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WO2025020655A1 - Dispositif optique, commutateur sélectif en longueur d'onde et procédé de fabrication de dispositif optique - Google Patents

Dispositif optique, commutateur sélectif en longueur d'onde et procédé de fabrication de dispositif optique Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025020655A1
WO2025020655A1 PCT/CN2024/094262 CN2024094262W WO2025020655A1 WO 2025020655 A1 WO2025020655 A1 WO 2025020655A1 CN 2024094262 W CN2024094262 W CN 2024094262W WO 2025020655 A1 WO2025020655 A1 WO 2025020655A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
grating
optical
optical encoder
optical device
lines
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/CN2024/094262
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English (en)
Chinese (zh)
Inventor
肖小康
林俊华
谷口丰
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Filing date
Publication date
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Publication of WO2025020655A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025020655A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/28—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals
    • G02B6/293—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals with wavelength selective means
    • G02B6/29304—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals with wavelength selective means operating by diffraction, e.g. grating
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
    • G02B5/18—Diffraction gratings
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B5/00—Optical elements other than lenses
    • G02B5/18—Diffraction gratings
    • G02B5/1847—Manufacturing methods
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/28—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals
    • G02B6/293—Optical coupling means having data bus means, i.e. plural waveguides interconnected and providing an inherently bidirectional system by mixing and splitting signals with wavelength selective means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/351—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements
    • G02B6/3534—Optical coupling means having switching means involving stationary waveguides with moving interposed optical elements the optical element being diffractive, i.e. a grating
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/26—Optical coupling means
    • G02B6/35—Optical coupling means having switching means
    • G02B6/354—Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/0002—Lithographic processes using patterning methods other than those involving the exposure to radiation, e.g. by stamping

Definitions

  • the present application relates to the field of optical fiber communication technology, and in particular to an optical device, a wavelength selective switch, and a method for manufacturing the optical device.
  • Wavelength Selective Switch is an optical module that can dispatch laser signals of different wavelengths from one or more input ports to one or more output ports in real time.
  • Grism is a key component in the wavelength selective switch, which includes prism and grating. Grism plays the role of dispersing and folding laser signals of different wavelengths according to wavelength.
  • the commonly used methods for making prisms are to connect the two independent components of the plane grating and the prism by gluing (method one), or to form grating stripes on the prism by etching (method two).
  • method one has a low yield of optical glue or bonding process, and has large fluctuations (between 30% and 80%), high cost and low production capacity.
  • method two requires large-scale modification of the prism surface lithography, which has high development costs.
  • the present application provides an optical device, a wavelength selective switch and an optical device manufacturing method, which can solve the problem in the prior art that the duty cycle, sawtooth angle, surface roughness and other parameters caused by the photolithography process affect the optical performance.
  • the present application is introduced from multiple aspects below, and the implementation methods and beneficial effects of the following multiple aspects can be referenced to each other.
  • the present application provides an optical device.
  • the specific optical device includes: a first part (such as a prism or optical encoder described later); a second part (such as a grating or grating ruler described later), wherein the second part is a periodic structure formed by processing a material to be processed disposed on the surface of the first part, and there is only one interface between the first part and the second part, and the interface is the surface of the first part.
  • the above-mentioned optical device uses the first part as a substrate, and directly processes the material to be processed on the surface of the first part to form a periodic structure as the second part.
  • the first part and the second part can be integrated into one without the need for photolithography, photoresist or bonding processes. Since the optical device is not formed by using photolithography, photoresist or bonding processes, there is only one interface between the first part and the second part of the molded optical device in the embodiment of the present application, and the interface is the surface of the first part. This arrangement can not only reduce the above-mentioned adverse factors affecting the optical performance caused by the photolithography process, but also reduce the reliability risk and yield loss caused by the photoresist or bonding process.
  • the side of the second part facing away from the interface includes a recess (such as the grating grooves of the grating or grating scale described later), and the distance between the bottom surface of the recess and the interface is less than 100 microns along a direction perpendicular to the interface.
  • the material to be processed is a material to be imprinted
  • the second part is a periodic structure formed by imprinting and curing the material to be imprinted disposed on the surface of the first part. That is, in the embodiment of the present application, the first part is used as a substrate, and the material to be imprinted is directly imprinted on one surface of the first part into a periodic structure (as the second part) to achieve the molding of the optical device.
  • the optical device of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to being formed by an embossing process, and other molding processes can also be used. Any device that can meet the following conditions belongs to the protection scope of the present application: There is only one interface between the first part and the second part of the optical device after molding, and the interface is the surface of the first part. Exemplarily, along the direction perpendicular to the interface, the distance between the bottom surface of the concave portion of the second part and the interface is less than 100 microns.
  • the first part is a prism
  • the prism includes an input surface and a reflection surface that are not parallel to each other, the input surface is used for inputting optical signals
  • the second part is a grating
  • the grating is formed by processing the material to be processed provided on the reflection surface (i.e., the interface between the prism and the grating ruler).
  • the optical device is a spectroscopic device, which can also be called a prism.
  • the prism in the spectroscopic device refers to a dielectric block material (glass, crystal material, polymer, etc.) whose input surface is not parallel to the input surface
  • the grating in the spectroscopic device refers to an optical element with a periodic structure integrated on the surface.
  • the grating is formed by imprinting and curing the material to be imprinted on the reflective surface, without the need for a photolithography process or an optical glue or bonding process, and an integrated prism can be formed, thereby finely controlling the grating shape, improving the line density, and avoiding the problem of low yield when gluing the grating and prism together in the optical glue or bonding process.
  • the above-mentioned spectroscopic device forms a grating by imprinting the imprinting material on the reflective surface of the prism and curing it, thereby integrating the grating and the prism into one.
  • the solution of integrated gratings can greatly increase the grating density based on existing equipment and processes, without the need to upgrade the UV light source to adapt to high line density and resolution.
  • the gratings can avoid the reliability risks and yield losses introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, thereby improving the yield.
  • the grating density of the grating is between 2000 lines/mm and 20000 lines/mm.
  • the grating density will directly affect the dispersion angle of the grating.
  • the grating density of the spectrometer in the embodiment of the present application can be at a relatively high level (up to 20,000 lines/mm). Compared with the prior art, where the line density of the photolithography grating is 2000 lines/mm, there are great challenges.
  • the grating in the prism of the embodiment of the present application has better scalability.
  • the upper limit of the grating density of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to 20,000 lines/mm, but can also be between 2000 lines/mm and 20,000 lines/mm, and can also be below 2000 lines/mm.
  • the grating includes a plurality of grating lines, and the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along an extension direction of the reflecting surface, and along a lateral direction perpendicular to the extension direction, a grating line projection shape of the plurality of grating lines includes any one or more of a trapezoid, a rectangle, a sawtooth, and a triangle.
  • the periodic structure of the grating can be adjusted according to different application scenarios.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines of the prism in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines of the prism in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a triangular or sawtooth shape.
  • a surface of the grating is partially or completely covered with at least one dielectric film.
  • the refractive index of the grating area is less than 1.9
  • a high refractive index dielectric film needs to be covered on the surface of the grating to ensure diffraction efficiency.
  • adding a layer of low refractive index film on the surface of the high refractive index film can improve the process tolerance and reduce the difficulty of processing.
  • the grating includes a plurality of grating lines, the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along an extension direction of the reflective surface, and a top surface and/or a side surface of at least one of the plurality of grating lines is covered with at least one layer of dielectric film.
  • the grating includes a plurality of grating grooves (i.e., recessed portions on a side of the grating facing away from the reflective surface), the plurality of grating grooves are spaced apart along an extension direction of the reflective surface, and at least one of the plurality of grating grooves is covered with at least one layer of dielectric film.
  • the distance between the bottom surface of the gate groove and the reflection surface is less than 100 micrometers.
  • the material of the dielectric film includes any one or more of TiO 2 , Ta 2 O 5 , and SiO 2 .
  • the material of the dielectric film is a dielectric material with a high refractive index of 2.0 or above, such as a polymer material.
  • the first part is an optical encoder; the second part is a grating ruler, and the grating ruler is formed by processing a material to be processed disposed on a surface of the optical encoder (i.e., an interface between the optical encoder and the grating ruler).
  • the grating ruler is formed by embossing and curing a material to be embossed disposed on a surface of the optical encoder.
  • the grating scale includes a plurality of grating lines and a plurality of grating grooves (i.e., recessed portions on the back side of the grating scale), the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along the extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder, and each of the plurality of grating grooves is arranged at intervals between adjacent grating lines.
  • a distance between the bottom surface of the gate groove and the surface of the optical encoder is less than 100 micrometers.
  • the gate line includes a first surface
  • the gate groove includes a second surface
  • the first surface is a light-blocking area of the optical encoder
  • the second surface is a light-transmitting area of the optical encoder
  • the first surface is a light-transmitting area of the optical encoder
  • the second surface is a light-blocking area of the optical encoder
  • the surface of the optical encoder includes any one of the upper and lower surfaces of a cuboid or a ring, a spherical surface, or the inner and outer surfaces of a cylinder.
  • a second aspect of the present application provides a wavelength selective switch, which includes any optical device in the first aspect and any possible implementation of the first aspect.
  • the third aspect of the present application provides a method for manufacturing an optical device.
  • the manufacturing method includes: providing a first part; arranging a material to be imprinted on the surface of the first part; imprinting the material to be imprinted using an imprinting template having a set shape, wherein the set shape is periodically arranged along a direction parallel to the extension direction of the surface of the first part; curing and demolding the imprinted material to be imprinted to form a second part on the surface of the first part, wherein there is only one interface between the first part and the second part, and the interface is the surface of the first part.
  • the optical device directly embosses the material to be embossed on the surface of the first part to form the second part without using a photolithography process or a photoresist or bonding process, so that the second part can be finely controlled to be periodically arranged in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the surface of the first part.
  • the specific shape of the shape is set to increase the line density and avoid the problem of low yield when the first and second parts of the optical device are glued together in the optical glue or bonding process.
  • the second part of the embodiment of the present application is integrated with the first part through an integrated integration solution to form an integrated optical device.
  • the line density of the periodically arranged set shape in the second part can be greatly improved, with better scalability, avoiding the reliability risk and yield loss introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, and improving the yield.
  • the second portion includes a concave portion on a side facing away from the interface, and a distance between a bottom surface of the concave portion and the interface is less than 100 micrometers along a direction perpendicular to the interface.
  • the first part is a prism, and the prism includes an input surface and a reflection surface that are not parallel to each other; the surface of the first part includes a reflection surface, and the material to be imprinted is arranged on the reflection surface; the set shape of the imprint template is periodically arranged along a direction parallel to the extension direction of the reflection surface; the second part is a grating, and the material to be imprinted forms a grating on the reflection surface of the prism after demolding.
  • the process of forming the grating from the prism in the embodiment of the present application does not use a photolithography process or an optical glue or bonding process.
  • the prism is directly used as the substrate, and the material to be imprinted (such as a polymer material or a glass material) is directly imprinted on the reflective surface of the prism into a grating periodic structure, that is, an imprinting process (such as a nanoimprinting process) is used to directly generate a periodic grating structure on the prism surface, so that the grating shape can be finely controlled, the line density can be improved, and the problem of low yield when the grating and prism are glued together in the optical glue or bonding process can be avoided.
  • an imprinting process such as a nanoimprinting process
  • the grating in the embodiment of the present application is integrated with the prism through an integrated integration solution to form an integrated prism. It can greatly improve the grating density based on existing equipment and processes, has better scalability, avoids the reliability risks and yield losses introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, and improves the yield.
  • the grating density of the grating formed after printing and curing is between 2000 lines/mm and 20000 lines/mm.
  • the grating density will directly affect the dispersion angle of the grating.
  • the grating density of the spectrometer in the embodiment of the present application can be at a relatively high level (20,000 lines/mm). Compared with the prior art, where it is a great challenge to achieve a line density of 2,000 lines/mm for the photolithography grating, the grating in the prism of the embodiment of the present application has better scalability.
  • the grating formed after printing and curing includes a plurality of grating lines, and the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along the extension direction of the reflecting surface, and along the lateral direction perpendicular to the extension direction, the grating line projection shapes of the plurality of grating lines include any one or more of a trapezoid, a rectangle, a sawtooth, and a triangle.
  • the periodic structure of the grating can be adjusted according to different application scenarios.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines of the prism in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines of the prism in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a triangular or sawtooth shape.
  • curing includes any one of heat curing, UV curing, moisture curing or thermoplastic curing. It should be noted that the curing form of the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto, and other curing molding processes may also be used.
  • At least one dielectric film is partially or completely covered on the surface of the grating.
  • the refractive index of the grating area is less than 1.9
  • a high refractive index dielectric film needs to be covered on the surface of the grating to ensure diffraction efficiency.
  • adding a layer of low refractive index film on the surface of the high refractive index film can improve the process tolerance and reduce the difficulty of processing.
  • the grating includes a plurality of grating lines, the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along an extension direction of the reflective surface, and a top surface and/or a side surface of at least one of the plurality of grating lines is covered with at least one layer of dielectric film.
  • the grating includes a plurality of grating grooves, the plurality of grating grooves are arranged at intervals along an extension direction of the reflection surface, and at least one of the plurality of grating grooves is covered with at least one dielectric film.
  • a sputtering or epitaxial process is used to form a dielectric film, but the process of forming a dielectric film is not limited thereto, and any process that can form a dielectric film on the grating surface falls within the protection scope of this application.
  • the material of the dielectric film includes any one or more of high-refractive-index dielectric materials such as TiO 2 , Ta 2 O 5 , SiO 2 or polymers.
  • the material to be imprinted includes a liquid polymer material.
  • the material to be imprinted includes a sol material that can precipitate any one of ZrO 2 and SiO 2 at a set temperature.
  • the material to be imprinted is not limited to the above-mentioned liquid polymer material and sol material, but may also be other materials used for imprinting a grating structure on a substrate.
  • the first part is an optical encoder; the material to be imprinted is set on the surface of the optical encoder; the set shape of the imprinting template is periodically arranged along the extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder; the second part is a grating scale, and the material to be imprinted forms a grating scale on the surface of the optical encoder after demolding.
  • the manufacturing method of the optical encoder of the embodiment of the present application shows that the manufacturing method provided by the embodiment of the present application can not only integrate the grating on the surface of the flat material to be imprinted, but also integrate the grating on the surface of the special-shaped material to be imprinted.
  • the material to be imprinted by the grating can be a non-standard flat plate, prism, cylinder or other shape
  • the surface combined with the grating can be a flat surface, or a non-flat surface such as a cylindrical surface or a spherical surface, which has a wider range of applications compared with the photolithography grating in the prior art.
  • the set shape of the imprint template includes multiple first areas and multiple second areas, and the multiple first areas and the multiple second areas are arranged at intervals, and along the lateral direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder, the top surface of the projected shape of the multiple first areas is higher than the top surface of the projected shape of the multiple second areas.
  • the surface roughness of the first region is greater than the surface roughness of the second region; or, the surface roughness of the first region is less than the surface roughness of the second region.
  • the bright area needs to have high light transmittance, and at the same time, the dark area is contrasted with the bright area by means of shading through coating or forming a high-roughness matte surface, so that bright and dark areas appear alternately, so that when light passes through or reflects at the top (i.e., the gate line) or valley (i.e., the gate groove) of the periodic structure, a larger extinction ratio is formed.
  • the grating scale includes a plurality of grating lines corresponding to the plurality of second regions, and a plurality of grating grooves corresponding to the plurality of first regions, the plurality of grating lines are periodically arranged along the extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder, and each of the plurality of grating grooves is arranged at intervals between adjacent grating lines.
  • the gate line includes a first surface, and the gate groove includes a second surface; the first surface is a light-blocking area of the optical encoder, and the second surface is a light-transmitting area of the optical encoder, or the first surface is a light-transmitting area of the optical encoder, and the second surface is a light-blocking area of the optical encoder.
  • the surface of the optical encoder is any one of the upper and lower surfaces of a cuboid or a ring, a spherical surface, or the inner and outer surfaces of a cylinder.
  • FIG1 is a schematic diagram showing an application scenario of an optical communication network routing device
  • FIG2 shows a schematic diagram of a wavelength selective switch
  • FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a wavelength selective switch provided in Embodiment 1 of the present application.
  • FIG4a shows a schematic structural diagram of a light splitting element provided in Embodiment 1 of the present application.
  • FIG4b shows another schematic structural diagram of the light splitting element provided in the first embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG5 shows a manufacturing process flow chart of an optical device provided in Example 1 of the present application, wherein FIG5(a) shows a manufacturing process flow chart 1 of the optical device, FIG5(b) shows a manufacturing process flow chart 2 of the optical device, and FIG5(c) shows a manufacturing process flow chart 3 of the optical device;
  • FIG6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a prism provided in Example 1 of the present application.
  • FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the E region in FIG. 4 a;
  • FIG8 is a schematic diagram showing the projection shape of the grating lines of the spectral element provided in the first embodiment of the present application, wherein FIG8 (a) shows that the projection shape of the grating lines is a sawtooth shape, FIG8 (b) shows that the projection shape of the grating lines is a triangle, and FIG8 (c) shows that the projection shape of the grating lines is a rectangle;
  • FIG9 shows a graph of wavelength-diffraction efficiency for different grating line projection shapes
  • FIG10 is a schematic diagram showing various coverage conditions of the dielectric film of the spectroscopic element provided in the first embodiment of the present application on the grating surface
  • FIG10 (a) shows that the top surface of the grating line is covered with a dielectric film
  • FIG10 (b) shows that the bottom wall of the grating groove is covered with a dielectric film
  • FIG10 (c) shows that the top surface of the grating line and the bottom wall of the grating groove are simultaneously covered with a dielectric film
  • FIG10 (d) shows that the surface of the grating line and the grating groove is covered with a non-uniform dielectric film
  • FIG10 (e) shows that the surface of the grating line and the grating groove is covered with multiple layers of dielectric films;
  • FIG11 shows a schematic structural diagram of an optical encoder provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application.
  • FIG12 shows another schematic diagram of the structure of an optical encoder provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application.
  • FIG13 is a partial enlarged schematic diagram of the F area in FIG7 and FIG8;
  • FIG14 shows another structural schematic diagram of an optical encoder provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application.
  • FIG15 shows a fourth structural schematic diagram of the optical encoder provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application.
  • FIG. 16 shows a manufacturing process flow chart of an optical device provided in Embodiment 2 of the present application, wherein (a) of FIG. 16 shows a manufacturing process flow chart of the optical device, (b) of FIG. 16 shows a manufacturing process flow chart of the optical device, and (c) of FIG. 16 shows a manufacturing process flow chart of the optical device.
  • Figure 17 shows a schematic diagram of the distribution of bright and dark areas of the optical encoder provided in Example 2 of the present application.
  • the optical encoder shown in (a) in Figure 17 forms a dark area on the top and a bright area on the bottom.
  • the optical encoder shown in (b) in Figure 17 forms a bright area on the top and a dark area on the bottom.
  • An embodiment of the present application provides an optical device including a first part (such as the prism and optical encoder described later) and a second part (such as the grating and grating ruler described later).
  • the first part is directly used as a substrate, and a second part with a periodic set shape is directly generated on the surface of the first part by an imprinting process, so as to form an optical device in an integrated manner.
  • the optical device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a grating applied to a wavelength selection switch, but the embodiment of the present application is not limited to the grating, and can also be other optical devices, for example, an optical encoder used to accurately detect the motion state of a mechanical device.
  • the optical device as a prism as an example, the first part of the optical device is a prism, and the second part of the optical device is a grating.
  • the embodiments of the present application directly use a prism as a substrate, coat the material to be imprinted (polymer material or glass material) on the reflective surface of the prism, and use an imprinting process to imprint and solidify the material to be imprinted on the reflective surface of the prism to form a periodic grating structure, thereby integrating the grating and the prism together to realize an integrated integrated prism solution, which can greatly improve the grating density based on existing equipment and processes.
  • the grating in the prism of the embodiment of the present application has a greater challenge to achieve a line density of 2000 lines/mm for the photolithography grating.
  • the grating in the prism of the embodiment of the present application has better scalability.
  • the prism of the embodiment of the present application can avoid the reliability risk and yield loss introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, thereby improving the yield.
  • WSS Wavelength Selective Switch
  • a wavelength switch is an optical module that can dispatch laser signals of different wavelengths from one or more input ports to one or more output ports in real time.
  • Wavelength division multiplexing refers to the technology of transmitting two or more optical signals of different wavelengths in the same optical fiber of an optical line.
  • the refractive index of a medium refers to the ratio of the speed at which light waves propagate in a vacuum to the speed at which light waves propagate in the medium.
  • a grating is an optical element whose surface is integrated with periodic structures such as rectangles, sinusoids, sawtooths, triangles or trapezoids. The number of periodic shapes per millimeter is called the line density of the grating.
  • periodic structures such as rectangles, sinusoids, sawtooths, triangles or trapezoids.
  • the number of periodic shapes per millimeter is called the line density of the grating.
  • a prism refers to a block of dielectric material (glass, crystal material, polymer material, etc.) whose input surface is not parallel to the input surface.
  • the propagation direction is deflected, which is called the refraction of light.
  • the propagation directions are different. This phenomenon is also called the dispersion of light.
  • MEMS Micro-Electro-Mechanical System
  • Micro-electromechanical systems refers to an industrial technology that integrates microelectronics with mechanical engineering. In this article, it refers to a reverse mirror array whose angle is controlled by voltage. Its function is to adjust the direction of light reflected after it hits each mirror in real time.
  • Liquid crystal on silicon refers to a device in which the surface of an integrated circuit is polished with advanced technology and then coated with aluminum as a reflector to form an integrated circuit substrate.
  • the integrated circuit substrate is then bonded to a glass substrate containing transparent electrodes, and liquid crystal is injected between the two substrates to form a package.
  • the liquid crystal molecules will have different orientations under different electric fields, and thus have different refractive indices.
  • the voltage and electric field applied to each unit between the glass substrate and the integrated circuit substrate can be controlled through the integrated circuit, thereby controlling the refractive index of the liquid crystal molecules in each unit, and then controlling the reflection angle and direction of the light incident on the unit.
  • a grating is an optical element that integrates a grating and a prism to achieve an ultra-large dispersion angle.
  • Insertion loss refers to the energy loss of an optical signal when it passes through an interface, component or system. It is generally measured in dB and is defined as in formula 1.1: Where Pin is the input optical power and Pout is the output optical power;
  • Polarization extinction ratio refers to the ratio of the energy of two perpendicular polarization components of a light signal, measured in dB, and defined as in formula 1.2, where Px is the energy of the polarization component in a specified direction, and Py is the energy of the polarization component in another direction perpendicular to Px.
  • FIG. 1 shows an application scenario of an optical communication network routing device.
  • Optical signals of different wavelengths need to be distributed to different sites to complete the scheduling of signals of different wavelengths.
  • the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the five sites shown in Figure 1 and the scheduling of optical signals of four different wavelengths.
  • a corresponding number of sites can be set according to actual needs and the scheduling of optical signals of other numbers of wavelengths can be completed.
  • the optical communication network routing equipment includes six sites and needs to complete the scheduling of optical signals of five different wavelengths.
  • the multiple sites represent city A, city B, city C, city D, and a local server of city A, respectively, and the multiple sites are connected via optical fibers for transmitting optical signals.
  • city B is connected to city A via optical fibers
  • city A is connected to city C via optical fibers
  • city A is connected to city D via optical fibers
  • city A is connected to server 200 via optical fibers.
  • city A has a module capable of performing wavelength scheduling, namely, a wavelength selective switch 100 (WSS).
  • WSS wavelength selective switch 100
  • the wavelength selective switch 100 of city A can distribute the optical signal ⁇ 0 with multiple different wavelengths from the input port (i.e., city B) into optical signals of different wavelengths (as shown by ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 and ⁇ 3 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 ), and schedule the optical signals of different wavelengths to the corresponding multiple output ports (i.e., the local server 200 of city A, city C, and city D) in real time according to the planned path.
  • the input port i.e., city B
  • the wavelength selective switch 100 of city A can distribute the optical signal ⁇ 0 with multiple different wavelengths from the input port (i.e., city B) into optical signals of different wavelengths (as shown by ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 and ⁇ 3 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 ), and schedule the optical signals of different wavelengths to the corresponding multiple output ports (i.e
  • ⁇ 0 includes a light signal ⁇ 1 sent to the local server 200 of city A indicating a WeChat Chinese emoticon, a light signal ⁇ 2 sent to city C indicating access to a Baidu server, and a light signal ⁇ 3 sent to city D.
  • FIG3 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a spectrometer using a grism 105 as a wavelength selective switch 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application.
  • the spectrometer in the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a grism, but may also be other optical devices, such as a grating or a prism.
  • the wavelength selective switch 100 includes an optical fiber array 101, a lens array 102, a first reflector 103, a grism 105, and a second reflector 104.
  • a single multi-wavelength optical signal (such as the multi-wavelength optical signal ⁇ 0 mentioned above) enters the lens array 102 from the input port 106 in the optical fiber array 101 and is output to the first reflector 103. After being reflected by the first reflector 103, it is transmitted to the grism 105, and after being dispersed and expanded by the grism 105, it is divided into a plurality of single-wavelength optical signals, which are transmitted to the second reflector 104.
  • the plurality of single-wavelength optical signals are dispersed and folded by the grism 105, and then the light spot shape and transmission direction are adjusted by the reflector 103 and the lens array 102, and finally sent to a specific output port 107 in the optical fiber array 101.
  • the optical fiber array 101 is used to arrange optical fibers containing input signals and output signals (i.e., the optical fiber connected to the input port 106 and the optical fiber connected to the output port 107 shown in FIG. 3 ) in a certain order and distance (i.e., one input port 106 and four output ports 107 are arranged at intervals as shown in FIG. 3 ), one end of which is connected to an external system (e.g., the city B shown in FIG. 1 ) through an optical connector, and the other end of which inputs a laser signal (i.e., a multi-wavelength optical signal ⁇ 0 ) to a wavelength selective switch 100 (e.g., the city A shown in FIG. 1 ).
  • an external system e.g., the city B shown in FIG. 1
  • a wavelength selective switch 100 e.g., the city A shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the optical fiber array 101 adopts a V-groove or hole structure made of glass or silicon, so that the optical fibers of the optical fiber array 101 are fixed in the V-groove or hole structure.
  • the lens array 102 is composed of five lenses corresponding to one input port 106 and four output ports 107, and the purpose is to adjust the light spot emitted from the optical fiber of the input port 106 or the reflected light spot from the first reflector 103 to a light spot shape and energy distribution that meet the system requirements, that is, to convert the divergent light into collimated light.
  • the lens array 102 includes a double-sided lens and a single-sided lens, and the material of the lens includes silicon, glass or polymer materials, etc.
  • the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the shape and number of the lenses.
  • the shape of the lens can be round or square, and the surface shape of the lens can be spherical, cylindrical, ellipsoidal or other aspherical surfaces, etc.
  • the first reflector 103 can change the direction of light transmission to transmit the light passing through the lens array 102 to the prism 105. At the same time, the first reflector 103 can fine-tune the reflection direction of light at different positions (for example, multiple single-wavelength light signals after dispersion and folding by the prism 105) to compensate for the optical distortion caused by different optical paths.
  • the reflector surface is divided into different pixel points, and each pixel point can independently control its reflection direction.
  • the laser spots of multiple single-wavelength optical signals i.e., ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2, and ⁇ 3 shown in FIG.
  • the second reflector 104 controls the reflection directions of the single-wavelength optical signals at different positions according to the optical fiber arrangement position of the output port 107 in the optical fiber array 101, so that the reflected single-wavelength optical signals (i.e., ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 , and ⁇ 3 shown in FIG. 1 ) are dispersed and folded by the light splitting device 105, and then the spot shape and transmission direction are adjusted by the reflector 103 and the lens array 102, and finally sent to the optical fiber array 101 arranged in sequence, for example, according to the ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 , and ⁇ 3 shown in FIG. 3 . 3 to complete the wavelength scheduling.
  • the reflected single-wavelength optical signals i.e., ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 , and ⁇ 3 shown in FIG. 1
  • the second reflector 104 includes a MEMS reflector or an LCOS reflector, wherein the MEMS reflector adjusts the angle of the mirror by adjusting the driving voltage of each unit (i.e., corresponding to the above-mentioned pixel point) to achieve the purpose of controlling the reflection direction; and the LCOS controls the driving voltage of each unit (i.e., corresponding to the above-mentioned pixel point) to adjust the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules of the unit, thereby controlling its refractive index to achieve the purpose of controlling the reflection direction.
  • the MEMS reflector adjusts the angle of the mirror by adjusting the driving voltage of each unit (i.e., corresponding to the above-mentioned pixel point) to achieve the purpose of controlling the reflection direction
  • the LCOS controls the driving voltage of each unit (i.e., corresponding to the above-mentioned pixel point) to adjust the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules of the unit, thereby controlling its refractive index to achieve the purpose of controlling the reflection direction.
  • FIG. 4a shows a first schematic diagram of the structure of the grism 105
  • FIG. 4b shows a second schematic diagram of the structure of the grism 105
  • the grisms 105 shown in FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b both include a prism area 120 (including a prism 111) and a grating area 121 (including a grating 110).
  • the grism 105 in FIG. 4a includes an input surface 123, an output surface 123, and a reflection surface 124.
  • the input surface 123 and the output surface 123 are located on the same side of the grism 105, and the reflection surface 124 is not parallel to the input surface 123 (FIG.
  • the prism 105 shown in FIG4b also includes an input surface 125, an output surface 126 and a reflection surface 124, wherein the input surface 125 and the output surface 126 are located on two different intersecting sides of the prism 105, and the reflection surface 124 and the input surface 125 are also not parallel to each other (as shown in FIG4b, they are approximately perpendicular to each other).
  • the input surfaces 123 and 125 of the prism 105 are used for inputting optical signals (e.g., ⁇ 0 ), and the reflective surface 124 is used for dispersing the optical signals from the input surfaces 123 and 125 to generate multiple single-wavelength optical signals (e.g., ⁇ 1 , ⁇ 2 and ⁇ 3 ), and then transmitting them to the output surface, such as the output surface 123 in Fig. 4a , or the output surface 126 shown in Fig. 4b .
  • the material of the prism 111 in the embodiment of the present application includes glass, transparent silicon or polymer material, etc.
  • the grating 110 in the spectroscopic device shown in FIG. 4 a and FIG. 4 b is formed by imprinting and curing the material to be imprinted on the reflection surface 124 of the prism 111 .
  • FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate an example of the process flow of forming the grating 110 on the surface of the prism 111 in the embodiment of the present application:
  • the method for manufacturing the grism provided in the embodiment of the present application specifically comprises the following steps:
  • S1 Provide a prism 111.
  • the prism 111 is fixed by a clamp, and the prism 111 serves as a substrate.
  • the prism 111 includes an input surface (such as the input surface 123 described above) and a reflection surface 124 that are not parallel to each other.
  • the prism 111 is an optical passive component manufactured by a processing technology.
  • the prism 111 can be a glass or silicon optical passive component manufactured by a mechanical processing technology such as grinding and polishing, or a polymer optical passive component manufactured by a process such as injection molding or molding.
  • the input surface 123 and the reflection surface 124 of the prism 111 are coated with an anti-reflection film to reduce end face reflection.
  • the prism 111 is used as a substrate, and a material to be imprinted 131 is disposed on the reflective surface 124 of the prism 111.
  • the material to be imprinted 131 of the embodiment of the present application includes a liquid polymer material (e.g., a heat-cured/ultraviolet-cured polymer material), but the material to be imprinted 131 of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a polymer material, and may also be other materials to be imprinted, for example, the material to be imprinted 131 also includes a sol material capable of precipitating any one of ZrO2 and SiO2 at a set temperature.
  • the polymer material selected for the material to be imprinted refers to a synthetic resin that undergoes a polymerization reaction under heating or under the action of ultraviolet light, and cross-links and solidifies into an insoluble and infusible substance.
  • the synthetic resin includes phenol, epoxy, amino, and polyacrylate, etc.
  • the material has a high transmittance in the visible light and near-infrared bands, and a refractive index between 1.4 and 1.8.
  • a chemical reaction is carried out at a certain temperature (within 500°C, such as 350°C, 400°C, 500°C) after subsequent imprinting and molding, and inorganic substances such as ZrO2 or SiO2 are precipitated and deposited on the surface of the prism 111 to form the grating 110 structure, and the organic matter is volatilized.
  • the set shape is along the reflection surface of the prism 111
  • the extending direction of 124 (as shown in the X direction in FIG. 5 ) is parallel to the direction and is periodically arranged.
  • the imprinting template 130 engraved with a shape complementary to the grating 110 is pressed onto the surface of the prism 111 coated with the polymer material (i.e., the material to be imprinted 131) to complete the imprinting (e.g., a nanoimprinting process).
  • the imprinting direction is along the direction perpendicular to the reflective surface 124 (as shown in the Y direction in FIG.
  • the periodic structure of the imprinting template 130 is a trapezoidal structure.
  • the periodic structure of the grating 110 formed subsequently is also a trapezoidal structure. That is, the periodic structure of the grating 110 depends on the periodic structure of the imprinting template 130.
  • the material of the imprint template 130 includes any one of silicon, glass, metal or polymer material, and the imprint template 130 can achieve a periodically arranged set shape (such as the periodic trapezoidal shape shown in (a) of FIG. 5 ) through DUV/EBL lithography or high-precision single-point diamond machining.
  • the imprint template 130 is separated from the reflective surface 124 of the prism 111, and the cured shape of the grating 110 is left on the reflective surface 124 of the prism 111.
  • the grating 110 is formed on the reflective surface 124 of the prism 111, and the grating 110 and the prism 111 are integrated into the grism 105.
  • Figure 7 is an enlarged view of part E in Figure 4a.
  • the interface is the reflection surface 124 of the prism 111.
  • the curing conditions of the above-mentioned polymer vary depending on the material, and can be thermal curing, ultraviolet curing, or curing after the sol undergoes a chemical reaction.
  • the process of forming the grating 110 from the grating 105 in the embodiment of the present application does not use a photolithography process or an optical glue or bonding process, so that the grating shape can be finely controlled, the line density can be improved, and the problem of low yield when the grating and the prism are glued together in the optical glue or bonding process can be avoided.
  • the grating 110 in the embodiment of the present application is integrated with the prism 111 through an integrated integration solution to form an integrated grating. It can greatly improve the grating density based on existing equipment and processes, has better scalability, avoids the reliability risk and yield loss introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, and improves the yield.
  • the prism 111 plays a certain role in dispersion expansion, which is superimposed on the dispersion effect of the grating area 121 to form an overall dispersion capability of the prism 105 to achieve a larger dispersion angle, thereby shortening the distance between the first reflector 103 and the second reflector 104 and the spectrometer 105 in the internal structure of the wavelength selective switch 100, so that the first reflector 103 and the second reflector 104 are closer to the spectrometer 105, thereby reducing the size of the wavelength selective switch 100.
  • the optical signal after the optical signal is dispersed by the grating 105, it will fall on different positions of the second reflector 104.
  • the dispersion angle of the grating 105 is larger, the spacing between different positions on the second reflector 104 is larger, which helps to reduce signal crosstalk between optical signals of adjacent wavelengths and affects the signal transmission between optical signals of adjacent wavelengths.
  • the grating 110 includes a plurality of grating lines 1101, which are periodically arranged along the extension direction (as shown in the X direction in FIG7 ) of the reflection surface 124.
  • the grating 110 also includes a plurality of grating grooves 1102 (a concave portion of the grating 110 on the side facing away from the reflection surface 124), which are spaced apart along the extension direction (as shown in the X direction in FIG7 ) of the reflection surface 124.
  • the number of periodic shapes per millimeter is expressed as the grating density of the grating.
  • the grating density is difficult to reach more than 2000 lines/mm. Since in the embodiment of the present application, the grating is formed by the process of stamping and curing, by designing the periodic structure of the stamping template 130, the grating density (i.e., the density of the grating lines 1101) can reach 20,000 lines/mm. The grating density will directly affect the dispersion angle of the grating. The larger the grating density, the larger the dispersion angle of the grating, and the higher the overall dispersion ability of the prism.
  • the grating line projection shape of the plurality of grating lines 1101 is a trapezoidal structure.
  • the embodiment of the present application does not limit the grating line projection shape of the grating lines 1101, and the periodic structure of the imprint template 130 can be adjusted according to different application scenarios and optical path designs to adjust the grating line projection shape of the plurality of grating lines 1101 of the prism in the embodiment of the present application.
  • the grid line projection shapes include a sawtooth shape (as shown in (a) in FIG8 ), a triangle (as shown in (b) in FIG8 ), and a rectangle (as shown in (c) in FIG8 ).
  • FIG9 shows a schematic diagram of diffraction efficiency curves for different grating line projection shapes for different wavelengths.
  • the grating line projection shape corresponding to curve a is a sawtooth shape
  • the grating line projection shape corresponding to curve b is a triangle
  • the grating line projection shape corresponding to curve c is a rectangle.
  • the bandwidth of curve a is smaller than the bandwidth of curve b
  • the bandwidth of curve b is smaller than the bandwidth of curve c
  • the diffraction efficiency of curve a is greater than the diffraction efficiency of curve b
  • the diffraction efficiency of curve b is greater than the diffraction efficiency of curve c.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines 1101 of the grating in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a rectangular or trapezoidal shape.
  • the grating line projection shape of the multiple grating lines 1101 of the grating in the embodiment of the present application can be adjusted to a triangular or sawtooth shape.
  • the prism 105 provided in the embodiment of the present application is composed of a prism region 120, a grating region 121, and a dielectric film region 122. That is, a dielectric film is covered on the surface of the grating 110.
  • the material of the dielectric film includes any one or more of TiO2, Ta2O5, and SiO2.
  • the dielectric film area 122 is a high refractive index dielectric film structure attached to the surface of the grating 110 structure, and the actual reflection area of the laser signal occurs at the interface between the dielectric film and the grating area 121 and the interface between the dielectric film and the air.
  • the laser signal is reflected at the interface between the dielectric film and the air.
  • m is the diffraction order (or spectral order)
  • ⁇ is the wavelength of the incident light
  • d is the spacing between the grating grooves 1102 of the grating 110 structure
  • ⁇ is the incident angle
  • ⁇ is the emission angle
  • the refractive index of the grating region 121 when the refractive index of the grating region 121 is greater than 1.9, it is not necessary to plate a dielectric film on the surface of the grating 110.
  • the refractive index of the grating region 121 is less than 1.9, it is necessary to cover the surface of the grating 110 with a dielectric film of high refractive index to ensure diffraction efficiency.
  • adding a layer of low refractive index film on the surface of the high refractive index film can improve the process tolerance and reduce the difficulty of processing.
  • the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of the dielectric film covering the surface of the grating 110.
  • the top surface and/or side surface (i.e., the side wall of the gate groove 1102) of at least one of the plurality of gate lines 1101 is covered with at least one dielectric film.
  • at least one gate groove 1102 (i.e., the bottom wall of the gate groove 1102) of the plurality of gate lines 1101 is covered with at least one dielectric film.
  • the distance between the bottom surface 11021 of the gate groove 1102 and the reflective surface is less than 100 microns.
  • the top surface of the gate line 1101 is covered with a layer of dielectric film; as shown in (b) of FIG. 10 , the bottom wall of the gate groove 1102 is covered with a layer of dielectric film; as shown in (c) of FIG. 10 , the top surface of the gate line 1101 and the bottom wall of the gate groove 1102 are simultaneously covered with a layer of dielectric film; as shown in (d) of FIG. 10 , the surfaces of the gate line 1101 and the gate groove 1102 are covered with a layer of non-uniform dielectric film; as shown in (e) of FIG.
  • the surfaces of the gate line 1101 and the gate groove 1102 are covered with multiple layers of dielectric films, such as a first layer of dielectric film 1221 covering the surface of the grating and a second layer of dielectric film 1222 covering the first layer of dielectric film 1221.
  • an optical encoder is required.
  • the optical encoder is distributed with bright and dark areas with different reflection or transmission properties of light.
  • the light detector 143 can calculate the motion state of the encoder (including speed, direction, displacement, etc.) by combining the corresponding algorithm, and can obtain accurate motion information by identifying and analyzing the brightness changes of the received light. That is, the light detector 143 can obtain accurate motion information by identifying and analyzing the brightness changes of the received light.
  • the optical device provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a first optical encoder 150 (the first part of the optical device) and a first grating scale 151 (the second part of the optical device).
  • the first grating scale 151 is formed by imprinting and curing the material to be imprinted on the surface of the first optical encoder 150.
  • the first optical encoder 150 is a transmissive circular optical encoder, that is, the detection method of the first optical encoder 150 is transmissive, but the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a transmissive optical encoder, and other detection methods can also be used.
  • the second optical encoder 152 is a reflective circular optical encoder, and the light emitted by the light source 142 is reflected by the second grating scale 153 of the second optical encoder 152 and then enters the light detector 143 .
  • the first grating scale 151 and the second grating scale 153 each include a plurality of grating lines 1101 (i.e., protrusions extending outward along a surface perpendicular to the optical encoder in Figure 13) and a plurality of grating grooves 1102, the plurality of grating lines 1101 are periodically arranged along an extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder (as shown in the R direction in Figure 13), and each of the plurality of grating grooves 1102 is arranged at intervals between adjacent grating lines 1101.
  • grating lines 1101 i.e., protrusions extending outward along a surface perpendicular to the optical encoder in Figure 13
  • the plurality of grating lines 1101 are periodically arranged along an extension direction of the surface of the optical encoder (as shown in the R direction in Figure 13), and each of the plurality of grating grooves 1102 is arranged at intervals between adjacent grating lines 1101.
  • the shape of the first optical encoder 150 includes a spherical shape or a cylindrical shape, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the optical encoder may also be in other shapes.
  • the third optical encoder 154 is a transmissive disc optical encoder, and the light emitted by the light source 142 is transmitted through the third grating scale 155 of the third optical encoder 154 and then enters the light detector 143 .
  • the fourth optical encoder 156 is a transmissive bar optical encoder, and the light emitted by the light source 142 is transmitted through the fourth grating scale 157 of the fourth optical encoder 156 and then enters the light detector 143 .
  • the shape of the optical encoder can be designed to be any one of the above-mentioned spherical, cylindrical, rectangular and annular shapes, and the transmission or reflection detection method can also be adapted and selected according to the system requirements.
  • FIG. 16 illustrates an example of the process flow of forming a grating scale on the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder in the embodiment of the present application:
  • the manufacturing method of the optical encoder provided in the embodiment of the present application specifically includes the following steps:
  • S1 Provides optical encoder.
  • the optical encoder is fixed by a clamp.
  • the optical encoder includes a base 141.
  • the base 141 of the optical encoder serves as a substrate.
  • S2 Arrange the material to be imprinted on the surface of the optical encoder.
  • the base 141 of the optical encoder is used as a substrate, and the material to be imprinted 131 is set on the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder.
  • the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder includes any one of the upper and lower surfaces of a cuboid or a ring, a spherical surface, or the inner and outer surfaces of a cylinder.
  • the material to be imprinted 131 of the embodiment of the present application includes a liquid polymer material, but the material to be imprinted 131 of the embodiment of the present application is not limited to a polymer material, and can also be other materials to be imprinted.
  • the material to be imprinted 131 also includes a sol material that can precipitate any one of ZrO2 and SiO2 at a set temperature.
  • the polymer material selected for the material to be imprinted refers to a synthetic resin that undergoes polymerization reaction under heating or ultraviolet light, cross-links and solidifies into an insoluble and infusible substance.
  • the synthetic resin includes phenol, epoxy, amino and polyacrylate, etc.
  • the material has a high transmittance in the visible light and near-infrared bands, and the refractive index is between 1.4 and 1.8.
  • a chemical reaction is carried out at a certain temperature (within 500°C, such as 350°C, 400°C, 500°C) after subsequent embossing, and inorganic substances such as ZrO2 or SiO2 are precipitated and deposited on the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder to form a grating scale structure, and the organic matter is volatilized.
  • S3 Imprint the material 131 to be imprinted using an imprint template 130 having a set shape, wherein the set shape is periodically arranged in a direction parallel to the extension direction of the base 141 of the optical encoder (as shown in the X direction in FIG. 16 ).
  • the imprinting template 130 engraved with a shape complementary to the grating scale is pressed onto the surface of the base 141 of the optical encoder coated with the polymer material (i.e., the material to be imprinted 131) to complete the imprinting.
  • the set shape of the imprinting template 130 is periodically arranged along a direction parallel to the extension direction of the base 141 of the optical encoder (as shown in the X direction in FIG. 16 (b)).
  • the periodic structure of the imprinting template 130 is a trapezoidal structure.
  • the material of the imprint template 130 includes silicon, glass and metal, and the periodically arranged set shape is realized by DUV/EBL lithography or high-precision single-point diamond machining.
  • the imprinted material 131 is cured and demolded to form a grating scale on the surface of the base 141 of the optical encoder.
  • the curing is further completed, and the imprinting template 130 is separated from the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder, and the cured grating scale shape is left on the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder.
  • a grating scale is formed on the surface of the base 141 of the optical encoder, and the grating scale and the optical encoder are integrated into a new optical device (i.e., a new integrated optical encoder with a grating scale).
  • a new optical device i.e., a new integrated optical encoder with a grating scale.
  • FIG. 16 there is only one interface between the grating scale after imprinting (i.e., the material to be imprinted 131 after imprinting and curing) and the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder, and the interface is the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder.
  • the curing conditions of the polymer described above vary depending on the material, and may be thermal curing, ultraviolet curing, or curing after a chemical reaction of the sol.
  • the process of forming a grating scale on the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder in the embodiment of the present application does not use photolithography, photo-gluing or bonding processes, so that the shape of the grating scale can be finely controlled, the line density can be improved, and the problem of low yield when the optical encoder and the grating scale are glued together in the photo-gluing or bonding process can be avoided.
  • the grating ruler of the embodiment of the present application is integrated with the optical encoder through an integrated integration solution to form an integrated optical encoder. It can greatly improve the linear density of the grating ruler based on the existing equipment and process, has better scalability, avoids the reliability risk and yield loss introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, and improves the yield.
  • the manufacturing process of optical encoders that use nanoimprinting to imprint alternating light and dark structures and areas on the surface of moving strip, disk or wheel optical encoders can significantly reduce costs compared to traditional magnetic encoding processes, while the detection resolution can be improved to below sub-micron.
  • the manufacturing method provided in the embodiment of the present application can integrate the grating ruler not only on the surface of the flat material to be imprinted, but also on the surface of the special-shaped material to be imprinted.
  • the material to be imprinted by the grating ruler can be a non-standard flat plate, prism, cylinder or other shape
  • the surface combined with the grating ruler can be a flat surface, or a non-flat surface such as a cylindrical surface or a spherical surface, which has a wider range of applications compared with the photolithography grating ruler in the prior art.
  • the set shape of the imprint template 130 for preparing the optical encoder provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a plurality of first regions 1103 and a plurality of second regions 1104, and the plurality of first regions 1103 and the plurality of second regions 1104 are arranged at intervals, and along the lateral direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the surface of the base 141 of the optical encoder (as shown in the X direction in FIG. 16 (c)), the top surface of the projected shape of the plurality of first regions 1103 is higher than the top surface of the projected shape of the plurality of second regions 1104.
  • the surface roughness of the first region 1103 is less than the surface roughness of the second region 1104.
  • the first region 1103 can be embossed with a light-blocking region or a diffuse reflection region of the grating ruler
  • the second region 1104 can be embossed with a light-transmitting region or a light-reflecting region of the grating ruler.
  • the surface roughness of the first region 1103 is less than that of the second region 1104.
  • the first region 1103 can be embossed with a light-transmitting region or a light-reflecting region of a grating
  • the second region 1104 can be embossed with a light-blocking region or a diffuse reflection region of a grating.
  • the grating scale for preparing the optical encoder includes a plurality of grating lines 1101 corresponding to the plurality of second regions 1104, and a plurality of grating grooves 1102 corresponding to the plurality of first regions, the plurality of grating lines 1101 are periodically arranged along the extension direction of the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder (as shown in the X direction in (a) and (b) in FIG. 16), and each of the plurality of grating grooves 1102 is arranged at intervals between adjacent grating lines 1101.
  • the distance between the bottom surface of the grating groove 1102 and the surface 1411 of the base 141 of the optical encoder is less than 100 microns.
  • the gate line 1101 includes a first surface (i.e., a dark area 144), and the gate groove 1102 includes a second surface (i.e., a bright area 145); the first surface is a light-blocking area of the optical encoder, and the second surface is a light-transmitting area of the optical encoder. That is, the optical encoder shown in FIG. 17 (a) forms a dark area 144 (i.e., a light-blocking area or a diffuse reflection area) at the top of the periodic structure or a bright area 145 (i.e., a light-transmitting area or a light-reflecting area) at the bottom.
  • a dark area 144 i.e., a light-blocking area or a diffuse reflection area
  • a bright area 145 i.e., a light-transmitting area or a light-reflecting area
  • the bright area 145 needs to have high light transmittance, and at the same time, the dark area 144 is contrasted with the top by means of coating shading or forming a high-roughness matte surface, so that the bright area 145 and the dark area 144 appear alternately, so that when the light passes through or reflects at the top (i.e., the gate line 1101) or the valley (i.e., the gate groove 1102) of the periodic structure, a larger extinction ratio is formed.
  • the first surface i.e., the bright area 145) is the light-transmitting area of the optical encoder
  • the second surface i.e., the dark area 144
  • the optical encoder shown in (b) in FIG. 17 forms a dark area 144 (i.e., a light-blocking area or a diffuse reflection area) at the bottom of the periodic structure or a bright area 145 (i.e., a light-transmitting area or a light-reflecting area) at the top.
  • the embodiment of the present application directly imprints and solidifies the material to be imprinted on the reflective surface of the prism to form a grating, thereby integrating the grating and the prism together to realize an integrated prism grating solution, which can greatly improve the grating density based on existing equipment and processes, has better scalability, avoids the reliability risk and yield loss introduced in the optical glue or bonding process, and the yield can be increased from 60% to more than 90%.
  • the grating ruler is integrated on the surface of the optical encoder, which has a wider range of applications compared with the photolithography grating ruler in the prior art.

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  • Diffracting Gratings Or Hologram Optical Elements (AREA)

Abstract

La présente demande se rapporte au domaine technique des communications par fibre optique, et en particulier un dispositif optique, un commutateur sélectif en longueur d'onde et un procédé de fabrication de dispositif optique. Le dispositif optique comprend une première partie et une seconde partie, la seconde partie étant d'une structure périodique formée par traitement d'un matériau à traiter disposé sur la surface de la première partie, une seule interface étant disposée entre la première partie et la seconde partie, l'interface étant la surface de la première partie. La première partie et la seconde partie du dispositif optique fournies par la présente demande sont intégrées dans un ensemble, de telle sorte que des facteurs indésirables influençant les performances optiques du dispositif optique en raison de l'utilisation d'un processus de photolithographie peuvent être évités, et le risque de fiabilité et la perte de rendement provoqués par l'utilisation d'une résine photosensible ou d'un processus de liaison peuvent être réduits.
PCT/CN2024/094262 2023-07-24 2024-05-20 Dispositif optique, commutateur sélectif en longueur d'onde et procédé de fabrication de dispositif optique Pending WO2025020655A1 (fr)

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CN202310919329.7A CN119355880A (zh) 2023-07-24 2023-07-24 一种光学设备、波长选择开关及光学设备制造方法
CN202310919329.7 2023-07-24

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Citations (7)

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US5575878A (en) * 1994-11-30 1996-11-19 Honeywell Inc. Method for making surface relief profilers
CN1791813A (zh) * 2003-03-21 2006-06-21 Ovd基尼格拉姆股份公司 微结构及其微结构产生的工艺
TW201121260A (en) * 2009-12-15 2011-06-16 Nat Applied Res Laboratories Hybrid DWDM and method for fabricating the same
WO2014010200A1 (fr) * 2012-07-10 2014-01-16 日本電気株式会社 Élément optique, dispositif optique et dispositif d'affichage
CN114791640A (zh) * 2021-01-25 2022-07-26 华为技术有限公司 闪耀光栅及闪耀光栅的制作方法
CN115793116A (zh) * 2016-07-29 2023-03-14 朗美通经营有限责任公司 用于单极化或双极化的薄膜全内反射衍射光栅
CN116466436A (zh) * 2023-03-17 2023-07-21 安徽共芯光子科技有限公司 一种波长选择开关

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5575878A (en) * 1994-11-30 1996-11-19 Honeywell Inc. Method for making surface relief profilers
CN1791813A (zh) * 2003-03-21 2006-06-21 Ovd基尼格拉姆股份公司 微结构及其微结构产生的工艺
TW201121260A (en) * 2009-12-15 2011-06-16 Nat Applied Res Laboratories Hybrid DWDM and method for fabricating the same
WO2014010200A1 (fr) * 2012-07-10 2014-01-16 日本電気株式会社 Élément optique, dispositif optique et dispositif d'affichage
CN115793116A (zh) * 2016-07-29 2023-03-14 朗美通经营有限责任公司 用于单极化或双极化的薄膜全内反射衍射光栅
CN114791640A (zh) * 2021-01-25 2022-07-26 华为技术有限公司 闪耀光栅及闪耀光栅的制作方法
CN116466436A (zh) * 2023-03-17 2023-07-21 安徽共芯光子科技有限公司 一种波长选择开关

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