Processes for producing tunable optical cavities
First Claim
1. A method of producing a device that includes a tunable optical cavity structure with a light-transmissive region between first and second inward light-reflection components;
- the method comprising;
fabricating the optical cavity structure so that it includes an analyte region that can contain analyte within the light-transmissive region and a tuning structure;
the tuning structure responding to tuning signals by moving the first and second inward light-reflection components to any of a set of positions relative to each other;
presence of the analyte in the analyte region affecting the optical cavity'"'"'s output light;
the act of fabricating the optical cavity structure including;
wherein fabricating the tuning structure includes;
forming one or more deformable components connected so that deformation of at least one of the deformable components causes the first and second inward light-reflective components to move within the set of positions;
at least one of the deformable components bounding in part the analyte region; and
coupling at least one signal-responsive component to receive the tuning signals and, in response, cause deformation of at least one of the deformable components that bound in part the analyte region.
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Abstract
A tunable optical cavity can be tuned by relative movement between two reflection surfaces, such as by deforming elastomer spacers connected between mirrors or other light-reflective components that include the reflection surfaces. The optical cavity structure includes an analyte region in its light-transmissive region, and presence of analyte in the analyte region affects output light when the optical cavity is tuned to a set of positions. Electrodes that cause deformation of the spacers can also be used to capacitively sense the distance between them. Control circuitry that provides tuning signals can cause continuous movement across a range of positions, allowing continuous photosensing of analyte-affected output light by a detector.
149 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of producing a device that includes a tunable optical cavity structure with a light-transmissive region between first and second inward light-reflection components;
- the method comprising;
fabricating the optical cavity structure so that it includes an analyte region that can contain analyte within the light-transmissive region and a tuning structure;
the tuning structure responding to tuning signals by moving the first and second inward light-reflection components to any of a set of positions relative to each other;
presence of the analyte in the analyte region affecting the optical cavity'"'"'s output light;
the act of fabricating the optical cavity structure including;wherein fabricating the tuning structure includes; forming one or more deformable components connected so that deformation of at least one of the deformable components causes the first and second inward light-reflective components to move within the set of positions;
at least one of the deformable components bounding in part the analyte region; andcoupling at least one signal-responsive component to receive the tuning signals and, in response, cause deformation of at least one of the deformable components that bound in part the analyte region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
- the method comprising;
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7. A method of producing an optical cavity device, the method comprising:
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fabricating an optical cavity device that includes; first and second light-reflective components with a light-transmissive region between them, each of the light-reflective components being able to reflect light into the light-transmissive region; and a tuning structure that, in response to tuning signals, can move the first and second light-reflective components to any of a set of positions relative to each other;
the tuning structure including;one or more deformable components connected so that deformation of at least one of the deformable components causes the first and second light-reflective components to move within the set of positions; and at least one signal-responsive component that receives the tuning signals and, in response, causes deformation of at least one of the deformable component; the act of fabricating the optical cavity device comprising; fabricating the optical cavity device with an analyte region within the light-transmissive region, the analyte region being capable of having an analyte in it, the set of positions including a subset of one or more positions in which the first and second light-reflective components and the light-transmissive region with analyte in the analyte region can operate as an optical cavity that provides analyte-affected output light, the analyte-affected output light including information about one or more optical characteristics of the analyte; wherein fabricating the optical cavity device comprises; forming an underlying structure that includes the first light-reflective component on a photosensitive surface of a photosensing component; after forming the underlying structure, depositing and patterning a layer of elastomer to produce the deformable components; and after depositing and patterning the layer of elastomer, attaching an overlying structure over the deformable components, the overlying structure including the second light-reflective component. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of producing an optical cavity device, the method comprising:
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fabricating an optical cavity device that includes; arranging first and second light-reflective components with a light-transmissive region between them, each of the light-reflective components being able to reflect light into the light-transmissive region; and coupling one or more deformable components to the first and second light-reflective components so that deformation of at least one of the deformable components causes the first and second light-reflective components to move within a set of positions relative to each other; the act of fabricating the optical cavity device comprising; fabricating the optical cavity device with an analyte region within the light-transmissive region, the analyte region being capable of having an analyte in it, the set of positions including a subset of one or more positions in which the first and second light-reflective components and the light transmissive region with analyte in the analyte region can operate as an optical cavity that provides analyte-affected output light, the analyte-affected output light including information about one or more optical characteristics of the analyte; the act of fabricating the optical cavity device further comprising one of; (a) photosensing the optical cavity'"'"'s output light and causing one or more of the deformable components to be deformed into a sequence of shapes until the optical cavity'"'"'s output light meets a criterion; and (b) sensing capacitance between first and second electrodes on opposite surfaces of one of the deformable components and causing one or more of the deformable components to be deformed into a sequence of shapes until the sensed capacitance between the first and second electrodes is a desired capacitance.
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Specification