Tilted Optical Window Molding With Gas Pockets for Low Back Reflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing optical windows for microelectronic devices result in suboptimal quality and are often expensive and labor-intensive, failing to provide high-quality glass surfaces with minimal back reflection.
Innovation Solution
A mold-based process using male and female mold portions with angled projections and recesses to form glass covers with tilted optical windows, minimizing contact and surface roughness, and employing gas pockets to prevent degradation during the glass reforming process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If current production methods are used for optical windows, then manufacturing cost and labor are reduced, but optical quality and surface finish deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mold is divided into male and female portions with distinct functions. The male portion creates the tilted optical window surface while the female portion forms the complementary cavity. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently for its specific function, achieving high optical quality through precise control of the window-forming surface while simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
A tilting layer is introduced as an intermediary component between the mold and the optical window. This tilting layer enables the formation of tilted optical windows with minimal back reflection without requiring complex direct molding techniques. The tilting layer acts as a mediator that simplifies the manufacturing process while achieving the desired optical performance.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional molding methods are used, then production speed is maintained, but surface roughness and back reflection increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mold surfaces are pre-prepared with specific roughness characteristics before the molding process. The male and female mold portions are manufactured with controlled surface roughness values that directly transfer to the optical window surface. This preliminary preparation of mold surfaces ensures high optical quality is achieved during standard production cycles without requiring additional post-processing steps, thereby maintaining productivity.
3Manufacturing precision
If tilted optical windows are formed with direct contact molding, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but surface degradation and roughness occur
Solution Approach 1:
The tilting layer serves as an intermediary between the mold and the optical window material during the molding process. This intermediate layer prevents direct contact between the mold surfaces and the window-forming material, thereby avoiding surface degradation and roughness. The tilting layer is subsequently removed or integrated, leaving a high-quality tilted optical window surface without requiring overly complex mold structures.
4Manufacturing precision
If high-quality optical windows are produced, then back reflection is minimized, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The formation of tilted optical windows and the hermetic sealing function are merged into a single integrated molding process. The male and female mold portions simultaneously create the tilted window surface and form the hermetic seal structure. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate manufacturing steps, reducing overall production cost while achieving high optical performance with minimal back reflection.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold structure is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: forming the tilted optical window surface, creating the hermetic seal, and controlling surface roughness. This multi-functionality is achieved through the integrated male and female portion design, where each portion contributes to multiple aspects of the final product quality. The universal design reduces the need for additional specialized equipment or processes, thereby lowering manufacturing costs.
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
The process achieves high-quality optical windows with reduced surface roughness and minimal back reflection, enabling efficient production of optical windows for microelectronic devices like LIDAR and LEDs, while reducing costs and labor through improved manufacturing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
heating the sheet of glass and the mold to a reforming temperature; clamping the male and female portions of the mold together to form reformed glass from the sheet of glass
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various approaches to creating optical windows in glass covers. To create the glass cover with the optical window, a sheet of glass is reformed using a mold that includes a male portion having a first recess and a female portion having a second recess. The female portion of the mold mates with the male portion of the mold. The first recess is configured to form a first gas pocket and the second recess is configured to form a second gas pocket when the male and female portions of the mold are mated, where a cross sectional area of each of the first recess and the second recess is less than 15 square millimeters. A portion of the reformed glass corresponding to the optical window is positioned between the first gas pocket and the second gas pocket.