METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AN OPTICAL COMPONENT

• Main Authors: ANDREW, RODERICK, HENSON, PAUL, POWER, GARY, FAIRLESS, GRACE, JOHN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 18.08.2005
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BOOK COVERS; BOOKBINDING; DEVICES FOR USE THEREWITH AND NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; 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; FILES; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; LOOSE LEAVES; MOVABLE-STRIP WRITING OR READING APPARATUS; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PRINTED MATTER CHARACTERISED BY IDENTIFICATION OR SECURITYFEATURES; PRINTED MATTER OF SPECIAL FORMAT OR STYLE NOTOTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; SPECIAL PRINTED MATTER; 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; TRANSPORTING

A method and apparatus (10) for manufacturing an optical component (1) having at least one photo-oriented polymeric layer is provided. The apparatus includes a single source of laser radiation (11), beam splitting means (13) for splitting the laser radiation into a first beam (14) of linearly polarised light having a first plane of polarisation (P polarisation) and a second beam (15) of linearly polarised light having a second plane of polarisation (S polarisation), first directing means for directing the first beam of linearly polarised light onto a first area or areas of at least one photo-orientatable polymeric layer to cause a first molecular orientation in said first area or areas of the layer and second directing means for directing the second beam of linearly polarised light onto said photo-orientatable polymeric layer to cause a second molecular orientation in a second area or areas of the layer. The apparatus includes delay means (17, 18, 19) for the second beam (15) of linearly polarised light so that the second beam arrives at the photo-orientatable polymeric layer a predetermined delay time after the first beam of linearly polarised light. La présente invention concerne un procédé et un appareil (10) destiné à la fabrication d'un composant optique (1) comportant au moins une couche polymère photo-orientée. L'appareil comporte une source unique de rayonnement laser (11), des organes de partage de faisceau (13) permettant de découper la rayonnement laser en un premier faisceau (14) de lumière en polarisation linéaire selon un premier plan de polarisation (polarisation P) et un second faisceau (15) de lumière en polarisation linéaire selon un second plan de polarisation (polarisation S), des premiers organes de direction permettant de diriger le premier faisceau sur une ou plusieurs premières zones d'au moins une couche polymère photo-orientable de façon à provoquer une première orientation moléculaire dans les premières zones considérées, et des seconds organes de direction permettant de diriger le second faisceau sur une ou plusieurs secondes zones de ladite couche polymère photo-orientable de façon à provoquer une seconde orientation moléculaire dans les zones secondes considérées. L'appareil comporte un retardateur (17, 18, 19) destiné au second faisceau (15) de lumière en polarisation linéaire de façon qu'il arrive à la couche polymère photo-orientable avec un retard défini par rapport au premier faisceau.