Self-writing waveguide with nanoparticles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9765178-B2
Application number	US-201314899123-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2013
Priority date	Jun 19, 2013
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

Technologies are generally described for fabricating a self-writing waveguide. Two photo-reactive liquid monomers, each infused with a photo-initiator, may be mixed and dissolved in a carrier solvent to form a mixture. Nanoparticles may be added to the mixture to form a gel. A focused light beam may be provided to cure one of the monomers, initiating polymerization to form a core of the self-writing waveguide. An optional exposure to an optical source, a heat source, or an electron beam source may cure the other monomer, initiating polymerization to form a cladding of the self-writing waveguide. The self-writing waveguide may be formed in a substantially tubular structure or a planar film structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabricating a self-writing waveguide, the method comprising:
mixing a first photo-reactive liquid monomer and a second photo-reactive liquid monomer to form a mixture, wherein the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is infused with a photo-initiator;
adding nanoparticles to the mixture to form a gel, wherein
the nanoparticles comprise one or more of: fumed silica and acidic silica, and
a type and a number of the nanoparticles added is based on a curing speed of the mixture and a mechanical modulus of the mixture;

selecting a stiffness of the self-writing waveguide by adjusting a fraction of the nanoparticles in the mixture;
providing a focused light beam to cure the first photo-reactive liquid monomer;
exposing the mixture to at least one of an optical source, a heat source, and an electron beam source for curing the second photo-reactive liquid monomer upon curing the first photo-reactive liquid monomer; and
bleaching the photo-initiator by exposing the mixture to one of the optical source, the heat source, and the electron beam source.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising terminating the focused light beam when the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is substantially cured.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gel allows a free diffusion of the liquid form of the first photo-reactive and second photo-reactive monomers.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the first photo-reactive liquid monomer, the second photo-reactive liquid monomer, and the nanoparticles further based on a refractive index difference between the first and second photo-reactive liquid monomers upon curing.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is a cationic monomer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is infused with a cationic photo-initiator.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting the first photo-reactive liquid monomer, the second photo-reactive liquid monomer, and the nanoparticles such that the self-writing waveguide has an operational temperature range of about −55° C. to about 125° C.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the focused tight beam as a laser beam.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the laser beam has a wavelength of about 390 nm to about 980 nm.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising terming the self-writing waveguide in a substantially tubular structure or a planar film structure, wherein the cured first photo-reactive liquid monomer forms a core and the cured second photo-reactive liquid monomer forms a cladding of the self-writing waveguide.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising forming the self-writing waveguide in the planar film structure in situ, as a laminate on a circuit board backplane.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising forming the self-writing waveguide in the planar film for lamination using a roll-to-roll process.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the self-writing waveguide in the planar film is free-standing and self-supporting.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein mixing the first photo-reactive liquid monomer and the second photo-reactive liquid monomer comprises dissolving the first photo-reactive and second photo-reactive liquid monomers in a carrier solvent prior to adding the nanoparticles.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first photo-reactive liquid monomer comprises a polymerizable cationic monomer or a polymerizable ionic monomer.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second photo-reactive liquid monomer comprises a polymerizable radical monomer.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adding the nanoparticles to the mixture by shear-mixing or sonication.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein mixing comprises mixing a cationic monomer infused with a cationic photo-initiator at a first wavelength and a radical monomer infused with a near infrared radiation (NIR) free radical initiator to form the mixture, dissolving the mixture in a carrier solvent, and adding silica-based nanoparticles.

19. A method for fabricating a self-writing waveguide, the method comprising:
mixing a first photo-reactive liquid monomer and a second photo-reactive liquid monomer to form a mixture;
adding nanoparticles to the mixture to form a gel, wherein
the nanoparticles comprise one or more of: fumed silica and acidic silica, and
a type and a number of the nanoparticles added is based on a curing speed of the mixture and a mechanical modulus of the mixture;

selecting a stiffness of the self-writing waveguide by adjusting a fraction of the nanoparticles in the mixture;
providing a focused light beam to cure the first photo-reactive liquid monomer; and
terminating the focused light beam when the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is substantially cured.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second photo-reactive liquid monomer remains in a liquid form while the first photo-reactive liquid monomer is cured.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein preparing the mixture of the first photo-reactive liquid monomer and the second photo-reactive liquid monomer comprises infusing the first photo-reactive liquid monomer and the second photo-reactive liquid monomer with respective photo-initiators.

Assignees

• Empire Technology Dev Llc

Inventors

• Duerksen Gary L
• Miller Seth Adrian

Classifications

• G02B6/10

  of the optical waveguide type (G02B6/02, G02B6/24 take precedence; devices or arrangements for the control of light by electric, magnetic, electro-magnetic or acoustic means G02F1/00; transferring the modulation of modulated light G02F2/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/02033

  Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material (G02B1/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08G59/022 Primary

  characterised by the preparation process or apparatus used · CPC title

• B29D11/00663 Primary

  Production of light guides · CPC title