Integrated Computational Element Fabrication via Substrate Cleaving
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing integrated computational elements (ICE cores) for optical computing devices are inefficient, as they often result in substrate remnants that complicate the coating process and reduce productivity, especially in applications where the substrate cannot withstand the thin film manufacturing process or is impractical to coat.
Innovation Solution
The method involves depositing thin film layers on both sides of a cleavable substrate using atomic layer deposition, then cleaving and removing the substrate to create mirror ICE cores that can be used as decals on target surfaces, doubling productivity and allowing for flexible placement on surfaces that would otherwise be difficult to coat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional substrate coating methods are used for manufacturing ICE cores, then the substrate can be coated with thin film layers, but substrate remnants remain that complicate the coating process and reduce productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into multiple separate ICE cores through cleaving after thin film deposition. This segmentation allows the thin film layers to be deposited on the entire substrate first, then divided into individual cores, eliminating the need to re-coat remaining substrate portions and thereby reducing coating process complexity while increasing productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The thin film layers are deposited on the substrate before cleaving it into separate ICE cores. This preliminary deposition action ensures that all thin film layers are formed in a single coating process rather than requiring multiple coating steps for different substrate portions, thus simplifying the coating process and improving fabrication efficiency
2Adaptability or versatility
If the substrate cannot withstand the thin film manufacturing process, then the substrate may be damaged or degraded, but using a cleavable substrate allows for easy separation and reduces manufacturing constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate's cleavability parameter is utilized to enable easy separation into individual ICE cores after thin film deposition. This parameter change allows the substrate to be designed with specific properties that facilitate controlled breaking, providing flexibility in substrate selection while maintaining reliability through proper material selection that balances durability during manufacturing with ease of separation
Solution Approach 2:
The ICE cores are extracted from the substrate by cleaving after thin film deposition. This extraction method allows the use of substrates that may not be perfectly suitable for the final application but can withstand the manufacturing process, while still enabling successful separation into functional ICE cores, thus increasing adaptability in substrate selection
3Ease of manufacture
If the substrate is impractical to coat, then coating operations become difficult or impossible, but depositing thin films on both sides of a cleavable substrate enables subsequent separation into usable ICE cores
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple ICE cores are combined on a single substrate during thin film deposition, allowing the coating process to be performed once on the entire substrate rather than multiple times on separate substrates. This merging approach improves ease of manufacture by simplifying the coating process while maintaining high productivity through the subsequent cleaving step that separates the combined cores
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the efficiency of ICE core fabrication, enabling their use in diverse industries like oil and gas, food, and pharmaceuticals by allowing for the creation of robust, flexible optical processing elements that can be easily integrated into various optical computing devices.
Implementation Method 1
depositing multiple optical thin films on the first and second surfaces of the substrate via a thin film deposition process, and thereby generating a multilayer film stack device
Implementation Method 2
cleaving the substrate to produce at least two optical thin film stacks
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods of fabricating an integrated computational element for use in an optical computing device. One method includes providing a substrate that has a first surface and a second surface substantially opposite the first surface, depositing multiple optical thin films on the first and second surfaces of the substrate via a thin film deposition process, and thereby generating a multilayer film stack device, cleaving the substrate to produce at least two optical thin film stacks, and securing one or more of the at least two optical thin film stacks to a secondary optical element for use as an integrated computational element (ICE).