Patent ID: 6335149
Filing Date: 2002-01-01
Classification: G02B,G03F

Abstract:
A method for producing an optical element on a substrate, the optical element having a light-transmissive patterned core, the method comprising the steps of:providing a first photosensitive composition, a second photosensitive composition, and a third photosensitive composition, each of the first photosensitive composition and the second photosensitive composition and the third photosensitive composition being an admixture of a free radical polymerizable monomer, oligomer, or polymer component having at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and a photoinitiator, the free radical polymerizable monomer, oligomer, or polymer component of each admixture of the first photosensitive composition and the second photosensitive composition and the third photosensitive composition being either the same or different from one another, and the photoinitiator of each admixture of the first photosensitive composition and the second photosensitive composition and the third photosensitive composition either being the same as or different from one another; coating the first photosensitive composition onto the substrate; partially polymerizing the first photosensitive composition by exposure to actinic radiation to provide a uniform partially polymerized layer on the substrate, wherein the partially polymerized layer has a glass transition temperature of about 60 Â° C or less; coating the second photosensitive composition onto the first photosensitive composition such that the first photosensitive composition and the second photosensitive composition define an interface and intermingle at the interface; partially imagewise polymerizing the second photosensitive composition by exposure to actinic radiation to define image areas and non-image areas, wherein the second photosensitive composition is partially polymerized in the image areas and generally not polymerized in the non-image areas; removing the non-image areas of the second photosensitive composition while not removing the image areas, such that the image areas form the light-transmissive patterned core; coating the third photosensitive composition onto the light-transmissive patterned core such that the second photosensitive composition and the third photosensitive composition define and interface and intermingle at the interface; and polymerization the second photosensitive composition and the third photosensitive composition by exposure to actinic radiation, the third photosensitive composition forming a cladding at least partially enveloping the light-transmissive patterned core, the light-transmissive patterned core having a glass transition temperature of about 80Â° C or less and the cladding having a glass transmissive patterned core each having a refractive index, the refractive index of the cladding being less than the refractive index of the light-transmissive patterned core.