Optical coupling arrangement
First Claim
1. A method for manufacturing an optical coupling arrangement comprising a substrate waveguide and at least one coupling element for coupling optical radiation between the substrate waveguide and the environment, the method comprising:
- making both the substrate waveguide and at least one diffractive coupling element of polymer material at a same time in one replication process, the process comprisingforming both the substrate waveguide and at least one diffractive coupling element of the polymer material by placing the polymer material against a replication mould comprising a surface profile model of at least one diffractive coupling element that is patterned into the replication mould by means of micro lithography.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an optical coupling arrangement, and a specific coupling arrangement. A substrate waveguide (306) and at least one coupling element (304, 306) in the coupling arrangement are made of polymer material in the same replication process at the same time. At least one diffractive coupling element (304, 306) is then formed in the polymer material by placing the polymer material against a replication mould, which comprises a surface profile model of at least one diffractive coupling element (304, 306) that is patterned into the replication mould by means of micro lithography.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for manufacturing an optical coupling arrangement comprising a substrate waveguide and at least one coupling element for coupling optical radiation between the substrate waveguide and the environment, the method comprising:
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making both the substrate waveguide and at least one diffractive coupling element of polymer material at a same time in one replication process, the process comprising forming both the substrate waveguide and at least one diffractive coupling element of the polymer material by placing the polymer material against a replication mould comprising a surface profile model of at least one diffractive coupling element that is patterned into the replication mould by means of micro lithography. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An optical coupling arrangement comprising a substrate waveguide and at least one coupling element for coupling optical radiation between the substrate waveguide and the environment, wherein the substrate waveguide and at least one coupling element in the coupling arrangement are made of polymer material and manufactured at the same time in the same replication process, and
both the substrate waveguide and at least one diffractive coupling element of the substrate waveguide are simultaneously manufactured by placing the polymer material against a replication mould comprising a surface profile model of at least one diffractive coupling element that is patterned into the replication mould by means of micro lithography.
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9. An apparatus for manufacturing an optical coupling arrangement, the coupling arrangement comprising a substrate waveguide and at least one coupling element for coupling optical radiation between the waveguide structure and the environment, wherein the apparatus comprises a replication mould,
the replication mould is for polymer material, the replication mould is for manufacturing the substrate waveguide at least one diffractive coupling element associated with the substrate waveguide at the same replication time, the replication mould comprises a surface profile model of at least one diffractive coupling element, the surface profile model of the diffractive coupling element is patterned into the replication mould by means of micro lithography, and the apparatus is arranged to form both the substrate and at least one diffractive coupling element in the polymer material in the substrate waveguide by placing the polymer material of the substrate waveguide against the replication mould and the surface profile model.
Specification