High efficiency monolithic glass light shaping diffuser and method of making
First Claim
1. A method of making a light shaping surface diffuser, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a diffuser submaster of a relatively soft flexible material with at least a first surface and having a plurality of light shaping structures carried on the first surface;
forming a monolithic oxide glass substrate from a solution of a sol-gel material comprising;
recording the plurality of light shaping structures from the diffuser submaster onto a surface of the glass substrate; and
heat treating the glass substrate at a temperature greater than or equal to approximately 1000°
C.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A surface light shaping diffuser (LSD) is formed from a monolithic glass material by recording light shaping structures on a surface of the material during its formation. A surface LSD is produced by embossing or molding light shaping structures onto a high quality optical glass or by embossing light shaping structures on a glass film layer coated onto a substrate. A rubber submaster carrying the light shaping structures is used as the master in such diffusers control the angular spread of transmitted light while homogenizing otherwise spatially noisy light sources such as LCDs and filamented light sources and while maintaining damage thresholds consistent with any glass optical element. The surface LSD has a transmission efficiency of over 90% from the Ultraviolet wavelengths through the physical spectrum and into the near-infrared.
50 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of making a light shaping surface diffuser, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a diffuser submaster of a relatively soft flexible material with at least a first surface and having a plurality of light shaping structures carried on the first surface; forming a monolithic oxide glass substrate from a solution of a sol-gel material comprising; recording the plurality of light shaping structures from the diffuser submaster onto a surface of the glass substrate; and heat treating the glass substrate at a temperature greater than or equal to approximately 1000°
C. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20)
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13. A method of making a surface light shaping diffuser, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a diffuser submaster of a relatively soft flexible rubber material with at least a first surface and having a plurality of light shaping structures carried on the first surface; preparing a sol-gel solution from a metal alkoxide, an amount of water and a solvent; causing a sol-to-gel transition of the sol-gel solution to form a gel; aging the gel to produce a porous glass; pressing the first surface of the diffuser submaster into contact with the gel during the step of aging to record the plurality of light shaping structures onto a surface of the porous glass; separating the submaster diffuser from the porous glass; and heat treating the porous glass at a temperature greater than or equal to approximately 1000°
C. to form a generally non-porous and consolidated monolithic glass substrate. - View Dependent Claims (21)
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14. A method of making a surface light shaping diffuser, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a diffuser submaster of a relatively soft flexible rubber material with at least a first surface and having a plurality of light shaping structures carried on the first surface; preparing a sol-gel solution from a metal alkoxide, an amount of water and a solvent; coating a film layer of the sol-gel solution onto a base substrate; causing a sol-to-gel transition of the film layer to form a gel; aging the film layer to produce a porous glass layer; pressing the first surface of the diffuser submaster into contact with the film layer during the step of aging to record the plurality of light shaping structures onto the porous glass film layer; separating the submaster diffuser from the porous glass layer; and heat treating the porous glass layer at a temperature greater than or equal to approximately 1000°
C. to form a generally non-porous and consolidated monolithic glass layer on the base substrate. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 22)
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17. A method of making a surface light shaping diffuser, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a casting mold having a diffuser submaster surface on at least a portion of an interior surface of the mold, wherein the diffuser submaster surface is of a relatively soft flexible rubber material having a plurality of light shaping structures carried thereon; preparing a sol-gel solution from a metal alkoxide, an amount of water and a solvent; inserting the sol-gel solution into the casting mold so that the plurality of light shaping structures contact the sol-gel solution; causing a sol-to-gel transition of the sol-gel solution to form a gel; aging the film layer to produce a porous glass having the plurality of light shaping structures recorded onto a surface of the porous glass; and heat treating the porous glass at a temperature greater than or equal to approximately 1000°
C. to form a generally non-porous and consolidated monolithic glass substrate. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 23)
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Specification