Tapered capillary optics
Abstract
A metal or glass wire is etched with great precision into a very narrowly tapering cone which has the shape of the desired final capillary-optics bore. By controlling the rate of removal of the wire from an etchant bath, a carefully controlled taper is produced. A sensor measures the diameter of the wire as it leaves the surface of the etchant. This signal is used for feedback control of the withdrawal speed. The etched wire undergoes a treatment to produce an extremely low surface-roughness. The etched and smoothed wire is coated with the material of choice for optimizing the reflectivity of the radiation being focused. This could be a vacuum evaporation, sputtering, CVD or aqueous chemical process. The coated wire is either electroplated, built up with electroless plating, or encapsulated in a polymer cylinder such as epoxy to increase the diameter of the wire for easier handling and greater robustness. During this process, the wire is vertically oriented and tensioned to assure that the wire is absolutely straight. The coated and electroformed wire is bonded to a flat, rigid substrate and is then periodically segmented by cutting or etching a series of narrow slits or grooves into the wire. Themore »
- Inventors:
-
- 365 Talbot Ave., Pacifica, CA 94044
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Hirsch Scientific, Pacifica, CA
- OSTI Identifier:
- 871661
- Patent Number(s):
- 5772903
- Assignee:
- Hirsch; Gregory (365 Talbot Ave., Pacifica, CA 94044)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
C - CHEMISTRY C03 - GLASS C03C - CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUS ENAMELS
G - PHYSICS G02 - OPTICS G02B - OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG03-96ER82185
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- tapered; capillary; optics; metal; glass; wire; etched; precision; narrowly; tapering; cone; shape; desired; final; capillary-optics; bore; controlling; rate; removal; etchant; bath; carefully; controlled; taper; produced; sensor; measures; diameter; leaves; surface; signal; feedback; control; withdrawal; speed; undergoes; treatment; produce; extremely; surface-roughness; smoothed; coated; material; choice; optimizing; reflectivity; radiation; focused; vacuum; evaporation; sputtering; cvd; aqueous; chemical; process; electroplated; built; electroless; plating; encapsulated; polymer; cylinder; epoxy; increase; easier; handling; robustness; vertically; oriented; tensioned; assure; absolutely; straight; electroformed; bonded; flat; rigid; substrate; periodically; segmented; cutting; etching; series; narrow; slits; grooves; bonding; original; chemically; otherwise; withdrawn; leave; hollow; internal; tapered-capillary; optical; element; sensor measures; carefully controlled; bonding process; electroless plating; internal bore; optical element; vertically oriented; feedback control; chemical process; rigid substrate; narrow slit; chemically etched; coated wire; desired final; withdrawal speed; etchant bath; capillary optic; /216/156/185/
Citation Formats
Hirsch, Gregory. Tapered capillary optics. United States: N. p., 1998.
Web.
Hirsch, Gregory. Tapered capillary optics. United States.
Hirsch, Gregory. Thu .
"Tapered capillary optics". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/871661.
@article{osti_871661,
title = {Tapered capillary optics},
author = {Hirsch, Gregory},
abstractNote = {A metal or glass wire is etched with great precision into a very narrowly tapering cone which has the shape of the desired final capillary-optics bore. By controlling the rate of removal of the wire from an etchant bath, a carefully controlled taper is produced. A sensor measures the diameter of the wire as it leaves the surface of the etchant. This signal is used for feedback control of the withdrawal speed. The etched wire undergoes a treatment to produce an extremely low surface-roughness. The etched and smoothed wire is coated with the material of choice for optimizing the reflectivity of the radiation being focused. This could be a vacuum evaporation, sputtering, CVD or aqueous chemical process. The coated wire is either electroplated, built up with electroless plating, or encapsulated in a polymer cylinder such as epoxy to increase the diameter of the wire for easier handling and greater robustness. During this process, the wire is vertically oriented and tensioned to assure that the wire is absolutely straight. The coated and electroformed wire is bonded to a flat, rigid substrate and is then periodically segmented by cutting or etching a series of narrow slits or grooves into the wire. The wire is vertically oriented and tensioned during the bonding process to assure that it is straight. The original wire material is then chemically etched away through the slits or otherwise withdrawn to leave the hollow internal bore of the final tapered-capillary optical element.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998},
month = {Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998}
}