Methods of forming film-based lightguides
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of manufacturing a lightguide, the method comprising:
- cutting into a first region of a film using a first cutting process with a first cutting device to form a plurality of slits in the film defining light reflecting lateral edge surfaces for each of a plurality of coupling lightguides extending from a body of a film; and
cutting in a second region of the film different than the first region using a second cutting process different than the first cutting process with a second cutting device different from the first cutting device,wherein the first cutting process forms the lateral edges with a higher quality surface finish sufficient for optical propagation of light by reflection from the lateral edge surfaces in the first region measured by an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of the lateral edge surfaces lower than an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of edge surfaces of the film formed by the second cutting process in the second region with a lower quality surface finish.
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a lightguide includes cutting into a first region of a film using a first cutting process with a first cutting device to form a plurality of slits in the film defining lateral edges for each of a plurality of coupling lightguides extending from a body of a film, and cutting in a second region of the film different than the first region using a second cutting process different than the first cutting process with a second cutting device.
173 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing a lightguide, the method comprising:
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cutting into a first region of a film using a first cutting process with a first cutting device to form a plurality of slits in the film defining light reflecting lateral edge surfaces for each of a plurality of coupling lightguides extending from a body of a film; and cutting in a second region of the film different than the first region using a second cutting process different than the first cutting process with a second cutting device different from the first cutting device, wherein the first cutting process forms the lateral edges with a higher quality surface finish sufficient for optical propagation of light by reflection from the lateral edge surfaces in the first region measured by an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of the lateral edge surfaces lower than an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of edge surfaces of the film formed by the second cutting process in the second region with a lower quality surface finish. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of manufacturing a film-based lightguide, the method comprising:
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cutting a film using a first cutting device in a first region the film to form first edge surfaces; and cutting the film using a second cutting device different than the first cutting device in a second region of the film different than the first region of the film, to create lateral edge surfaces defining an array of coupling lightguides extending from a body of the film, wherein an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of the lateral edge surfaces is less than an arithmetic mean roughness parameter of the first edge surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of forming a plurality of coupling lightguides in a film, the method comprising:
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cutting a first region of the film using at least one first cutting device to form a plurality of first edge surfaces of the film defining a plurality of openings that do not extend into a body of the film; inserting one or more knives through the plurality of openings; and translating the one or more knives relative to the film or translating the film relative to the one or more knives after inserting the one or more knives through the plurality of openings to cut the film and form lateral edge surfaces defining lateral light reflecting surfaces of a plurality of coupling lightguides extending from the body of the film in a second region different than the first region. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification