Gene W Martin

US Patent:

63240033, Nov 27, 2001

Filed:

Dec 23, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/471484

Inventors:

Gene Jay Martin - New Haven CT

Assignee:

Silicon Valley Group, Inc. - Ridgefield CT

International Classification:

G02B 530

US Classification:

359494

Abstract:

A calcium fluoride (CaF. sub. 2) stress plate provides a predetermined amount of optical delay. The CaF. sub. 2 stress plate has surfaces that lie in CaF. sub. 2 cubic planes, and delays an optical wavefront that is incident to a set of cubic planes along a transmission axis. To implement the desired delay, the CaF. sub. 2 stress plate has a first index of refraction that is seen by a first field component of the optical wavefront, and a second index of refraction that is seen by a second field component of the optical wavefront. The optical delay of the stress plate is proportional to the differences between the two indexes of refraction. Embodiments of the invention include a method of fabricating the CaF. sub. 2 stress plate from a sample of CaF. sub. 2 material.