Other

Datong Yang

James W Holm-Kennedy

Koon Wing Tsang

A top incident spectrometer includes a first distributed wavelength wedge filter region of order n.sub.1 that discriminates incoming radiation as a function of wedge location, at least one second wedge region order n.sub.2 (which region may be a graded dielectric film), and an underlying detector array. In another embodiment, a second dielectric wedge element includes a Fabrey-Perot etalon, a wedge dielectric film, or a graded index film matching the second dielectric wedge region to an underlying substrate. One or more slopes associated with wedge elements may also be varied to alter filter characteristics. Spatial characteristics may further be modified by including a dielectric material whose dielectric constant varies as a function of location. Wedge filter crosstalk is minimized by partitioning a wedge dielectric region in the lateral dimension. Another embodiment provides an edge incident spectrometer including an optical waveguide or thin film structure whose spatial optical impedance varies as a function of position. Outcoupling of optical radiation occurs as a function of wavelength along the spectrometer propagation direction. Outcoupling of optical radiation may also be made to overlying structures, or to regions within a common, preferably solid state, structure. Wedge structures may further be combined to intentionally create gaps in the spectral transmission for a filter structure. A shadow masking fabricates thin film elements having spatially varying features. A material is deposited onto a substrate using an edge to provide a shadow mask affecting the deposition stream.

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Vancouver, Canada

Datong Yang