Method for manufacturing optical device structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12013566-B2
Application number	US-202217958504-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2022
Priority date	Aug 13, 2020
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provide for methods of forming optical device structures. The methods utilize rotation of a substrate, to have the optical device structures formed thereon, and tunability of etch rates of a patterned resist disposed over the substrate and one of a device layer or the substrate to form the optical device structures without multiple lithographic patterning steps and angled etch steps.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An augmented reality waveguide combiner, comprising:
an optical device substrate, the optical device substrate comprising a substrate material; and
an input coupling grating disposed over the optical device substrate, the input coupling grating comprising a device material different than the substrate material, the input coupling grating having a plurality of blazed device structures, each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures includes a blazed surface, the blazed surface having:
at least 16 steps;
a facet normal of each of the steps parallel to a primary surface of the optical device substrate; and
a blaze angle defined by the blazed surface and the facet normal; and

an output coupling grating comprising the device material disposed over the optical device substrate and adjacent to the input coupling grating, the output coupling grating having a plurality of device structures.

2. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the blazed surface has at least 32 steps.

3. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the blazed surface has at least 64 steps.

4. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the blaze angle of two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures are different.

5. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the blaze angle of two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures are the same.

6. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures have different depths.

7. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the device material of the input coupling grating comprises one or more of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), vanadium (IV) oxide (VOx), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin oxide (ITO), tin dioxide (SnO 2 ), zinc oxide (ZnO), tantalum pentoxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ), niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ), cadmium stannate (Cd 2 SnO 4 ), or silicon carbon-nitride (SiCN) containing materials.

8. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the substrate material of the optical device substrate comprises non-amorphous dielectrics, crystalline dielectrics, silicon oxide, polymers, or combinations thereof.

9. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the substrate material of the optical device substrate comprises silicon (Si), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), sapphire, or combinations thereof.

10. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein the optical device substrate is configured to transmit wavelengths from 100 to 3000 nanometers.

11. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures has a refractive index between 1.5 and 2.65.

12. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 1 , wherein each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures has a refractive index between 3.5 and 4.0.

13. An augmented reality waveguide combiner, comprising:
an optical device substrate, the optical device substrate comprising a substrate material; and
an input coupling grating disposed over the optical device substrate, the input coupling grating comprising a device material different than the substrate material, the input coupling grating having a plurality of blazed device structures, each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures includes a blazed surface, the blazed surface having:
at least 16 steps;
a facet normal of each of the steps parallel to the a primary surface of the optical device substrate; and
a blaze angle defined by the blazed surface and the facet normal, wherein the blaze angle of two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures are different; and

an output coupling grating comprising the device material disposed over the optical device substrate and adjacent to the input coupling grating, the output coupling grating having a plurality of device structures.

14. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein the two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures have different depths.

15. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein the device material of the input coupling grating comprises one or more of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), vanadium (IV) oxide (VOx), aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin oxide (ITO), tin dioxide (SnO 2 ), zinc oxide (ZnO), tantalum pentoxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ), zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ), niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ), cadmium stannate (Cd 2 SnO 4 ), or silicon carbon-nitride (SiCN) containing materials.

16. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein the substrate material of the optical device substrate comprises non-amorphous dielectrics, crystalline dielectrics, silicon oxide, polymers, or combinations thereof.

17. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein the substrate material of the optical device substrate comprises silicon (Si), silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), germanium (Ge), silicon germanium (SiGe), sapphire or combinations thereof.

18. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein the optical device substrate is configured to transmit wavelengths from 100 to 3000 nanometers.

19. The augmented reality waveguide combiner of claim 13 , wherein each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures has a refractive index between 1.5 and 2.65.

20. An augmented reality waveguide combiner, comprising:
an optical device substrate, the optical device substrate comprising a substrate material, wherein the optical device substrate is configured to transmit wavelengths from 100 to 3000 nanometers; and
an input coupling grating disposed over the optical device substrate, the input coupling grating comprising a device material different than the substrate material, the input coupling grating having a plurality of blazed device structures, each blazed device structure of the plurality of blazed device structures has a refractive index between 1.5 and about 2.65, each blazed device structure includes a blazed surface, the blazed surface having:
at least 16 steps;
a facet normal of each of the steps parallel to the primary surface of the optical device substrate;
a blaze angle defined by the blazed surface and the facet normal, the blaze angle of two blazed device structures of the plurality of blazed device structures are different; and

an output coupling grating comprising the device material disposed over the optical device substrate and adjacent to the input coupling grating, the output coupling grating having a plurality of device structures.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Colak Levent
• Godet Ludovic
• Labonte Andre P

Classifications

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B6/0016

  Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces · CPC title

• G02B6/0038

  Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide · CPC title

• G02B6/0065 Primary

  Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects · CPC title

• G02B27/0081

  with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil · CPC title