Heavy metal oxide thin films active and passive planar waveguide and optical devices

• US 20060142139A1
• Filed: 05/27/2003
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Thorlabs Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Thorlabs Incorporated
• Inventors: Saad, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US10/515,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20060142139A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 501/37
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 13/042 Fluoride glass compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 13/048 Silica-free oxide glass compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/23 Oxides C03C17/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/23 Mixtures
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 25/1061 Inorganic coatings

Abstract

The purpose of the invention is heavy metal oxide thin films and their applications. These thin films will serve to produce doped and undoped planar wave-guides and planar lightwave circuit (PLC) for passive and active optical devices (amplifier, laser, filter, multiplexer, attenuators and . . . ). These thin films present low loss, good chemical and thermal stability and wide optical transmission window, high solubility of all rare earth ions and transition metals ions . . . . They can be deposited on different substrates.

Claims

1. :

Heavy metal oxide thin films composition (X in % molar);

X₁ % M₁O_n1-X₂ % M₂O_n2-X₃ % M₃O_n3-X₄ % M₄O_n4-X₅ % M₅O_n5-X₆ % M₆O_n6

40≦

X₁≦

100%

0≦

X₂≦

60%

0≦

X₃≦

60%

0≦

X₄≦

60%

0≦

X₅≦

60%

0≦

X₆≦

50%

0≦

X₂+X₃+X₄+X₅+X₆≦

60%

3. :

The cation M1 according to claim 1 is at least one of cations selected among Zr, Hf, Ti, Zn and Cd

4. :

the cation M2 according to claim 1 is at least one of cations selected from alkaline earth metal, Barium and or strontium, and or calcium and or magnesium

5. :

The cation M3 according to claim 1 is at least one of cations selected in alkali element cations, Lithium, Sodium, Potassium . . . .

7. :

The cation M5 according to claim 1 is at least one cation from the group 4A consisting of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb

8. :

The cation M6 according to claim 1 is at least one cation from 3B group of periodic table consisting of Sc, Y, La

9. :

The oxide thin films according to claim 1 which contain at least one element from photosensitive ions and not limited to Ge, Ce, Sn

10. :

The heavy oxide thin films according to claim 1 which contain at least 0.05% of at least one of transition metal oxides selected from the group consisting of Co, V, Cr, Ag, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, . . .

11. :

The Heavy metal oxide thin films according to claim 1 which contain at least 0.01 w % of at least one of rare-earth oxide selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Er, Pr, Nd, Tm, Ho, Dy, Yb . . .

12. :

Thin films according to claim 11 is dried at a temperature higher than 20C in air or under reactive or inert gas atmosphere, containing at least one element, and not limited to, from CCl.sub.4, Cl.sub.2, O.sub.2, N.sub.2, He, Ar, Ne, H.sub.2, HCl, HF, F.sub.2, HBr, H.sub.2.S, SF.sub.6 . . . .

13. :

Thin films according to claim 10 is dried at a temperature higher than 20C in air or under reactive or inert gas atmosphere, containing at least one element, and not limited to, from CCl.sub.4, Cl.sub.2, O.sub.2, N.sub.2, He, Ar, Ne, H.sub.2, HCl, HF, F.sub.2, HBr, H.sub.2.S, SF.sub.6 . . .

14. :

The thin films according to claim 11 which contain at least 0.1% of photosensitive element such as GeO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2 and SnO.sub.2

15. :

the thin films according to claim 10 which contain at least 0.1% of photosensitive element such as GeO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2 and SnO.sub.2

16. :

Thin films according to claim 1 is deposited as Multilayer oxide thin films

17. :

Multilayer oxide thin films according to claim 14 is doped with at least 0.01% of at least one of rare-earth oxide selected from the group consisting of La, Ce, Er, Pr, Nd, Tm, Ho, Dy, Yb . . .

18. :

Thin films according to claim 1 is dried at a temperature higher than 20C in air or under reactive or inert gas atmosphere, containing at least one element, and not limited to, from CCl.sub.4, Cl.sub.2, O.sub.2, N.sub.2, He, Ar, Ne, H.sub.2, HCl, HF, F.sub.2, HBr, H.sub.2S, SF.sub.6 . . .

19. :

The heavy metal oxide thin films according to claim 1 which contain at least 0.01% of at least one of actinide ions.

20. :

Thin films according to claim 1 is used as a cladding for fluoride glass fibers

21. :

Thin film according to claim 1 is used as protecting coating for fluoride glass fibers

22. :

Thin film according to claim 1 is a cladding for an optical fiber

23. :

Thin film according to claim 1 is a core of an optical fiber

24. :

Thin film according to claim 11 is a core of an optical fiber

25. :

Thin film according to claim 10 is a core of an optical fiber

26. :

Thin film according to claim 16 is used as multi-cladding for an optical fiber

27. :

Thin film according to claim 1 is used in optical devices

28. :

Thin film according to claim 12 is used in optical devices

29. :

Thin film according to claim 13 is used in optical devices

30. :

Thin film according to claim 16 is used in optical devices

31. :

Thin film according to claim 17 is used in optical devices

32. :

Thin film according to claim 9 is used in optical devices

33. :

Thin film according to claim 14 is used in optical devices

34. :

Thin film according to claim 15 is used in optical devices

35. :

thin film according to claim 1 are used as protection and/or antireflection coating on infrared amorphous materials, such as and not limited to halide glasses, oxy-halide glasses, chalcogenide glasses, Germanium oxide based glasses . . .

36. :

thin film according to claim 1 are used as protection and/or antireflection coating on crystalline infrared materials, such as and not limited to, sapphire (Al2O3), ZnS, ZnSe, yttrium oxide (Y2O3).

37. :

Thin film according to claim 19 are used as optical filters.

38. :

Thin films according to claim 11 are used as optical filters.

2. The constituent of the heavy metal oxide thin films are selected from transition metal, lanthanide ions, actinide elements, and elements of group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb of the periodic table.

6. :

the cation M4 is at least one cations selected from the group 3A in periodic table consisting of Al, Ga, In . . .