Multilayered optical structures

• US 20060141142A1
• Filed: 02/21/2006
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NeoPhotonics Corporation (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NeoPhotonics Corporation (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Bi, Xiangxin, Bryan, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,939,579 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/162
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 9/04 comprising such particular substance as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a glass layer B32B17/06; layered products with at least two ceramic layers composed mainly of ceramic B32B18/00
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1415 Reactant delivery systems
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1423 Reactant deposition burners
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 19/1484 Means for supporting, rotating or translating the article being formed
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2203/34 Plural core other than bundles, e.g. double core
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2205/40 Monitoring or regulating the draw tension or draw rate
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2207/02 Elongated flat flame or slit-nozzle type
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2207/34 Liquid, e.g. mist or aerosol
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2207/66 Relative motion
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 2207/85 with vapour generated from liquid glass precursors, e.g. directly by heating the liquid
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/01413 Reactant delivery systems C03B37/01807 takes precedence; devices therefor in general B01D1/00, B01J4/00
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/0142 Reactant deposition burners
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/01486 Means for supporting, rotating or translating the preforms being formed, e.g. lathes C03B37/01884 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03B 37/027 Fibres composed of different sorts of glass, e.g. glass optical fibresC03B37/0253, C03B37/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3201 Alkali metal oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3203 Lithium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3215 Barium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3217 Aluminum oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. bauxite, alpha-alumina
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3224 Rare earth oxide or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. scandium oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3225 Yttrium oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3227 : Lanthanum oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3232 : Titanium oxides or titanates, e.g. rutile or anatase
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3234 : Titanates, not containing zirconia
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3244 : Zirconium oxides, zirconates, hafnium oxides, hafnates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3251 : Niobium oxides, niobates, tantalum oxides, tantalates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3258 : Tungsten oxides, tungstates, or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3287 : Germanium oxides, germanates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. copper germanate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3293 : Tin oxides, stannates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. indium tin oxide [ITO]
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3294 : Antimony oxides, antimonates, antimonites or oxide forming salts thereof, indium antimonate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3296 : Lead oxides, plumbates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. silver plumbate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3298 : Bismuth oxides, bismuthates or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. zinc bismuthate
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3409 : Boron oxide, borates, boric acids, or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. borax
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3418 : Silicon oxide, silicic acids or oxide forming salts thereof, e.g. silica sol, fused silica, silica fume, cristobalite, quartz or flint
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3463 : Alumino-silicates other than clay, e.g. mullite
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/14 : based on silica
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/483 : using coherent light, UV to IR, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 26/00 : Coating not provided for in groups C23C2/00 - C23C24/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12147 : Coupler
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/1215 : Splitter
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2006/12176 : Etching
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02042 : Multicore optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12002 : Three-dimensional structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 : Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/132 : by deposition of thin films
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 40/57 : Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates

Abstract

Monolithic optical structures include a plurality of layer with each layer having an isolated optical pathway confined within a portion of the layer. The monolithic optical structure can be used as an optical fiber preform. Alternatively or additionally, the monolithic optical structure can include integrated optical circuits within one or more layers of the structure. Monolithic optical structures can be formed by performing multiple passes of a substrate through a flowing particle stream. The deposited particles form an optical material following consolidation. Flexible optical fibers include a plurality of independent light channels extending along the length of the optical fiber. The fibers can be pulled from an appropriate preform.

Claims

1. A method for forming a structure with at least three particle coatings covering at least a portion of the substrate surface, the method comprising:

depositing at least a portion of a particle stream onto a substrate by moving the substrate through the particle stream three times within a period of no more than about one minute.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the particle coatings has a different composition from the other two particle coatings and wherein the composition of the particle stream changes between movements of the substrate through the particle stream.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the deposition rate is at least about 10 g/hr.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising reacting a flowing reactant stream to form the stream of particles.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the reactant stream has a cross section perpendicular to the propagation direction characterized by a major axis and a minor axis, the major axis being at least a factor of two greater than the minor axis.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein reacting the reaction is driven by a radiation beam and wherein the reactant stream is elongated in a direction along the propagation direction of the radiation beam to produce a line of particles with the relative motion of the substrate sweeping at least a portion of the line of product particles across the substrate.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the reaction is driven by a light beam.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the deposition of the particles comprises moving the substrate relative to the stream of product particles at a rate of at least about 0.1 centimeters per second.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the deposition of the particles comprises moving the substrate relative to the stream of product particles at a rate from about 1 centimeters per second to about 30 centimeters per second.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the depositing of the three particle coatings is performed in no more than about 15 seconds.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the depositing of the three particle coatings is performed in no more than about 9 seconds.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least three particle coatings comprises at least five particle coatings and the method further comprises depositing at least a portion of a particle stream onto a substrate by moving the substrate through the particle stream five times within a period of no more than about one minute.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising consolidating the three particle coatings into three layers of optical material having different optical properties.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the consolidating of the three particle coatings is performed following the deposition of the three layers.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the consolidating of the three particle coatings is performed in at least two heating steps with at least one of the heating steps being performed prior to completing the deposition of the three particles coatings.

16. A method for forming a monolithic optical structure, the method comprising performing multiple passes of a structure through a flowing stream of product particle wherein the composition of the product particles changes between passes and wherein the product particles form multiple layers, each layer having an optical material following consolidation with a plurality of layers having an isolated pathway confined within a portion of the layer.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the stream of particles has a cross section characterized by a major axis and a minor axis with the major axis being at least a factor of five larger than the minor axis.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the major axis is sufficiently large that the product stream simultaneously coats the structure along an entire linear dimension extending across the structure resulting in the deposition of an entire coating of the structure with one linear pass through the product stream.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the stream of particles is formed in a reaction driven by a focused radiation beam that intersects a flowing reactant stream.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the flowing reactant stream comprises an aerosol.