Patent classifications
B29D11/00682
METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING GI OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE
A GI optical waveguide includes a core having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape. A method for manufacturing an optical waveguide, includes a first step of inserting an acicular section at the tip of a discharge unit into an uncured cladding; a second step of moving the acicular section within the uncured cladding while discharging an uncured material from the acicular section, to thereby form an uncured core surrounded by the uncured cladding; a third step of removing the acicular section from the uncured cladding; and a fourth step of curing the uncured cladding and the uncured core, wherein: the ratio of the viscosity of the material for forming the uncured core to the viscosity of the uncured cladding is 1.20 to 6 at the temperature in the second step.
Multi-core polymer optical fibre and the fabrication thereof
A method of fabricating a multi-core polymer optical fibre comprises arranging optical fibre preforms in a stack, the optical fibre preforms each comprising a polymer core and polymer cladding surrounding the polymer core; and drawing and bonding the stack to form the multi-core polymer optical fibre. Any contaminants or impurities which collect on outer surfaces of the preforms may be confined to boundaries between the preforms, which may avoid attenuation of signals passed through the cores while at the same time reducing crosstalk between cores of the final manufactured fibre. Also provided is a multi-core polymer optical fibre obtainable by the method.
Multifunction lamp unit and rear view device therewith
A multifunction lamp unit for a vehicle includes a housing, at least one light conductor with at least one illuminant provided by an LED on a printed circuit board, at least one light foil, and a clear lens. A method for manufacturing lamps for vehicles includes producing a housing, a light conductor, and a clear lens as one unit out of plastic in a 3-component injection procedure.
METHOD OF IMPRINTING TILT ANGLE LIGHT GRATINGS
Embodiments described herein relate to methods of fabricating waveguide structures with gratings having front angles less than about 45 and back angles less than about 45. The methods include imprinting stamps into nanoimprint resists disposed on substrates. The nanoimprint resists are subjected to a cure process. The stamps are released from the nanoimprint resist at a release angle using a release method. The nanoimprint resists are subjected to an anneal process to form a waveguide structure comprising a plurality of gratings with a front angle and a back angle relative to a second plane of the surface of the substrate less than about 45.
Optical elements based on polymeric structures incorporating inorganic materials
The present disclosure relates to display systems and, more particularly, to augmented reality display systems. In one aspect, a method of fabricating an optical element includes providing a substrate having a first refractive index and transparent in the visible spectrum. The method additionally includes forming on the substrate periodically repeating polymer structures. The method further includes exposing the substrate to a metal precursor followed by an oxidizing precursor. Exposing the substrate is performed under a pressure and at a temperature such that an inorganic material comprising the metal of the metal precursor is incorporated into the periodically repeating polymer structures, thereby forming a pattern of periodically repeating optical structures configured to diffract visible light. The optical structures have a second refractive index greater than the first refractive index.
PLASTIC SCINTILLATING FIBER AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
A plastic scintillating fiber capable of reducing modal dispersion and improving the accuracy of identifying a position which radiation passes through. A plastic scintillating fiber includes a core and a cladding that covers an outer periphery of the core and has a lower refractive index than the core. The core uniformly contains a radiation-emitting fluorescent agent and has a refractive index distribution where the refractive index of the core is highest at a center of a cross-section and becomes lower in a parabolic manner with distance from the center toward an outer periphery.
METHOD OF FABRICATING MOLDS FOR FORMING EYEPIECES WITH INTEGRATED SPACERS
Methods are disclosed for fabricating molds for forming eyepieces having waveguides with integrated spacers. The molds are formed by etching deep holes (e.g., 5 ?m to 1000 ?m deep) into a substrate using a wet etch or dry etch. The etch masks for defining the holes may be formed with a thick metal layer and/or multiple layers of different metals. A resist layer may be disposed over the etch mask. The resist layer may be patterned to form a pattern of holes, the pattern may be transferred to the etch mask, and the etch mask may be used to transfer the pattern into the underlying substrate. The patterned substrate may be utilized as a mold onto which a flowable polymer may be introduced and allowed to harden. Hardened polymer in the holes may form integrated spacers. The hardened polymer may be removed from the mold to form a waveguide with integrated spacers.
Systems and Methods for Manufacturing Waveguide Cells
Systems for the manufacturing of waveguide cells in accordance with various embodiments can be configured and implemented in many different ways. In many embodiments, various deposition mechanisms are used to deposit layer(s) of optical recording material onto a transparent substrate. A second transparent substrate can be provided, and the three layers can be laminated to form a waveguide cell. Suitable optical recording material can vary widely depending on the given application. In some embodiments, the optical recording material deposited has a similar composition throughout the layer. In a number of embodiments, the optical recording material spatially varies in composition, allowing for the formation of optical elements with varying characteristics. Regardless of the composition of the optical recording material, any method of placing or depositing the optical recording material onto a substrate can be utilized.
OPTICAL ELEMENTS BASED ON POLYMERIC STRUCTURES INCORPORATING INORGANIC MATERIALS
The present disclosure relates to display systems and, more particularly, to augmented reality display systems. In one aspect, a method of fabricating an optical element includes providing a substrate having a first refractive index and transparent in the visible spectrum. The method additionally includes forming on the substrate periodically repeating polymer structures. The method further includes exposing the substrate to a metal precursor followed by an oxidizing precursor. Exposing the substrate is performed under a pressure and at a temperature such that an inorganic material comprising the metal of the metal precursor is incorporated into the periodically repeating polymer structures, thereby forming a pattern of periodically repeating optical structures configured to diffract visible light. The optical structures have a second refractive index greater than the first refractive index.
MANUFACTURING A GRADED INDEX PROFILE FOR WAVEGUIDE DISPLAY APPLICATIONS
A manufacturing system for fabricating optical waveguides includes a diffusion channel with a plurality of inlets at a first end and an outlet at a second end opposite to the first end and separated from the inlets by a channel length. Each of the plurality of inlets includes a central inlet flowing a first resin into the diffusion channel such that the first resin flows along the channel length of the diffusion channel toward the outlet, and an outer inlet flowing a second resin along a periphery of the first resin. The second resin may have an index of refraction different than the first resin. The diffusion may occur between portions of the first resin and portions of the second resin over the channel length to form a composite resin having a profile with a plurality of indices of refraction in at least one dimension.