Encapsulation materials for flat optical devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12297367-B2
Application number	US-202017004114-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 27, 2020
Priority date	Aug 27, 2020
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to flat optical devices and encapsulation materials for flat optical devices. One or more embodiments include a substrate having a first arrangement of a first plurality of pillars formed thereon. The first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars includes pillars having a height h and a lateral distance d. The first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars includes a gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars. An aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20. A first adhesion-promoting material is disposed over the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars. A first encapsulation layer is disposed over the first adhesion-promoting material. The first encapsulation layer fills the gap g between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars. The first encapsulation layer includes a fluoropolymer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
a substrate having a first arrangement of a first plurality of pillars formed thereon, the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars comprising:
pillars having a height h and a lateral distance d; and
a gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, wherein an aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20;

a first adhesion-promoting material disposed over the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars;
a gap-fill portion disposed over the first adhesion-promoting material and comprising a first material having a first refractive index; and
a cap portion comprising a second material having a second refractive index and disposed over the first plurality of pillars, wherein the first refractive index and the second refractive index are different, the gap-fill portion filling the gap g between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, and the gap-fill portion and the cap portion form a first encapsulation layer.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first encapsulation layer comprises an amorphous fluoropolymer.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first encapsulation layer comprises least at one of poly(4,5-difluoro-2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxole-co-tetrafluoroethylene) or perfluoro(3-butenyl vinyl ether) (PBVE) cyclopolymer.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first encapsulation layer comprises a tetrafluoroethylene copolymer.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first adhesion-promoting material comprises a fluorosilane.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first adhesion-promoting material comprises at least one of trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)-silane, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane, or trichloro(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)-silane.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first adhesion-promoting material comprises hydrophobic tail groups.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein a contact angle of the first encapsulation layer on the first adhesion-promoting material is about 40° or less.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a second arrangement of a second plurality of pillars formed over the first encapsulation layer, the second arrangement of the second plurality of pillars comprising:
pillars having the height h and the lateral distance d; and
the gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the second plurality of pillars, wherein the aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20;

a second adhesion-promoting material disposed over the second arrangement of the second plurality of pillars; and
a second encapsulation layer disposed over the second adhesion-promoting material, the second encapsulation layer filling the gap g between adjacent pillars of the second plurality of pillars, the second encapsulation layer comprising a fluoropolymer.

10. A method, comprising:
forming a first arrangement of a first plurality of pillars on a surface of a substrate, the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars comprising:
pillars having a height h and a lateral distance d; and
a gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, wherein an aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20;

disposing a first adhesion-promoting material over the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars; and
disposing a gap-fill portion over the first adhesion-promoting material and comprising a first material having a first refractive index; and
disposing a cap portion comprising a second material having a second refractive index disposed over the first plurality of pillars, wherein the first refractive index and the second refractive index are different, the gap-fill portion filling the gap g between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, and the gap-fill portion and the cap portion form a first encapsulation layer.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
depositing the first adhesion-promoting material by spin-coating;
baking the first adhesion-promoting material at elevated temperature; and
repeating the operations of spin-coating and baking two or more times.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first adhesion promoting material is conformally deposited.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising depositing the first encapsulation layer by at least one of spin-coating, dip-coating, spray-coating, or vapor draw.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
forming a second arrangement of a second plurality of pillars on a surface of the first encapsulation layer, the second arrangement of the second plurality of pillars comprising:
pillars having the height h and the lateral distance d; and
the gap g corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the second plurality of pillars, wherein an aspect ratio of the gap g to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20;

disposing a second adhesion-promoting material over the second arrangement of the second plurality of pillars; and
disposing a second encapsulation layer over the second adhesion-promoting material, the second encapsulation layer filling the gap g between adjacent pillars of the second plurality of pillars, the second encapsulation layer comprising a fluoropolymer.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising disposing a cap portion of the first encapsulation layer over the first plurality of pillars.

16. A device, comprising:
a substrate having a first arrangement of a first plurality of pillars formed thereon, the first arrangement of the first plurality of pillars comprising:
pillars having a first surface facing away from the substrate and one or more side surfaces facing adjacent pillars; and
trenches formed between adjacent pillars;

a first adhesion-promoting material disposed on the first surface and the one or more side surfaces of the pillars, the first adhesion-promoting material comprising a fluorosilane;
a gap-fill portion disposed over the first adhesion-promoting material and comprising a first material having a first refractive index; and
a cap portion comprising a second material having a second refractive index, wherein the first refractive index and the second refractive index are different, the gap-fill portion filling the trenches between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, and the gap-fill portion and the cap portion form a first encapsulation layer comprising an amorphous fluoropolymer.

17. The device of claim 16 , wherein the first encapsulation layer comprises at least one of poly(4,5-difluoro-2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dioxole-co-tetrafluoroethylene) or perfluoro(3-butenyl vinyl ether) (PBVE) cyclopolymer.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein the first adhesion-promoting material comprises at least one of trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)-silane, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane, 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane, or trichloro(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)-silane.

19. The device of claim 16 , wherein the pillars have a height h, wherein the trenches have a width corresponding to a distance between adjacent pillars of the first plurality of pillars, and wherein an aspect ratio of the width of the trenches to the height h is between about 1:1 and about 1:20.

20. The device of claim 16 , wherein a cap portion of the first encapsulation layer is disposed over the first sur

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Sen Srobona
• Roy Tapashree
• Goradia Prerna Sonthalia
• Visser Robert Jan

Classifications

• H10W20/46

  comprising air gaps · CPC title

• H10W20/072

  of dielectric parts comprising air gaps · CPC title

• H10P14/687

  the materials being fluorocarbon compounds, e.g. (CHxFy) n or polytetrafluoroethylene · CPC title

• C09D183/08

  containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen · CPC title

• G09F9/30

  in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements (panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00) · CPC title