Micro benchtop optics by bulk silicon micromachining
US6071426A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 8, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 6, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 8, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B2006/12104
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics of bulk silicon and integrating the parallel etch planes of silicon with silicon wafer bonding and impurity doping, enables the fabrication of on-chip optics with in situ aligned etched grooves for optical fibers, micro-lenses, photodiodes, and laser diodes. Other optical components that can be microfabricated and integrated include semi-transparent beam splitters, micro-optical scanners, pinholes, optical gratings, micro-optical filters, etc. Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics thereof can be utilized to develop miniaturization of bio-instrumentation such as wavelength monitoring by fluorescence spectrometers, and other miniaturized optical systems such as Fabry-Perot interferometry for filtering of wavelengths, tunable cavity lasers, micro-holography modules, and wavelength splitters for optical communication systems.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.