Hughes Aircraft Company

Lee W Tutt

Stephen W McCahon

John E Jensen

Optically sensitive materials such as sensors or the human eye are passively protected against overexposure to high intensity lig

Passive protection of optically sensitive materials with

Optically sensitive materials such as sensors or the human eye are passively protected against overexposure to high intensity light in the visible range using a reverse saturable absorber organometallic cluster compound having a core of at least two multiply-bonded transition metal atoms selected from group 8, 6b, or 7b of the periodic table. The core atoms are bound together with ligands that permit the formation of a complex. A preferred organometallic cluster compound is cyclopentadienyl iron carbonyl tetramer. As the intensity of incident light increases, the intensity of transmitted light also increases up to a satur

Passive protection of optically sensitive materials with transition

Optically sensitive materials (18) such as sensors or the human eye are passively protected against overexposure to high intensity light (20) in the visible region using a reverse saturable absorber (14) comprising one of a class of organic compounds known as buckminsterfullerene, such as C.sub.60. As the intensity of incident light increases, the intensity of transmitted light also increases up to a saturation level, but above the saturation level, the transmitted light intensity remains substantially constant even with increasing intensity of incident light. C.sub.60 has an unexpectedly low threshold for optical limiting action, is thermally stable, and is easily manufacturable into devices.

Buckminsterfullerenes for optical limiters

A lens (12) converges a light beam (16) into a light absorbing body (14) having a material which exhibits reverse saturable optical absorption distributed therein with a non-uniform concentration. The concentration is maximum at the focal point (20) of the converged light beam (16), and decreases toward the lens (12) with a distribution selected in correspondence with the optical gain of the converged light beam (16) to limit the local fluence of the light beam (16) propagating through the absorbing body (14), and the output energy of the light beam (16), to predetermined maximum values. The non-uniform concentration further produces a self-protecting effect by causing the region of maximum fluence of the converged light beam (16) to shift toward the lens (12), thereby protecting the region of highest optical gain and highest molecular concentration, as the input energy of the light beam (16) increases.

Optical limiter including optical convergence and absorbing body with

A mercury compound such as mercury telluride or mercury cadmium telluride is deposited upon a substrate by chemical vapor deposition, with dissociation of the organic compounds accelerated by laser energy. The mercury-containing compound is preferably divinylmercury, which dissociates under intense light of 248 nanometers wavelength to deposit mercury in combination with the codeposited element. The laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition is accomplished at 100.degree. C. to 195.degree. C., preferably 165.degree. C., without the deposition of carbon contaminants.

Laser and thermal assisted chemical vapor deposition of mercury

High purity gold films are photochemically deposited on substrates from the gold containing compound (CH.sub.3).sub.2 Au[CH(COCF.sub.3).sub.2 ]. A vapor of the gold containing organometallic compound, possibly mixed with a carrier gas, is flowed over the surface of the substrate, which is at 0.degree. C. to 160.degree. C., and preferably at ambient temperature. Photodissociation is induced with ultraviolet light, inasmuch as the organometallic compound is strongly absorbing in the range of from about 300 to 340 nanometers. Substantially no organic fragments are deposited upon the surface, so that the deposited gold film is of high purity.

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Thousand Oaks, CA, United States of America

Lee W Tutt