Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc.

Jds Uniphase Corporation

Robert W Adair

Bryant P Hichwa

Brad A Duffy

Nada A O'Brien

Eric William Kurman

Michael J Cumbo

James W Seeser

Basil L Swaby

Christopher Iaconis

J Gordon H Mathew

Douglas G Jensen

Glenn A Clarke

Paul M Le Febvre

Stephen C Olson

An index-matching coating is applied directly to a low-emissivity ('lowE') thin-film coating. Nodules growing from a site in the lowE coating are removed to avoid propagation of defects through the layers of the index-matching coating. A tempering step in an oxygen-containing atmosphere produces compressive stress in the lowE coating and hardens the coating. The compressive stress facilitates removal of the nodules and the hardening allows mechanical cleaning of the lowE coating prior to the index-matching coating, further removing nodules. Magnesium-fluoride is used as the final layer of the index-matching coating in one embodiment to improve abrasion resistance. The resulting glass panel may be used as a display panel in a plasma display or an organic light-emitting diode display, for example.

Method of applying barrier coatings to glass panels

An index-matching coating is applied directly to a low-emissivity (&ldquo;lowE&rdquo;) thin-film coating. Nodules growing from a site in the lowE coating are removed to avoid propagation of defects through the layers of the index-matching coating. A tempering step in an oxygen-containing atmosphere produces compressive stress in the lowE coating and hardens the coating. The compressive stress facilitates removal of the nodules and the hardening allows mechanical cleaning of the lowE coating prior to the index-matching coating, further removing nodules. Magnesium-fluoride is used as the final layer of the index-matching coating in one embodiment to improve abrasion resistance. The resulting glass panel may be used as a display panel in a plasma display or an organic light-emitting diode display, for example.

Glass panel with barrier coating and related methods

A variable optical attenuator device is provided for modulating an optical signal. The attenuator device includes a variable attenuation assembly with an electrochromic structure interposed between a first electrode and a second electrode. The electrochromic structure is configured to reversibly change its optical characteristics from a bleached off state to a colored active state under the influence of an electrical potential applied to the first and second electrodes to thereby modulate the optical signal. The optical attenuator device includes at least one lens attached to the variable attenuation assembly. The lens cooperates with the variable attenuation assembly to direct the optical signal towards the electrochromic structure. Waveguides such as optical fibers define ports at the outer endface of the lens for the optical signal.

Variable optical attenuator device

The absorption of a spacer material in a Fabry-Perot type structure is changed to achieve an optical switching function. In one embodiment, the spacer material is a semiconductor material and an electronic control signal changes the Fabry-Perot between a transmissive state and a reflective state. In the reflective state, the device operates as a switch can be modeled as a mirror on a substrate of quasi-infinite thickness. In a further embodiment, a wavelength-selective optical component is placed between the input of the switch and the Fabry-Perot structure to improve the spectral response of the switch.

Fabry-Perot optical switch

The present invention relates to electrically-conductive, absorbing, contrast-enhancing antireflection coatings having excellent optical properties characterized by, specifically, a large bandwidth ratio, i.e., a ratio indicative of the range of wavelengths for which the reflectance value is less than 0.6%, and a small brightness value for the visible wavelengths. It has been surprisingly discovered that a simple, two-layer substrate coating consisting of only a first thin layer of a transparent material having a low refractive index and a second very thin layer of an absorbing, electrically conductive, transition metal oxynitride material provides high performance, electrically conductive, contrast-enhancing antireflection coatings having small brightness values and large bandwidth ratios. The present invention provides antireflection coatings having brightness values less than or equal to about 0.22, and preferably less than or equal to about 0.15. One important advantage of the present invention is that, due to the simplicity of the design and the suitability and efficiency of deposition of the materials in an in-line DC reactive magnetron sputtering process, the high performance, absorbing, electrically conductive, and contrast-enhancing antireflection coatings in accord with the present invention can be produced in a very cost-effective manner.

Methods and apparatus for providing an absorbing, broad band, low

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Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Robert W Adair