Optical element and method of manufacturing optical element with each of first and second layers having a repetition structure

• US 7,929,209 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakai, Noriyuki, Arai, Kazuhiro, Sakamoto, Jun-ichi, Terada, Junji
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen; Stephone B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chapel; Derek S
• Application Number:
  US11/677,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20070201135A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,518 Days
• Field of Search: 359/486
• US Class Current: 359/485.05
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/002 made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/42 Diffraction optics , i.e. systems including a diffractive element being designed for providing a diffractive effectG02B27/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4261 having a diffractive element with major polarization dependent properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1809 with pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/126 using polarisation effects G02B6/1226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/136 by etching

Abstract

An optical element having a three-dimensional structure which can function in a visible range and can improve adherence at a structural interface of the element, and a method of manufacturing the optical element. The optical element includes a substrate, and at least a first layer and a second layer on the substrate are manufactured such that each of the first layer and the second layer has a repetition structure of spaces and structural parts at a pitch equal to or less than a wavelength of visible light, and at an interface between the first layer and the second layer, overlapped structures are provided in which the repetition structure of the first layer and the repetition structure of the second layer overlap in a stack direction of the layers.

Claims

1. An optical element comprising:

a substrate; and

a first layer formed on the substrate; and

a second layer formed on the first layer,

wherein the first layer comprises a repetition structure of spaces and linear structural parts at a pitch equal to or less than a wavelength of visible light,

wherein the second layer comprises a repetition structure of spaces and linear structural parts at a pitch equal to or less than a wavelength of visible light,

wherein the linear structural parts of the second layer are formed so as to cross over the spaces of the first layer,

wherein the linear structural parts of the first layer are elongated in a direction so as to contact multiple linear structural parts of the second layer, and

wherein upper portions of the structural parts of the first layer and lower portions of the structural parts of the second layer engage into each other in a range of 3 nm or more and 20 nm or less.

2. An optical element according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of layers between the substrate and the first layer, wherein the first layer is formed of an i-th layer and the second layer is formed of an (i+1)th layer counting from the substrate.

3. An optical element according to claim 1, wherein the pitch equal to or less than the wavelength of visible light in the first layer and the second layer is 10 nm or more and 200 nm or less.

4. An optical element according to claim 1, wherein the repetition structure of the first layer and the repetition structure of the second layer are formed of the same material.

5. An optical element according to claim 1, wherein the repetition structure of the first layer and the repetition structure of the second layer are formed of a dielectric material.