Wesley P Townsend DeceasedBluffton, SC

5439782, Aug 8, 1995

Dec 13, 1993

8/165203

William H. Haemmerle - Florham Park NJ
William M. MacDonald - Lebanon NJ
Casimir R. Nijander - Lawrenceville NJ
Joseph Shmulovich - Murray Hill NJ
Wesley P. Townsend - Princeton NJ

AT&T Corp. - Murray Hill NJ

G02B 612

430321

Tapered optical waveguides (33') can be easily made by using photolithographic masking and etching to define on a substrate (21) a first polymer structure (22) having a substantially uniform thickness and a tapered width. The first polymer structure is heated sufficiently to form a meniscus along its entire length. The fluidity causes the material to redistribute itself such that, rather than being of uniform thickness, it has a thickness that varies with its width; consequently, the thickness as well as the width of the first polymer structure becomes tapered. The first polymer is cooled and hardened to form a second polymer structure (22') that has a tapered width and a tapered thickness as is desirable for a tapered optical waveguide. The second polymer structure itself can be used as a tapered optical waveguide, or it can be used to control the reactive ion etching of the underlying substrate. In the latter case, the configuration of the tapered second polymer structure is replicated in a glass substrate, for example, which then may be used as a glass tapered optical waveguide (33').

5412506, May 2, 1995

Mar 9, 1992

7/848456

Avi Y. Feldblum - Highland Park NJ
Jurgen Jahns - Shrewsbury NJ
Casimir R. Nijander - Lawrenceville NJ
Frank Sauer - Clarksburg NJ
Wesley P. Townsend - Princeton NJ

AT&T Corp. - Murray Hill NJ

G02B 632
G02B 634
G02B 518
G02F 103

359569

A diffractive and a refractive microlens component are combined into a doublet lens to obtain imaging properties that are improvements over those achievable using separate components. In one application, diffractive/refractive microlens arrays are arranged to provide a free-space optical permutation interconnect arrangement.

5286338, Feb 15, 1994

Mar 1, 1993

8/024035

Avi Y. Feldblum - Highland Park NJ
Keith O. Mersereau - Northampton PA
Casimir R. Nijander - Lawrenceville NJ
Wesley P. Townsend - Princeton NJ

AT&T Bell Laboratories - Murray Hill NJ

B44C 122
C03C 1500
C03C 2506

156643

During a reactive ion etching process (FIG. 5) for making lens elements (15, FIG. 4) in a silica substrate (12), the gas constituency in the reactive ion etch chamber is changed to adjust the curvature of lens elements formed in the silica substrate and to reduce the aberrations of such lens elements. For example, two gases, CHF. sub. 3 and oxygen may be supplied to the reactive ion etch chamber and, during the reactive ion etch process, the proportion of oxygen is significantly reduced, which reduces the aberrations of the lens elements formed by the process.

5024873, Jun 18, 1991

Dec 5, 1988

7/280074

John J. Burack - Elizabeth NJ
Jane D. LeGrange - Princeton NJ
Wesley P. Townsend - Princeton NJ

AT&T Bell Laboratories - Murray Hill NJ

B32B 2700

428220

A Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer polyimide film and a bulk amorphous polyimide film are in contacting superposed relation to form a composite film having improved moisture resistance. The composite film may be either a free film or provide an insulating coating on the surface of a microelectronics device.

5387269, Feb 7, 1995

Sep 3, 1993

8/115628

Casimir R. Nijander - Lawrenceville NJ
Wesley P. Townsend - Princeton NJ

AT&T Bell Laboratories - Murray Hill NJ

C03C 1500

65386

An optical waveguide is made by forming successively of light transmitting material a first clad layer (13), a core layer (15) and a second clad layer (18). The core layer has a higher refractive index than that of the first and second clad layers such that the core layer (15) can transmit light along its length as an optical waveguide. A sacrificial layer (14, 17) is formed surrounding at least a first end potion of the core layer. The sacrificial layer is selectively removed as by selective etching such that the first end portion of the core layer is separated from the first and second clad layers. With the end portion so isolated, a lens (22) can be formed on it such that light may be more effectively coupled to or from the core layer. Preferably, the lens is formed by heating the structure sufficiently to form a meniscus on the free end and then cooling it before the reminder of the core layer flows or melts. The cooling hardens the meniscus such that it constitutes an optical lens.