Methods and compounds for making coatings, waveguides and other optical devices

Abstract

A method comprises reacting a compound of the general formula R14−mMOR3m wherein m is an integer from 2 to 4, OR3 is an alkoxy group, and M is an element selected from group 14 of the periodic table; with a compound of the general formula R2X2+Mg, wherein X2 is Br or I; where R1 and R2 are independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkynyl, or epoxy, and wherein at least one of R1 and R2 is partially or fully fluorinated; so as to make a compound of the general formula R2R14−mMOR3m−1; followed by reacting R2R14−mMOR3m−1 with a halogen or halogen compound in order to replace one or more OR3 groups with a halogen group so as to form R2R14−mMOR3m−1−nXn, where X is a halogen and n is from 1 to 3 and m<n—except where R1 is fluorinated phenyl, M is Si and OR3 is ethoxy. These compounds thus formed can be further reacted to attach an additional Rx group, or hydrolyzed, alone or with one or more similar compounds, to form a material having a molecular weight of from 500 to 10,000, which material can be deposited on various substrates as a coating or deposited and patterned for a waveguide or other optical device components.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.