Patent · US Expired

Thin film optical waveguide

US4111523A · kind A · utility

48Cited by
4References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 3, 1976
Grant dateSep 5, 1978
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 3, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/035
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

It is known to form an optical waveguiding thin film on a substrate. For various practical reasons, it is often desired that an optical beam coupled to the film be laterally confined so as to propagate only in a longitudinal stripe portion of the film. As disclosed herein, this is accomplished by depositing spaced-apart elements in contact with one surface of the film to establish in a narrow longitudinal region of the film between the elements an effective index of refraction that is higher than the index of the remainder of the film. In this way a longitudinal waveguiding stripe is formed on the film without the necessity of irradiating, etching or otherwise directly treating the film itself.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.