JAMES R STONE, M.D.
Radiology at Lee St, Charlottesville, VA

6496636, Dec 17, 2002

Oct 25, 1999

09/426055

Mark Stephen Braiman - Syracuse NY 13210
Susan E. Plunkett - Richmond VA 23228-6019
James J. Stone - Charlottesville VA 22903

G02B 610

385129, 385123

Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50 m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1-100 m at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e. g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally.

5980831, Nov 9, 1999

Jun 13, 1997

8/874711

Mark S. Braiman - Charlottesville VA
Susan E. Plunkett - Richmond VA
James J. Stone - Charlottesville VA

G01N 2100

422 8211

We have fabricated miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30-50. mu. m, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates. Evidence for efficient propagation of broadband IR light through these waveguides is provided by the presence of characteristic high and low frequency optical cut-offs of Ge; by the observation of an oscillatory interference pattern in the transmittance spectrum, which exhibits a dependence on waveguide thickness and propagation angle closely matching waveguide theory; and by the detection of strong evanescent-wave absorption from small (2 mm. sup. 2) droplets of liquid, e. g. water, on the waveguide surface. As also predicted by theory, the surface sensitivity (detected light absorbance per unit area of sample-waveguide contact) was shown to increase as a function of incidence or bevel angle.

7282105, Oct 16, 2007

Dec 17, 2002

10/320895

Susan E. Plunkett - Richmond VA, US
James J. Stone - Charlottesville VA, US
Mark Stephen Braiman - Syracuse NY, US

B32B 31/00, G02B 6/10

156154, 385129, 385123, 156153

Miniature planar IR waveguides of thickness 30–50 μm, consisting of 12-mm long, 2-mm wide strips of Ge supported on ZnS substrates and tapered quasi-tapered waveguides, tapered from a thickness of 1 mm at the ends to a minimum of 1–100 μm at the center, are disclosed. The surface sensitivity is increased as a function of incidence or bevel angle. The tapered waveguide improves the efficiency of the optical coupling both into the waveguide from an FTIR spectrometer, and out of the waveguide onto a small-area IR detector. The tapering makes it possible to dispense with using an IR microscope couple light through the waveguide, enabling efficient coupling with a detector directly coupled to an immersion lens. This optical arrangement makes such thin supported waveguides more useful as sensors, because they can be made quite long (e. g. 50 mm) and mounted horizontally.