Configuring optical layers in imprint lithography processes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10969692-B2
Application number	US-202016859584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2020
Priority date	Oct 20, 2017
Publication date	Apr 6, 2021
Grant date	Apr 6, 2021

Abstract

An imprint lithography method of configuring an optical layer includes selecting one or more parameters of a nanolayer to be applied to a substrate for changing an effective refractive index of the substrate and imprinting the nanolayer on the substrate to change the effective refractive index of the substrate such that a relative amount of light transmittable through the substrate is changed by a selected amount.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An imprint lithography method of configuring optical layers, the imprint lithography method comprising:
forming a first optical layer comprising a first substrate and a nanolayer imprinted directly on the first substrate;
forming a second optical layer comprising a second substrate and a first functional pattern disposed along the second substrate; and
forming a third optical layer comprising a third substrate and a second functional pattern disposed along the third substrate,
wherein imprinting the nanolayer on the first substrate changes the effective refractive index of the substrate such that a relative amount of light transmittable through the first substrate to the second optical layer is changed by a selected amount.

2. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , wherein the relative amount of light is a first relative amount of light, and wherein imprinting the nanolayer on the first substrate to change the effective refractive index of the first substrate comprises changing a second relative amount of light reflected from a surface of the first substrate.

3. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting one or more of a shape, a dimension, and a material formulation of the nanolayer.

4. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising imprinting a flat nanoimprint on the first substrate.

5. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising imprinting a featured nanoimprint on the first substrate.

6. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising imprinting one or more anti-reflective (AR) features on the first substrate.

7. The imprint lithography method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more AR features have a height in a range of about 10 nm to about 300 nm.

8. The imprint lithography method of claim 7 , wherein the one or more AR features have a width in a range of about 10 nm to about 150 nm.

9. The imprint lithography method of claim 7 , further comprising distributing the one or more AR features with a pitch in a range of about 20 nm to about 200 nm.

10. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising forming pillars on the first substrate.

11. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising forming holes on the first substrate.

12. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising forming one or both of continuous gratings and discontinuous gratings on the first substrate.

13. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a functional pattern on a first side of the substrate; and
imprinting the nanolayer along one or both of the first side of the substrate and a second side of the substrate opposite the first side of the substrate.

14. The imprint lithography method of claim 13 , further comprising forming an array of AR features of the nanolayer along a specific direction with respect to the functional pattern.

15. The imprint lithography method of claim 14 , further comprising forming the AR features of the nanolayer on the substrate to change the effective refractive index of the substrate based on a direction of light propagation such that light transmitted through the substrate is changed by the selected amount.

16. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising:
applying a film coating to the substrate; and
imprinting the nanolayer atop the film coating.

17. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , further comprising changing the relative amount of light transmittable through the substrate by about 0.5% to about 15%.

18. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , wherein the nanolayer is a first nanolayer, the imprint lithography method further comprising imprinting a second nanolayer atop the first nanolayer.

19. The imprint lithography method of claim 18 , further comprising changing the effective refractive index to a first value based on the first nanolayer and changing the effective refractive index to a second value based on the second nanolayer.

20. The imprint lithography method of claim 1 , wherein the nanolayer imprinted on the first substrate is a first nanolayer, the effective refractive index of the first substrate is a first refractive index, the relative amount of light is a first relative amount of light, and the second optical layer includes a second nanolayer imprinted on the second substrate, the second nanolayer determining a second effective refractive index of the second substrate such that the second nanolayer increases a second relative amount of light transmittable through the second substrate to the third optical layer.

21. The imprint lithography method of claim 20 , wherein the first and second nanolayers are configured such that a final amount of light transmitted through the first and second substrates to the third optical layer is about equal to an amount of light directed from a source to the first nanolayer, minus a first amount of light reflected from the first substrate and minus a second amount of light reflected from the second substrate.

Assignees

• Magic Leap Inc

Inventors

• Singh Vikramjit
• Miller Michael Nevin
• Xu Frank Y
• Yang Shuqiang

Classifications

• G03F7/7015 Primary

  Details of optical elements · CPC title

• G03F7/0002 Primary

  Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping · CPC title

• G02B1/118 Primary

  having sub-optical wavelength surface structures designed to provide an enhanced transmittance, e.g. moth-eye structures · CPC title