Miniaturized Spectrometer Manufacturing via Non-Planar Prism Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing miniaturized optical devices, such as spectrometers, face challenges in achieving high-accuracy positioning and alignment in wafer-level mass production, which is crucial for integrating sensing capabilities in small-sized devices like smartphones and tablets.
Innovation Solution
The development of a manufacturing method that uses non-planar prism bars with protrusions and transparent portions on substrates, allowing for precise alignment and stacking of optical components, enabling high-accuracy positioning and alignment of reflective faces, and incorporating baffles and collimating lenses to improve spectrometer performance without increasing device size or complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If wafer-level mass production methods are used for miniaturized optical devices, then productivity and manufacturing volume are improved, but manufacturing precision and alignment accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming alignment protrusions and corresponding recesses on the substrate before mounting the optical components. These alignment features are created in advance during substrate fabrication, ensuring that when components are mounted, they automatically achieve precise positioning without requiring complex real-time alignment procedures during mass production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary alignment protrusions and recesses as mediating structures between the substrate and optical components. These intermediary features serve as physical guides that facilitate accurate positioning and alignment during the mounting process, enabling high-precision assembly even in wafer-level mass production environments
2Volume of moving object
If miniaturization is pursued to reduce device size, then the device dimensions are reduced, but the complexity of achieving high-precision alignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing alignment protrusions and recesses that automatically guide optical components into correct positions during mounting. The structure itself provides the alignment function without requiring external alignment tools or complex procedures, enabling self-alignment that simplifies the manufacturing process despite miniaturization
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment features are pre-formed on the substrate before component mounting, preparing the alignment mechanism in advance. This preliminary preparation of alignment protrusions and recesses eliminates the need for complex real-time alignment operations, reducing alignment complexity even as device size decreases
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 method enables high-precision, high-volume production of miniaturized spectrometers and optical modules, enhancing their performance by preventing stray light and ensuring accurate light propagation, while maintaining compactness and manufacturability.
Implementation Method 1
incorporating baffles and collimating lenses to improve spectrometer performance
Implementation Method 2
enhancing their performance by preventing stray light
Implementation Method 3
very high degree of accuracy of in the positioning and alignment of slanted objects and/or of reflective faces
Data Source
Figure 1a~2c
Figure 3a~6
Figure 7~12
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an optical device comprising providing a plurality of initials bars each having a first side face presented with a first optical component arrangement; positioning the initial bars in a row with their first side faces facing a neighboring one of the initial bars; fixing the initial bars to obtain a bar arrangement; obtaining prism bars by segmenting the bar arrangement by at least one of the steps: conducting a plurality of cuts so that each prism bar comprises a portion of at least two different ones of the initial bars, separating the bar arrangement into sections along cut lines or by creating cut faces at an angle with initial-bar directions; dividing the first optical component arrangement for obtaining a plurality of passive optical components, wherein each prism bar comprises one or more passive optical components comprising a first reflective face each which is of non-planar shape; segmenting prism bars into parts.