Battelle Memorial Institute

William M Myers

Keith A Ramsey

Anthony A Boiarski

Paul G Andrus

A ultrablack article made of a resin containing light absorbing pigments or dyes and its method of manufacture. The surface of the article is provided with light reflecting projections that cause incident light to reflect from the sides of such projections at least twice and preferably at least three times before reflecting from the articles surface. The vast majority of the incident light is thereby transmitted into the article where it is absorbed. The projections are advantageously conical, pyramidal or ridge shaped. The total incident light that reflects from the surface and from the interior of the article is not greater than 0.5%. The surface can be made by applying cone or pyramid shaped light beams to photoresist stepwise to make cones and pyramids and by scanning to make ridges. Means are provided to transfer such surfaces to more suitable resins and to do so continuously.

Method of forming relief surfaces

An ultrablack article made of a resin containing light absorbing pigments or dyes and its method of manufacture. The surface of the article is provided with light reflecting projections that cause incident light to reflect from the sides of such projections at least twice and preferably at least three times before reflecting from the articles surface. The vast majority of the incident light is thereby transmitted into the article where it is absorbed. The projections are advantageously conical, pyramidal or ridge shaped. The total incident light that reflects from the surface and from the interior of the article is not greater than 0.5%. The surface can be made by applying cone or pyramid shaped light beams to photoresist stepwise to make cones and pyramids and by scanning to make ridges. Means are provided to transfer such surfaces to more suitable resins and to do so continuously.

Ultrablack surfaces

A waveguide, approximately Y-shaped in plan view, provides coupling between first and second optical fibers, each attached to an end of the waveguide on the branched portion of the Y, and a third fiber attached to the single end of the Y. A fourth fiber, smaller in cross section than the waveguide on the single-ended portion of the Y and placed with its adjacent end therein between the junction of the Y and the third fiber, and bent gradually to one side, extends away from the waveguide before reaching the end to which the third fiber is attached. Typically the first fiber directs light from an emitter into the waveguide, the second fiber directs light away from the waveguide to a detector, the third fiber directs light away from the waveguide to a reference detector, and the fourth fiber directs light away from the waveguide to a sensor and back from the sensor into the waveguide.

Growing community of inventors

Columbus, OH, United States of America

William M Myers