METHOD OF FABRICATING MICROSCALE OPTICAL STRUCTURES

• US 20110062111A1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Yeo, Jong-Souk, Lanig, Charlotte R.
• Application Number:
  US12/991,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20110062111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 216/24
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/04 Prisms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a microscale optical structure from a wafer, including: preparing the wafer with coatings of desired optical properties by depositing the coatings on an optically finished surface of the wafer; mounting the wafer on a supporting base having a releasable medium, with the optically finished surface adjacent the supporting base to protect the optically finished surface; forming additional surfaces of the optical structure at a desired angle and depth using a grinding blade having a cutting face at the angle, the grinding blade being configured to rotate about an axis; and polishing the additional surfaces of the optical structure by introducing a polishing material onto the wafer and using a polishing means to smooth the additional surfaces.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a microscale optical structure from a wafer, comprising:

preparing said wafer with coatings of desired optical properties by depositing said coatings on an optically finished surface of said wafer;

mounting said wafer on a supporting base having a releasable medium, with said optically finished surface adjacent said supporting base to protect said optically finished surface;

forming additional surfaces of said optical structure at a desired angle and depth in said wafer using a grinding blade having a cutting face at said angle, said grinding blade being configured to rotate about an axis; and

polishing said additional surfaces of said optical structure by introducing a polishing material onto said wafer and using a polishing means to smooth said additional surfaces.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said polishing means is a polishing blade having a smooth face comprising a polishing medium at said angle, said polishing blade being configured to rotate about an axis.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said grinding blade and said polishing blade are mounted on a single rotatable spindle.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said grinding blade and said polishing blade are mounted on different rotatable spindles.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said spindles comprise a plurality of blades.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said optical structure is a prism.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said polishing means is a polishing etch.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of cleaning said additional surfaces and depositing optical coatings comprising desired properties on said additional surfaces of said optical structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said grinding blade comprises two cutting faces at said angle.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said grinding blade comprises an inset portion having two cutting faces at said angle.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein an end of said grinding blade comprises a flat portion.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said releasable medium comprises a water soluble adhesive, and further comprising the step of releasing said optical structure from said supporting substrate for use as a discrete component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said releasable medium comprises a thermal release adhesive, and further comprising the step of releasing said optical structure from said supporting substrate for use as a discrete component.

14. A method for manufacturing a microscale optical structure from a substrate, comprising:

mounting said substrate on a supporting base having a releasable medium;

cutting an unpolished surface of said optical structure at a desired angle and depth in said wafer using a cutting means oriented at said angle, said cutting means being configured to rotate about an axis; and

polishing said unpolished surface of said optical structure by introducing a polishing material onto said wafer and using a polishing means to smooth said unpolished surface.

15. An apparatus for fabricating microscale optical structures from a wafer, comprising:

at least one blade mounted to at least one rotating spindle;

said at least one blade being a grinding blade having an angled cutting face for cutting a surface of a microscale optical structure at an angle; and

a polishing means for polishing said optical structure at said angle;

wherein said at least one blade is configured to cut a surface of a substrate at said angle for fabricating microscale optical structures.