High energy beam sensitive glasses

• Main Author: WU; CHE-KUANG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.02.1994
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GLASS; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

The invention relates to a high energy beam-sensitive glass (HEBS glass) exhibiting insensitivity and/or inertness to actinic radiation. Silver ion exchange in acidic aqueous solution results in a slab waveguide having a constant refractive index in the thickness dimension. Low loss single mode as well as multimode waveguides were fabricated with a great precision in the designed thickness and step index (Delta)n. Channel waveguides were patterned and fabricated in one process step within a HEBS glass via a lithographic printing method using a high energy beam. Alternatively, predesigned pattern of channel waveguides were fabricated instantaneously upon direct write with a laser beam pattern generator employing a focused laser beam, within a HEBS glass which has been flood exposed to a high energy beam. The product of the present invention is also suitable for use as a phototool in photolithographic processes, as a glass filter for spatial modulation of light intensity and/or color, as a laser beam direct write recording and archival storage medium, and as a carrier plate of color filters and black matrix of a flat panel display.