Optical elements made from ceramics comprising one or more oxides of Y, Sc, in and/or lanthanide elements and mapping optics including the optical elements

US7751123B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Schott AG · DE

Inventors

• Jose Zimmer · Ingelheim am Rhein, DE
• Ulrich Peuchert · Bodenheim, DE
• Jochen Alkemper · Klein-Winternheim, DE
• Martin Letz · Mainz, DE
• Steffen Reichel · Mehlingen, DE
• Yoshio Okano · Seto, JP
• Yvonne Menke · Mainz, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 13, 2007
• Grant date: Jul 6, 2010
• Expiry date: Aug 22, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S501/904
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The refractive, transmissive or diffractive optical elements are made from a ceramic containing one or more oxides of the type X2O3, which is transmissive for visible light and/or for infrared radiation and which has a cubic crystal structure analogous to that of Y2O3. In preferred embodiments X is Y, Sc, In, or a lanthanide element, namely La to Lu, and in particular is Lu, Yb, Gd, or La. Also mixtures of oxides of the type X2O3 with oxides having different stoichiometries, such as HfO2 and/or ZrO2, may be present, as long as the cubic structure of the ceramic is maintained.