Method of fabricating anisotropic optical interference filter
US12000033B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 16, 2022 |
| Grant date | Jun 4, 2024 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 16, 2042 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B5/285
- WIPO fieldSurface technology, coating
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
In a method of manufacturing a one-dimensionally varying optical filter, a substrate is coated to form a stack of layers of two or more different types. The coating may, for example, employ sputtering, electron-beam evaporation, or thermal evaporation. During the coating, the time-averaged deposition rate is varied along an optical gradient direction by generating reciprocation between a shadow mask and the substrate in a reciprocation direction that is transverse to the optical gradient direction. In some approaches, the shadow mask is periodic with a mask period defined along the direction of reciprocation, and the generated reciprocation has a stroke equal to or greater than the mask period along the direction of reciprocation. The substrate and the shadow mask may also be rotated together as a unit during the coating. Also disclosed are one-dimensionally varying optical filters, such as linear variable filters, made by such methods.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.