University of Rochester

Apollo Optical Systems LLC

Corning Incorporated

Rpc Photonics, Inc.

Rochester Photonics Corporation

Other

G Michael Morris

Dale A Buralli

Richard J Federico

Donald J Schertler

Stephen H Chakmakjian

Tasso Sales

Tasso R M Sales

Kevin J McIntyre

Kevin Spaulding

Yasuhiro Yoshitake

Daniel Henri Raguin

Joachim Bunkenburg

Dean Faklis

Kenneth Francis Walsh

Geoffrey Gretton

David Kay

Michael D Missig

Tasso R Sales

Peter M Emmel

David Kubalak

Optical devices for guiding illumination are provided each having a body of optical material with staircase or acutely angled ramp structures on its top surface for distributing light inputted from one end of the device from the front exit faces of such structures along certain angular orientations, while at least a substantial portion of the light is totally internally reflected within the body until distributed from such front exit faces. Optical devices are also provided each have a body of optical material having a bottom surface with acutely angled ramp structures and falling structures which alternate with each other, such that light is totally internally reflected within the device until reflected by such ramp structures along the bottom surface to exit the top surface of the device or transmitted through the ramp structures to an adjacent falling structure back into the device. Acutely angled ramp structures may be provided on both top and bottom surfaces of optical devices for distributing light along such top surface. Illumination apparatuses are also provided using such optical devices.

Optical devices for guiding illumination

Lighting devices are provided for efficiently distributing light over an area to provided uniform illumination over a wide angle or other tailored illumination patterns. Each light device has at least one light source, at least one collimator for partially collimating light from the light source, and at least one diffuser for diffusing light from the collimator. The diffuser provides diffused light over an area from the diffuser having an intensity that is angularly dependent in accordance with the angular distribution intensity of light outputted from the collimator, so as to provide a predetermined illumination pattern from the device. The light sources and collimators may be provided in one or two-dimensional arrays, and a single diffuser may be formed on each collimator or the diffuser may be along a plate spaced from the collimators.

Illumination devices

A bifocal multiorder diffractive lens having a lens body with one or more first regions having a first multiorder diffractive structure providing near vision correction, and one or more second regions having a second multiorder diffractive structure providing distance vision correction, in which the lens defines an aperture divided between the first and second regions. The lens body may be provided by a single optical element or multiple optical elements. In other embodiments, a bifocal multiorder diffractive lens is provided by a single or multiple element lens body having a multiorder diffractive structure for distance vision correction and one or more refractive regions to add power for near vision correction, or a single or multiple element lens body shaped for refractive power for distance vision correction and a multiorder diffractive structure for add power for near vision correction. Multiorder diffractive structures may be optimized for photopic and scotopic vision.

Bifocal multiorder diffractive lenses for vision correction

Diffractive lenses for vision correction are provided on a lens body having a first diffractive structure for splitting light into two or more diffractive orders to different focal distances or ranges, and a second diffractive structure, referred to as a multiorder diffractive (MOD) structure, for diffracting light at different wavelengths into a plurality of different diffractive orders to a common focal distance or range. In a bifocal application, the first and second diffractive structures in combination define the base power for distance vision correction and add power for near vision correction of the lens. The first and second diffractive structures may be combined on the same surface or located on different surfaces of the lens. The first diffractive structure may have blazed (i.e., sawtooth), sinusoidal, sinusoidal harmonic, square wave, or other shape profile. A sinusoidal harmonic diffractive structure is particularly useful in applications where smooth rather than sharp edges are desirable.

Diffractive lenses for vision correction

Microlens arrays () having high focusing efficiencies are provided. The high focusing efficiencies are achieved by accurately producing the individual microlenses making up the array at high fill factors. Arrays of positive microlenses are produced by forming a master having a concave surface-relief pattern () in a positive photoresist () using direct laser writing. Through this approach, the problems associated with the convolution of a finite laser beam with a desired profile for a microlens are overcome. The microlens arrays of the invention have focusing efficiencies of at least 75%.

Microlens arrays having high focusing efficiency

Structured screens for the controlled spreading, diffusion, or scattering of an incident beam are provided. The screens are composed of microstructures () whose configurations and distribution on the surfaces of the screen are precisely determined. In certain embodiments, the configurations and/or their distribution is randomized. The structured screens can be used as diffusing screens or display screens.

Structured screens for controlled spreading of light

Diffractive lenses for vision correction are provided on a lens body having a first diffractive structure for splitting light into two or more diffractive orders to different focal distances or ranges, and a second diffractive structure, referred to as a multiorder diffractive (MOD) structure, for diffracting light at different wavelengths into a plurality of different diffractive orders to a common focal distance or range. In a bifocal application, the first and second diffractive structures in combination define the base power for distance vision correction and add power for near vision correction of the lens. The first and second diffractive structures may be combined on the same surface or located on different surfaces of the lens. An optical element, such as a substrate or coating, may be integrated along one or both surfaces of the lens to provide the lens with smooth outer surface(s).

Microlens arrays ( ) having high focusing efficiencies are provided. The high focusing efficiencies are achieved by accurately producing the individual microlenses making up the array at high fill factors. Arrays of positive microlenses are produced by forming a master having a concave surface-relief pattern ( ) in a positive photoresist ( ) using direct laser writing. Through this approach, the problems associated with the convolution of a finite laser beam with a desired profile for a microlens are overcome. The microlens arrays of the invention have focusing efficiencies of at least 75%.

A system for projecting images is provided having a group of diffractive phase plates each encoded with different image information which have phase shifts aligned to reconstruct visible images in a Fraunhofer diffraction region. The plates are arranged along a path, and may represent successive frames of animation. A light source illuminates the plates and provides, when multiple plates are illuminated, a composite image representing image information encoded in such multiple plates. This composite image is a coincident superposition of reconstructed images from the multiple plates. A mechanism is provided for moving the plates along their path such that images projected from the system in the Fraunhofer diffraction region represent the composite image from successively different illuminated multiple plates or the reconstructed image from a single plate. Both monochromatic and multi-color channel phase plates may be used in the system.

Systems for projecting images from diffractive phase plates

Fabrication of arbitrary profile micro-optical structures (lenses, gratings, etc.) and, if desired, with optomechanical alignment marks simultaneously during fabrication is based upon the use of low-contrast photosensitive material that, when exposed to a spatially variable energy dosage of electromagnetic radiation, can be processed to achieve multi-level or continuous surface-relief microstructures. By varying the exposure dose spatially based upon predetermined contrast curves of the photosensitive material, arbitrary one-dimensional (1-D) or two-dimensional (2-D) surface contours, including spherical, aspherical, toroidal, hyperbolic, parabolic, and ellipsoidal, can be achieved with surface sags greater than 15 &mgr;m. Surface profiles with advanced phase correction terms (e.g., Zernike polynomials) can be added to increase the alignment tolerance and overall system performance of the fabricated structure can also be fabricated. The continuous-relief pattern can be used as is in the photosensitive material, transferred into the underlying substrate through an etch process, electroformed into a metal, or replicated into a polymer.

Method for making optical microstructures having profile heights exceeding fifteen microns

A lens shapes a diverging laser diode beam, and particularly circularizes and collimates, or diverges, or converges the beam. The lens may be part of an optical system, or part of a laser diode assembly. The lens is constituted of a body, the opposite ends of which are spaced from each other. The surfaces of the ends may be toric with the toric centers being coincident with the optical axis. The surfaces also have curvature profiles which circularize and collimates, or diverges, or converges collimates the beam. The curvature profile of one of the first and second surfaces has a correction profile which is a function of Zernike polynomials, thereby reducing wavefront error of the beam exiting the lens. The correction profile is also a function of the offset of the laser diode from the optical axis (misalignment), thereby increasing the misalignment tolerances for beam to lens centering. The curvature profiles of the surfaces may have correction for astigmatism in the beam shape produced by the laser diode. The body of the lens is a single body which may be composed of a single element, or multiple elements integrated into the single body.

Growing community of inventors

Victor, NY, United States of America

G Michael Morris