms, Yeong-Cheng Lee
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Abstract
An optical structure is fabricated by forming an active layer including a photodefinable material on a substrate or on another underlying layer, forming an upper layer above the active layer, and then patterning the active layer by selective application of radiation through the upper layer. The upper layer is substantially transparent to radiation of the type required to activate the photodefinable material in the active layer.
Claims23
A radiation-definable material comprising a first layer, a second layer above said first layer, and a third layer above said second layer,
- wherein said first, second and third layers each comprise polymers containing unactivated first photosensitive molecules which activate polymerization in response to incident optical energy of a first wavelength,
- and wherein said polymer in said second layer further contains a greater concentration by volume of unactivated second photosensitive molecules than does said first and third layers, said second photosensitive molecules activating polymerization in response to incident optical energy of a second wavelength,
- said first photosensitive molecules being less susceptible to activating polymerization in response to incident optical energy of said second wavelength than are said second photosensitive molecules, and said second photosensitive molecules being less susceptible to activating polymerization in response to incident optical energy of said first wavelength than are said first photosensitive molecules.
A method for forming an optical material, comprising the steps of:
- forming a second polymer layer above a first layer, said second layer including both first and second types of molecules, said first molecules being more susceptible to activating polymerization in response to incident radiation of a first type than incident radiation of a second type, and said second molecules being more susceptible to activating polymerization in response to incident radiation of a second type than incident radiation of a first type;
- exposing said second layer to radiation of said first type but not said second type;
- forming a third polymer layer above said second layer;
- and
- curing said third layer without precluding further activation of polymerization by said second molecules in said second layer in response to incident radiation of said second type.
A method for patterning an optical stack, comprising the steps of:
- providing a material comprising a support layer, a first layer above said support layer, and a second layer above said first layer, said first layer being more susceptible than both said support layer and said second layer to index of refraction changes in response to incident radiation of a first type;
- inserting said material into selective exposure equipment;
- and
- selectively exposing said first layer to radiation of said first type through one of said support and second layers to form an integrated optical index of refraction feature in said first layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.