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Finisar Corporation

Ii-vi Delaware, Inc.

Intel Corporation

Steyphi Services De LLC

Templex Technology, Inc.

State of Oregon

Volonte Jewels LLC

Harvard College

University of Washington

Ol Security Limited Liability Company

Mossberg, Thomas W.

Chaum, David

Rogers, John R.

Thomas W Mossberg

Christoph M Greiner

Dmitri Iazikov

Anders Grunnet-Jepsen

John N Sweetser

Alan E Johnson

Michael J Munroe

Eric S Maniloff

David S Alavi

Jianji Yang

Tengda Du

Xiaojie Xu

John H Clark

William Randall Babbitt

Nils W Carlson

William R Babbitt

Bryan Boggs

Christoph Greiner

Yu-Sheng Bai

Dimitri Iazikov

Chistoph M Greiner

Lawrence D Brice

David Chaum

John R Rogers

An incident optical beam illuminates a subset of contiguous array of diffraction gratings on a substrate and produces one or more diffracted output beams. The grating array can be arranged so that (i) multiple incident beams result in a contiguous composite solid angle of far-field illumination, (ii) multiple output beams arising from any one incident beam do not overlap in the far field, or (iii) both. The gratings of the array can be arranged to produce a desired far-field illumination intensity profile. The grating array can be arranged so as to suppress or eliminate laser speckle arising from the output beams.

Diffraction grating array for wide-angle illumination

An optical element includes a transmissive layer arranged on a substrate and made up of discrete volumes of first and second optical media. The layer is between the substrate and another optical medium. The volumes are arranged so that, averaged over a wavelength's distance of an incident optical signal, the effective reflectivities of the two surfaces of the transmissive layer and the effective double-pass phase delay through the transmissive layer are substantially constant across the transmissive layer. The reflectivities and phase delay result in net power reflectivity that differs from that of the substrate in direct contact with the other optical medium. The transmissive layer can be arranged as an anti-reflection layer.

Partially etched reflection-modification layer

Diffraction grating array for wide-angle illuminateon

An optical element includes a transmissive layer comprising a multitude of discrete volumes of first and second optical media arranged along the transmissive layer. The discrete volumes are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function. Effecting at least partial reflow of one or both of the optical media can smooth the morphology of the transmissive layer so as to reduce unwanted diffraction or scattering.

Phase-transforming optical element formed by partial etching or by partial etching with reflow

An optical element (transmissive or reflective) includes a transmissive layer comprising two different optical media arranged among discrete volumes arranged along the layer. The discrete volumes are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function.

Partially etched phase-transforming optical element

A diffraction grating comprises a substrate (with index n) with a surface facing an optical medium (with index n&#x3c;n), a dielectric or semiconductor layer of thickness t on the substrate surface (with index n&#x2260;n), and a set of diffractive elements on the layer (with index n&#x2260;n). The diffractive elements comprise a set of ridges protruding into the optical medium, which fills trenches between the ridges, and are characterized by a spacing &#x39b;, a width d, and a height h. Over an operational wavelength range, &#x3bb;/2n&#x3c;&#x39b;&#x3c;&#x3bb;/(n+n). An optical signal incident on the diffractive elements from within the substrate at an incidence angle exceeding the critical angle, n, n, n, n, &#x39b;, d, h, and t result in wavelength-dependent, first-order diffraction efficiency of the grating greater than a prescribed level over the operational wavelength range for both s- and p-polarized optical signals.

Reflective diffraction gratings employing efficiency enhancement or etch barrier layers

A reflective optical element includes a reflective surface comprising a multitude of discrete recessed and non-recessed areas arranged along the reflective surface. The discrete areas are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function. Effecting at least partial reflow of one or more optical media or reflective materials can smooth the morphology of the reflective surface so as to reduce unwanted diffraction or scattering.

Phase-transforming optical reflector formed by partial etching or by partial etching with reflow

An optical assembly includes a first grating device configured to: receive a light beam that includes an optical signal with a particular wavelength from a fiber; and change a propagation direction of the optical signal according to the particular wavelength of the optical signal. The optical assembly also includes a second grating device configured to: receive the optical signal outputted from the first grating device; change the propagation direction of the optical signal according to the particular wavelength of the optical signal; and direct the optical signal onto a grating coupler. The first grating device and the second grating device are configured to satisfy a plurality of configuration constraints.

Dispersion-compensative optical assembly

A method for improving surface accuracy of an optical component comprises: positioning a first surface of the optical component against a reference surface of a reference member; urging together the reference member and the optical component; adhering a second surface of the optical component to a first surface of a support member; and separating the reference member from the optical component while leaving the optical component adhered to the support member. Urging together the reference member and the optical component substantially conforms the surface accuracy of the first surface of the optical component to the surface accuracy of the reference surface of the reference member. Adhering the optical component to the support member and then separating the reference member from the optical component leaves the surface accuracy of the first surface of the optical component substantially in conformance with the surface accuracy of the first surface of the reference member.

Surface accuracy of a thin optical component

Transmissive diffraction grating(s), reflector(s), and multiple optical sources/receivers are arranged such that each one of multiple optical signals at corresponding different wavelengths co-propagating along a multiplexed beam path would: (i) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted at a multiplexed transmission region of a grating; (ii) propagate between the multiplexed transmission region and multiple demultiplexed transmission regions of a grating undergoing reflection(s) from the reflector(s); (iii) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted at the demultiplexed transmission regions; and (iv) propagate between the demultiplexed transmission regions and the sources/receivers along multiple demultiplexed beam paths.

Multiplexer/demultiplexer based on diffraction and reflection

A first transmissive diffraction grating includes a multiplexed transmission region; a second diffraction grating includes multiple demultiplexed transmission regions that are spatially displaced from one another and characterized by average corresponding grating-normal vector direction, grating wavevector magnitude, and grating wavevector direction. The demultiplexed transmission regions differ with respect to at least one of those parameters. The gratings are arranged such that each one of multiple optical signals at corresponding different wavelengths co-propagating to the multiplexed transmission region along a multiplexed beam path would: (i) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted by the first diffractive optical element; (ii) propagate directly, without any intervening reflection, between the multiplexed transmission region and a corresponding one of the demultiplexed transmission regions; (iii) be transmissively, dispersively diffracted by the second diffractive optical element; and (iv) propagate from the corresponding demultiplexed transmission region along a corresponding one of multiple demultiplexed beam paths.

Multiplexer/demultiplexer based on diffractive optical elements

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Eugene, OR, United States of America

Thomas W Mossberg