Patent attributes
The invention is directed to an optical element and techniques for creating the optical element. The optical element may comprise an optical delay line or a similar optical part. The optical element may have a wide variety of applications in optical data transmission, optical computing, short term transient storing, applications for optical timing, or a number of other applications. Rather than drawing a long length of optical fiber, the invention can make use of mastering and replication techniques to define a long continuous groove in a substrate. Alternatively, an etching process may be used. In either case, the groove is filled with an optical material of higher index of refraction than the substrate to define a light guide that can transmit light via total internal reflection (TIR).
