Patent EP0523861A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0523861A2
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Optical device and method of manufacturing the same
Assignee: Mitsui Chemicals Inc
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Filing: 1992-06-22
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2012-06-22
Abstract
Abstract At least one convex arcuate face (or concave arcuate face) is formed by photolithography on a photoresist layer formed on a surface of an optical device constituted from an optical material, and the surface of the optical device and the photoresist film are etched continuously or stepwise to form on the surface of the optical device at least one convex arcuate face (or concave arcuate face) similar to the convex arcuate face (or concave arcuate face) of the photoresist film. In case the optical material is polished into a mirror face, a photoresist film is formed on the polished face, and the polished face and the photoresist film are etched uniformly. An optical device obtained in this manner is used for a laser oscillator, a monolithic laser system, a non-linear optical device, a microlens, a ring laser and so forth. On the other hand, a plurality of reflecting portions are provided on each of a pair of opposing faces of a light transmitting optical material, and a reflecting portion of at least one of the faces is formed from a convex arcuate face formed on the surface of the light transmitting optical material. A zigzag optical path is formed between the reflecting portions of the opposing faces of the light transmitting optical material such that it couples the reflecting portions alternately to each other, thereby to obtain an optical device having a long optical path. The optical device is employed as a higher harmonic wave converting device for light of a high efficiency for a short wavelength laser apparatus.
Inventors
- 👤 Akira c/o Mitsui Petrochemical Ind. Ltd. Eda
- 👤 Kiyofumi c/o Mitsui Petrochemical Ind. Ltd. Muro
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 17:42
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01S; H01S3/00; H01S3/23; H01S3/2383; G; G02; G02B; G02B3/00; G02B3/0006; G02B3/0012; G02B3/0018; G02B3/0037; G02B3/005; G02B3/0056; G02B3/0062; G02B3/0068; G02B6/00; G02B6/10; G02B6/12; G02B6/122; G02B6/124; G02B6/1245; G02F; G02F1/00; G02F1/35; G02F1/37; G03; G03F; G03F7/00; G03F7/0005; H01S3/05; H01S3/06; H01S3/0627; H01S3/0602; H01S3/0606; H01S3/0615; H01S3/0619; H01S3/0621; H01S3/0625; H01S3/08; H01S3/08095; H01S3/09; H01S3/091; H01S3/094; H01S3/0941; H01S3/09415; H01S3/2308; H01S5/00; H01S5/02; H01S5/026; H01S5/0267; H01S5/10; H01S5/18; H01S5/183; H01S5/18386; H01S5/18388
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
23 words
An optical device, characterized in that it has an optical material having a convex or concave arcuate face formed on a surface thereof.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
An optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that the convex or concave arcuate face is provided by plural numbers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
45 words
An optical device, characterized in that a convex arcuate face is formed integrally on an end face of a laser medium or a non-linear optical material, and the other end face of said laser medium or non-linear optical material is formed as a flat face.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
98 words
An optical device, characterized in that a first convex arcuate face is formed integrally on an end face of a laser medium or a non-linear optical material while a second convex arcuate face is formed integrally on the other end face of said laser medium or non-linear optical material, and a total reflection film for totally reflecting laser light is provided on said first convex arcuate face while a semi-transmitting film for reflecting part of laser light and transmitting part of the laser light therethrough is formed on said second arcuate face, thereby to construct a laser resonator.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
125 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device wherein at least one convex arcuate face is formed, by exposure based on photolithography and development, on a photoresist film formed on a surface of an optical material and the surface of the optical material and the photoresist film are etched to form at least one convex arcuate face similar to the convex arcuate face of the photoresist film on the surface of the optical material, characterized in that, as a method of forming a convex arcuate face by photolithography, at the exposing step wherein a photoresist film is exposed to light of a circular or elliptic pattern, the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
77 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that the exposing step wherein the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern is a step wherein, using a lens of a low resolution as an exposure lens, an image of the circular or elliptic pattern of a photomask is formed on the photoresist film to effect exposure of the photoresist film.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
74 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that the exposing step wherein the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern is a step wherein an image of the circular or elliptic pattern to be formed on the photoresist film is formed on the photoresist film in a defocused condition to effect exposure of the photoresist film.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
158 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that the exposing step wherein the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern is a step wherein, when the photoresist film is to be exposed to light using a photomask on which the pattern is formed, a black or black background circular or elliptic shape is photographed in a somewhat defocused condition to obtain a negative film having a circular or elliptic pattern which varies in photographic density from a central portion toward an outer periphery thereof, and the photoresist film is exposed to light in a condition wherein an image of the negative film is formed on the photoresist film using the negative film as a negative for transfer of the circular or elliptic pattern or the negative is disposed in the proximity of or in close contact with the photoresist film.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that the exposing step wherein the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern is a step wherein an image of the pattern to be formed is formed on the photoresist film using diffused light to effect exposure of the photoresist film.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 9, characterized in that a diffuser is inserted intermediately of an optical system for exposure in order to form diffused light.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
75 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 5, characterized in that the exposing step wherein the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern is a step wherein the photoresist film is exposed to light in a condition wherein the photomask on which the pattern is formed is spaced from the photoresist film so as to provide a distance between them.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
53 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to any of claims 5 to 11 characterized in that the etching of the surface of the optical material and the photoresist film is performed by dry etching, and a condition of the dry etching is varied continuously or stepwise at any time during etching.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
118 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device, characterized in that a pattern is formed on a photoresist film, which is formed on a surface of an optical material and has a generally flat and smooth upper end face, by photolithography to form a pattern to form a circular column-shaped or elliptic column-shaped photoresist film, and the photoresist film is thermally processed to deform the generally flat upper end face of the photoresist film into a convex arcuate face, and then the surface of the optical material and the deformed photoresist film are etched to form on the surface of the optical material at least one convex arcuate face similar to the convex arcuate face of the photoresist film.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 13, characterized in that the etching of the surface of the optical material and the photoresist film is performed by dry etching, and a condition of the dry etching is varied continuously or stepwise at any time during etching.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
67 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to any of claims 5 to 14 characterized in that, after mirror face polishing of a predetermined face of an optical material on which a convex arcuate face is formed, a photoresist film is formed on the predetermined face of the optical material, and then, the photoresist film and the polished face of the optical material are dry etched.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
83 words
A laser apparatus of the array type, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of exciting sources for laser oscillation, and a plurality of laser resonators wherein a plurality of convex arcuate faces are formed on at least one end face of a solid-state laser medium and each of at least one of the end faces having the convex arcuate faces and the other end face of said solid-state laser medium opposing to the convex arcuate faces is coated with a reflecting film.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
45 words
A laser apparatus of the array type according to claim 16, characterized in that said plurality of exciting sources are disposed such that exciting beams of light therefrom may be introduced into corresponding ones of said laser resonators individually constituted from said convex arcuate faces.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
90 words
A laser apparatus of the array type according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that said plurality of exciting sources are a semiconductor laser of the multistripe type which outputs a plurality of laser beams, or in that each of said exciting sources is a laser device which outputs a single laser beam, and it comprises optical fibers which guide laser beams outputted from the individual laser devices so that they may be inputted individually into corresponding ones of said laser resonators individually constituted from said convex arcuate faces.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
130 words
An optical device, characterized in that it is constituted from a light transmitting optical material having a first face and a second face opposing to each other and has a plurality of first reflecting portions provided on said first face and a plurality of second reflecting portions provided on said second face individually in an opposing relationship to said first reflecting portions and further has a zigzag optical path which is provided between said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions and alternately couples said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions to each other, and each of at least ones of said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions is a reflecting portion which is obtained by coating a reflecting film on a convex arcuate face.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
47 words
An optical device according to claim 19, characterized in that each of said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions is a reflecting portion which is obtained by coating a reflecting film on a flat face, or is formed in a priam which reverses received light.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
28 words
An optical device according to any one of claims 19 or 20, characterized in that said light transmitting optical material is a laser medium or non-linear optical crystal.
Claim 22
Independent Claim
266 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device which is characterized in that it is constituted from a light transmitting optical material having a first face and a second face opposing to each other and has a plurality of first reflecting portions provided on said first face and a plurality of second reflecting portions provided on said second face individually in an opposing relationship to said first reflecting portions and further has a zigzag optical path which is provided between said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions and alternately couples said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions to each other, characterized in that it comprises the steps of forming at least one convex arcuate face by exposure based on photolithography and development on a photoresist film formed on the surface of the light transmitting optical material, etching the surface of the light transmitting optical material and the photoresist film to form on the surface of the light transmitting optical material at least one convex arcuate face similar to the convex arcuate face of the photoresist film, and coating a reflecting film on surfaces of the face on which the convex arcuate face is formed and another face opposing to the face on which the convex arcuate face is formed to provide reflecting portions, and, as a method of forming a convex arcuate face by photolithography, at the exposing step wherein a photoresist film is exposed to light of a circular or elliptic pattern, the intensity of exposure light is varied gradually or stepwise from the center toward an outer periphery of the pattern.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
266 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device which is characterized in that it is constituted from a light transmitting optical material having a first face and a second face opposing to each other and has a plurality of first reflecting portions provided on said first face and a plurality of second reflecting portions provided on said second face individually in an opposing relationship to said first reflecting portions and further has a zigzag optical path which is provided between said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions and alternately couple said first reflecting portions and said second reflecting portions to each other, characterized in that a pattern is formed by photolithography on a photoresist film, which is formed on a surface of the light transmitting optical material and has a generally flat and smooth upper end face, to form a circular column-shaped or elliptic column-shaped photoresist film, that the photoresist film is heat treated to deform the generally flat upper end face of the photoresist film into a convex arcuate face and the surface of the light transmitting optical material and the deformed photoresist film are etched to form at least one convex arcuate face similar to the convex arcuate face of the photoresist film on the surface of the light transmitting optical material, and that a reflecting film is coated on surfaces of the face of the light transmitting optical material on which the convex arcuate face is formed and another face of the light transmitting optical material opposing to the face on which the convex arcuate face is formed to provide reflecting portions.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
135 words
A method of manufacturing an optical device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized that the step of forming reflecting portions includes the steps of spin coating photoresist on the face of the light transmitting optical material on which the convex arcuate face is formed and the face opposing to the face on which the convex arcuate face is formed and pre-baking the light transmitting optical material to form a photoresist film, leaving, by close contact exposure and developing processing, the photoresist film at an end portion of the first face and an opposite end portion of the first or second face, and providing a coating on the face of the light transmitting optical material on which the photoresist film remains and removing the photoresist film and the coated film formed on the photoresist film.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
A laser apparatus comprising a laser resonator having an optical device according to any one of claims 19 to 21 wherein the light transmitting optical material is a laser medium.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
A short wavelength laser apparatus, comprising a higher harmonic wave converting device consisting of an optical device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, and a laser oscillator.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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