Light waveguide with a submicron aperture, method for manufacturing the waveguide and application of the waveguide in an optical memory
US4684206A · kind A · utility
33Cited by
6References
11Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 20, 1983 |
| Grant date | Aug 4, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 20, 2003 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01Q80/00
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
This light waveguide consists of an optically transparent body cut at one end to a sharp tip and polished optically flat at the other end. A metallization layer on its surface is thick enough to be opaque. By pressing the waveguide against a rigid plate the metallization is plastically deformed so as to expose a tiny aperture at the tip of the body through which light can pass. By carefully controlling the deformation of the metallization the diameter of the aperture can be kept between 10 and 500 nm. The waveguide can be incorporated in a semiconductor laser of a read/write head used in an optical storage device.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.