Method for producing an optical component, optical component produced according to the method and devices comprising such components

• US 20060171033A1
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Schott AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Schreder, Bianca, Pawlowski, Edgar, Zimmer, Jose
• Granted Patent: US 8,062,753 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/566
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00 Producing optical elements, e.g. lenses or prisms grinding or polishing of optical elements B24B; constructional form of optical elements G02B; optical parts of spectacles G02C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00769 Producing diffraction gratings
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2011/0075 Light guides, optical cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1857 using exposure or etching means, e.g. holography, photolithography, exposure to electron or ion beams
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/005 Optical components external to the laser cavity, specially adapted therefor, e.g. for homogenisation or merging of the beams or for manipulating laser pulses, e.g. pulse shaping H01S5/026, H01S5/18388 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0656 Seeding, i.e. an additional light input is provided for controlling the laser modes, for example by back-reflecting light from an external optical component H01S5/14, H01S5/4062 and H01S5/4006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4031 Edge-emitting structures
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249921 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component

Abstract

In order to more simply and cost-effectively produce optical components or systems having at least two optical elements, preferably at least one diffractive element and a further refractive and/or diffractive element, and preferably to improve the optical properties of such components and systems, the invention relates to an optical component having a diffractive and/or refractive element which comprises a photosensitive glass and/or a photosensitive glass ceramic, which have structures influencing the light propagation at least in a part of their volume. The invention also relates to a method for producing such an optical component.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. An optical component having a diffractive element and/or refractive element, comprising:

a photosensitive glass and/or a photosensitive glass ceramic; and

a plurality of structures influencing propagation of light in at least a part of the photosensitive glass and/or a photosensitive glass ceramic.

32. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic have refractive index changes in the part.

33. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic has a surface produced by pressing under the action of heat and wherein the plurality of structures are produced by exposure.

34. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic comprises photosensitive glass having a blank-pressed surface.

35. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic comprise an oxidic glass that has a transmission band in at least a portion of a visible spectral range.

36. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass comprises a chalcogenide glass that has a transmission band in at least a portion of the infrared spectral range.

37. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic comprises photosensitive alkali aluminosilicate glasses and/or photosensitive alkali aluminosilicate glass ceramics.

38. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic are doped with Ag₂O and CeO₂.

39. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic comprise the following composition in weight percent:

SiO₂ 20 to 80;

Ag₂O 0.01 to 0.4;

CeO₂ 0.01 to 0.4;

Sb₂O₃ 0 to 1;

B₂O₃ 0 to 5;

Al₂O₃ 3 to 25;

Li₂O 0 to 15;

Na₂O 1 to 25;

K₂O 0 to 5;

ZnO 1 to 10;

MgO 0 to 5;

CaO 0 to 5;

BaO 0 to 10;

Br₂ 0 to 5;

F₂ 0 to 5;

P₂O₅ 0 to 7;

ZrO₂ 0 to 10;

As₂O₃ 0 to 2;

TiO₂ 0 to 5;

Gd₂O₃ 0 to 20;

La₂O₃ 0 to 12; and

Ta₂O₅ 0 to 15.

40. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass comprise the following composition in weight percent:

SiO₂ 53 to 72;

Ag₂O 0.02 to 0.2;

CeO₂ 0.02 to 0.06;

Sb₂O₃ 0 to 0.6;

B₂O₃ 0 to 3;

Al₂O₃ 4 to 20;

Li₂O 0 to 10;

Na₂O 1 to 20;

K₂O 0 to 5;

ZnO 1 to 10;

MgO 0 to 5;

CaO 0 to 4;

BaO 0 to 8;

Br₂ 0 to 5;

F₂ 0 to 4;

P₂O₅ 0 to 5;

ZrO₂ 0 to 6;

As₂O₃ 0 to 2;

TiO₂ 0 to 4;

Gd₂O₃ 0 to 18;

La₂O₃ 0 to 10; and

Ta₂O₅ 0 to 13.

41. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive comprise the following composition in weight percent:

SiO₂ 55 to 70;

Ag₂O 0.03 to 0.1;

CeO₂ 0.02 to 0.04;

Sb₂O₃ 0 to 0.6;

B₂O₃ 0 to 3;

Al₂O₃ 4 to 12;

Li₂O 0 to 6;

Na₂O 1 to 17;

K₂O 0 to 4;

ZnO 1 to 10;

MgO 0 to 4;

CaO 0 to 4;

BaO 0 to 6;

Br₂ 0 to 4;

F₂ 0 to 3;

P₂O₅ 0 to 4;

ZrO₂ 0 to 5;

As₂O₃ O to 2;

TiO₂ 0 to 3;

Gd₂O₃ 0 to 15;

La₂O₃ 0 to 8; and

Ta₂O₅ 0 to 10.

42. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, further comprises sensitizers and/or activators for photostructuring.

43. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic further comprises photosensitive elements selected from the group consisting of Cu, Ag, Au, and Ce³⁺.

44. The optical component as claimed in claim 37, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic further comprises halides for photostructuring selected from group consisting of F, Br, Cl, and I.

45. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, wherein the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic has a refractive index modulation of at least 10⁻

4.

46. The optical component as claimed in claim 45, wherein the refractive index modulation is generated by a process selected from the group consisting of laser structuring, UV laser structuring, and fs IR laser structuring.

47. The optical component as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a fast axis collimating lens and a first diffractive optical element, wherein said first diffractive optical element is defined at least in part by an refractive index modulation of the photosensitive glass and/or the photosensitive glass ceramic.

48. The optical component as claimed in claim 47, wherein the fast axis collimating lens comprises a cylinder lens having a refractive optical element.

49. The optical component as claimed in claim 47, further wherein the fast axis collimating lens comprises a cylinder lens having an aspherical surface.

50. The optical component as claimed in claim 48, further comprising a second diffractive optical element arranged on the refractive optical element.

51. The optical component as claimed in claim 50, wherein the second diffractive optical element is arranged in a plane lying opposite a refractive surface of the refractive optical element.

52. The optical component as claimed in claim 51, wherein the first and/or second diffractive element together with the refractive surface defines an aspherical cylinder lens.

53. The optical component as claimed in claim 49, wherein the cylinder lens is a fast axis collimating lens assigned to at least one semiconductor laser in a semiconductor array.

54. The optical component as claimed in claim 48, further comprising a diffractive element for the production of a multi-lens imaging system.

55. An optical component comprising:

a composite element having a first optical element and a second optical element, the first optical element including a first photosensitive glass having a first transformation temperature and a plurality of structures, the plurality of structures influencing light propagation, the second optical element having a second glass having a second transformation temperature,

wherein the first transformation temperature has a higher value than the second transformation temperature, and wherein the second glass is joined together directly with the first glass along a common surface region.

56. A method for producing an optical component, comprising:

forming a melt under oxidizing conditions, said melt having SiO₂ 20 to 80 weight percent, Ag₂O 0.01 to 0.4 weight percent, CeO₂ 0.01 to 0.4 weight percent, Sb₂O₃ 0 to 1 weight percent, B₂O₃ 0 to 5 weight percent, Al₂O₃ 3 to 25 weight percent, Li₂O 0 to 15 weight percent, Na₂O 1 to 25 weight percent, K₂O 0 to 5 weight percent, ZnO 1 to 10 weight percent, MgO 0 to 5 weight percent, CaO 0 to 5 weight percent, BaO 0 to 10 weight percent, Br₂ 0 to 5 weight percent, F₂ 0 to 5 weight percent, P₂O₅ 0 to 7 weight percent, ZrO₂ 0 to 10 weight percent, As₂O₃ 0 to 2 weight percent, TiO₂ 0 to 5 weight percent, Gd₂O₃ 0 to 20 weight percent, La₂O₃ 0 to 12 weight percent, and Ta₂O₅ 0 to 15 weight percent;

shaping a first optical element from the melt; and

forming a plurality of structures influencing propagation of light on the first optical element.

57. The method as claimed in claim 56, further comprising passing oxygen through the melt.

58. The method as claimed in claim 56, wherein the shaping of the first optical element comprises a process selected from the group consisting of hot shaping, pressing, embossing, fine embossing, blank pressing, and precise pressing.

59. The method as claimed in claim 58, wherein the plurality of structures are formed after shaping the first optical element.

60. A method as claimed in claim 56, further comprising:

heating a second optical element and bringing the second optical element in contact the first optical element, wherein the first optical element has a first transformation temperature and the second optical element has a second transformation temperature, wherein the first transformation temperature is different than the second transformation temperature.