The invention is related to contact lenses that not only comprise the much desired water gradient structural configurations, but also have a minimized uptakes of polycationic antimicrobials and a long-lasting surface hydrophilicity and wettability even after going through a 30-days lens care regime. Because of the water gradient structural configuration and a relatively-thick, extremely-soft and water-rich hydrogel surface layer, a contact lens of the invention can provide superior wearing comfort. Further, a contact lens of the invention is compatible with multipurpose lens care solutions present in the market and can endure the harsh lens care handling conditions (e.g., digital rubbings, accidental inversion of contact lenses, etc.) encountered in a daily lens care regime. As such, they are suitable to be used as weekly- or monthly-disposable water gradient contact lenses.

Gradient refractive index lenses (GRI-Ls) and methods of fabricating the same are provided. GRI-Ls can be fabricated by stereolithography (SLA) and/or photo-assisted, thermal-assisted, and/or other laser-based curing from at least two precursors with a preset refractive index gradation along the planar axis. These lenses are self-focusing lenses and may be convergent or divergent for decreasing and increasing refractive indices from the center, respectively. Rather than a gradation in lens thickness from the center, the GRI-Ls can have a gradation of composition from the center.

An optical signal detection device includes an objective and a gel unit including a gel and an assisting member. The assisting member includes a first surface, a second surface, and an opening. The opening has a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the gel and larger than an effective diameter of the objective. The first surface faces the gel, and a part of the first surface is fixed to a bottom surface of the gel by an adhesive force. A center of the bottom surface is not in contact with the assisting member. In a state where the gel unit is attached to a frame member of the objective, the second surface faces the frame member of the objective, a part of the first surface is fixed to the gel outside the effective diameter of the objective, and the gel is in close contact with the objective.

An athermal optical waveguide structure such as an optical add drop multiplexer (OADM) or the like is fabricated by a method that includes forming a lower cladding layer on a substrate. A waveguiding core layer is formed on the lower cladding layer. An upper cladding layer is formed on the waveguiding core layer and the lower cladding layer a sol-gel material. The sol-gel material includes an organically modified siloxane and a metal oxide. A thermo-optic coefficient of the sol-gel material is adjusted by curing the sol-gel material for a selected duration of time at a selected temperature such that the thermo-optic coefficient of the sol-gel material compensates for a thermo-optic coefficient of at least the waveguiding core layer such that an effective thermo-optic coefficient of the optical waveguide structure at a specified optical wavelength and over a specified temperature range is reduced.

To provide an antiglare film-coated substrate that has an excellent antiglare property and reduced haze and through which cloudiness is not easily recognized visually on a black printed layer when the black printed layer is seen therethrough, for example, an antiglare film forming liquid composition for forming the antiglare film, and a method of producing an antiglare film-coated substrate. An antiglare film-coated substrate 1 includes a transparent substrate 2; and an antiglare film 3 provided on the transparent substrate 2, in which the antiglare film 3 contains silica as its main component and a CF.sub.3(CH.sub.2).sub.n-group where n is an integer of 1 to 6, and the antiglare film 3 has surface roughness curve skewness Rsk of 1.3 or less and has arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 0.01 μm or more.

The present invention relates to broadband and tunable infrared (IR)-blocking optical filters for millimeter and sub-millimeter astronomy composed of small diffusely scattered particles embedded in an aerogel substrate. The size of the scattering particles included in the aerogel filters can be tuned to give variable cutoff frequencies. In one embodiment, the aerogel scattering optical filters of the present invention have ultra-low density and index of refraction (typically n<1.15), removing the need for anti-reflection coatings that limit bandwidth and increase filter complexity, and allowing for high transmission across an ultra-broad band from zero frequency to above 1 THz, and as much as 10 THz.

The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

An easy-cleaning coating, an easy cleaning coating having anti-fogging properties, and an easy-cleaning, anti-reflective coating.

The present invention generally relates to inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high equilibrium water content and relatively low elastic modulus. The present invention is also related to a method for making such inherently wettable silicone hydrogel contact lenses.

Disclosed are a method for producing an optical thin film having a low refractive index, a thin film forming material, an optical thin film, and an optical member. The method for producing an optical thin film includes forming a vapor deposition film by depositing a thin film forming material on an object in a non-oxidizing atmosphere by a physical vapor deposition method; and bringing the vapor deposition film into contact with a first acidic solution comprising an acidic substance in a range of pH 2.5 or more and pH 3.5 or less to obtain a first thin film having voids, wherein the thin film forming material is a mixture comprising indium oxide and silicon oxide, in which the indium oxide is in a range of 0.230 mol or more and 0.270 mol or less with respect to 1 mol of the silicon oxide.