Claims
- 1. An optical filter comprising:
a substrate; a first thin-film interference filter disposed directly on said substrate, said first interference filter comprising a first plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a first range of wavelengths; and a second thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said substrate opposed to said first surface, said second interference filter comprising a second plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a second range of wavelengths, said second range of wavelengths being different from said first range of wavelengths, said first and second thin-film interference filters thereby establishing a bandpass transmission characteristic for said filter.
- 2. A filter according to claim 1, wherein a passband of wavelengths for said bandpass transmission characteristic is between 150 nm to 1200 nm.
- 3. A filter according to claim 1, wherein a passband of wavelengths for said bandpass transmission characteristic is between about 400 to 700 nm.
- 4. A filter according to claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises material selected from the group consisting of: colored or absorbing glass, transparent glass, and ultraviolet (UV) absorbing glass.
- 5. A filter according to claim 1, wherein said hard coating thin film layers comprise material selected from the group consisting of: SiO2, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, HfO2, and TiO2.
- 6. A filter according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said first and second interference filters comprises a first filter portion and an extended blocking portion, said extended blocking portion being configured for blocking a third range of wavelengths different from said first and second ranges of wavelengths.
- 7. A filter according to claim 6, wherein said extended blocking portion comprises a chirped Bragg reflector.
- 8. A filter according to claim 6, wherein a matching portion is disposed between said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion.
- 9. A filter according to claim 1, wherein said thin-film interference filter comprises a matching portion in direct contact with said substrate and a filter portion disposed on said matching portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said filter portion and said substrate.
- 10. A filter according to claim 1, wherein said first filter comprises a first filter portion and a first extended blocking portion, said first extended blocking portion being configured for blocking a third range of wavelengths different from said first and second ranges of wavelengths, and wherein said second filter comprises a second filter portion and a second extended blocking portion, said second extended blocking portion being configured for blocking a fourth range of wavelengths different from said first, second and third ranges of wavelengths.
- 11. A filter according to claim 10, wherein at least one of said first and second extended blocking portions comprises a chirped Bragg reflector.
- 12. A filter according to claim 1, wherein said first interference filter is a narrow bandpass filter and said first range of wavelengths is a band of wavelengths between 150 nm and 1200 nm, and wherein said second range of wavelengths comprises wavelengths different from said band of wavelengths.
- 13. A filter according to claim 1, said filter further comprising a second substrate and an extended blocking portion disposed on a first surface of said second substrate, said extended blocking portion configured for blocking a third range of wavelengths different from said first and second ranges of wavelengths.
- 14. A filter according to claim 13, said filter further comprising an antireflective coating disposed on a second surface of said second substrate opposed to said first surface of said second substrate.
- 15. A filter according to claim 13, wherein said extended blocking portion comprises a chirped Bragg reflector.
- 16. A fluorescence spectroscopy system comprising:
a source of light; and an excitation filter for selecting a excitation band of wavelengths from said light to be directed onto a sample under test, said excitation filter comprising
a substrate, a first thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a first surface of said substrate, said first thin-film interference filter comprising a first plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a first range of wavelengths, and a second thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said substrate opposed to said first surface, said second interference filter comprising a second plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a second range of wavelengths different from said first range of wavelengths, said first and second thin-film interference filters thereby transmitting said excitation band of wavelengths.
- 17. A system according to claim 16, wherein said first range of wavelengths comprises wavelengths longer than said second range of wavelengths, and wherein said excitation filter is configured with said light imparted to said first thin-film interference filter.
- 18. A system according to claim 16, wherein said source of light is a source of incoherent light.
- 19. A system according to claim 16, wherein said excitation band of wavelengths is between 150 nm and 1200 nm.
- 20. A system according to claim 16, wherein said excitation band of wavelengths is between about 400 to 700 nm.
- 21. A system according to claim 16, wherein said substrate comprises material selected from the group consisting of: colored or absorbing glass, transparent glass, and ultraviolet (UV) absorbing glass.
- 22. A system according to claim 16, wherein said first and second plurality of hard coating thin film layers comprise material selected from the group consisting of: SiO2, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, HfO2, and TiO2.
- 23. A system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of said first and second interference filters comprises a first filter portion and an extended blocking portion, said extended blocking portion being configured for blocking a third range of wavelengths different from said first and second ranges of wavelengths.
- 24. A system according to claim 23, wherein said extended blocking portion comprises a chirped Bragg reflector.
- 25. A system according to claim 23, wherein a matching portion is disposed between said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion.
- 26. A system according to claim 16, wherein said thin-film interference filter comprises a matching portion in direct contact with said substrate and a filter portion disposed on said matching portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said filter portion and said substrate.
- 27. A system according to claim 16, said system further comprising an emission filter for selecting a emission band of wavelengths from a fluorescence signal transmitted by said sample under test, said emission filter comprising a emission filter substrate and a first emission interference filter disposed directly on said emission filter substrate, said first emission interference filter comprising a third plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a third range of wavelengths.
- 28. A system according to claim 27, said emission filter further comprising a second emission interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said emission filter substrate opposed to said first surface of said emission filter substrate, said second emission interference filter comprising a fourth plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a fourth range of wavelengths different from said third range of wavelengths, said first and second emission interference filters thereby transmitting said emission band of wavelengths.
- 29. A fluorescence spectroscopy system comprising:
a source of light for illuminating a sample under test with an excitation band of wavelengths; and an emission filter for selecting a emission band of wavelengths from a fluorescence signal transmitted by said sample under test in response to illumination by said excitation band of wavelengths, said excitation filter comprising
a substrate, a first thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a first surface of said substrate, said first thin-film interference filter comprising a first plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a first range of wavelengths, and a second thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said substrate opposed to said first surface, said second interference filter comprising a second plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a second range of wavelengths different from said first range of wavelengths, said first and second thin-film interference filters thereby transmitting said emission band of wavelengths.
- 30. A system according to claim 29, wherein said first range of wavelengths comprises wavelengths longer than said second range of wavelengths, and wherein said emission filter is configured with said fluorescence signal imparted to said first thin-film interference filter.
- 31. A system according to claim 29, wherein said source of light is a source of coherent light.
- 32. A system according to claim 29, wherein said emission band of wavelengths is between 150 nm and 1200 nm.
- 33. A system according to claim 29, wherein said emission band of wavelengths is between about 400 to 700 nm.
- 34. A system according to claim 29, wherein said substrate comprises material selected from the group consisting of: colored or absorbing glass, transparent glass, and ultraviolet (UV) absorbing glass.
- 35. A system according to claim 29, wherein said first and second plurality of hard coating thin film layers comprise material selected from the group consisting of: SiO2, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, HfO2, and TiO2.
- 36. A system according to claim 29, wherein at least one of said first and second interference filters comprises a first filter portion and an extended blocking portion, said extended blocking portion being configured for blocking a third range of wavelengths different from said first and second ranges of wavelengths.
- 37. A system according to claim 36, wherein said extended blocking portion comprises a chirped Bragg reflector.
- 38. A system according to claim 36, wherein a matching portion is disposed between said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said first filter portion and said extended blocking portion.
- 39. A system according to claim 29, wherein said thin-film interference filter comprises a matching portion in direct contact with said substrate and a filter portion disposed on said matching portion, said matching portion being configured to offset destructive interference of wavelengths reflected by said filter portion and said substrate.
- 40. A method of selecting a band of wavelengths from light in a fluorescence spectroscopy system, said method comprising:
providing an optical filter comprising a substrate, a first thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a first surface of said substrate, and a second thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said substrate opposed to said first surface, said first thin-film interference filter comprising a first plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a first range of wavelengths, said second interference filter comprising a second plurality of hard coating thin film layers of alternating high and low index of refraction and being configured for transmitting a second range of wavelengths different from said first range of wavelengths, said first and second thin-film interference filters thereby establishing a bandpass characteristic for said optical filter for transmitting said band of wavelengths; and imparting said light on said optical filter.
- 41. A method according to claim 40, wherein said first range of wavelengths comprises wavelengths longer than said second range of wavelengths, and wherein said light is imparted on said first thin-film interference filter.
- 42. A method according to claim 40, wherein said first and second plurality of hard coating thin film layers comprise material selected from the group consisting of: SiO2, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, HfO2, and TiO2.
- 43. An optical filter comprising:
a substrate; a first thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a first surface of said substrate, said first interference filter being configured for transmitting a first range of wavelengths and comprising at least 30 hard coating non-quarter wave first filter layers of alternating high and low index of refraction, whereby there is no wavelength in said first range of wavelengths for which said at least 30 hard coating non-quarter wave first filter layers is one-quarter of a wavelength in thickness; and a second thin-film interference filter disposed directly on a second surface of said substrate opposed to said first surface, said second interference filter being configured for transmitting a second range of wavelengths and comprising at least 30 hard coating non-quarter wave second filter layers of alternating high and low index of refraction, whereby there is no wavelength in said second range of wavelengths for which said at least 30 hard coating non-quarter wave second filter layers is one-quarter of a wavelength in thickness.
- 44. A filter according to claim 43, wherein said second range of wavelengths is different from said first range of wavelengths, said first and second thin-film interference filters thereby establishing a bandpass transmission characteristic for said filter.
- 45. A filter according to claim 43, wherein said first and second filter layers comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: SiO2, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, HfO2, and TiO2.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/400,025, filed Jul. 31, 2002, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60400025 |
Jul 2002 |
US |