Patent ID: 8391659

Claim:
A method of processing a plurality of light-transmissive optical components simultaneously, the method comprising: providing a plate structure including first and second opposed plate faces and a plurality of light-transmissive optical components fusedly retained within a matrix material, wherein (i) the matrix material is soluble in a matrix solvent in which the optical components are relatively insoluble and (ii) each optical component includes first and second component faces coinciding with, respectively, the first and second plate faces; dissolving the matrix material from the first plate face toward the second plate face such that a remainder of matrix material that is recessed relative to at least the first component faces retains the components in fixed relative positions; and adhering a single, continuous substrate to a plurality of the first component faces; wherein (i) each optical component comprises a core fabricated from a first material exhibiting a first refractive index and a cladding fabricated from a second material fusedly disposed about the core and exhibiting a second refractive index, lower in magnitude than the first refractive index, such that light entering either of the first and second component faces can propagate by internal reflection between the opposed faces; (ii) the core of each component is fabricated from a first glass; (iii) the cladding of each component is fabricated from a second glass; and (iv) the matrix material is fabricated from a third glass that is different from the second glass.