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An optoelectronic device having a flexible substrate and an optical interconnect (i.e. waveguide) comprising a sol-gel based material formed on the substrate. The sol-gel based waveguide is capable of being integrated into an all-optical system and provides for greater interconnect distance and lower signal loss. Other sol-gel based optical devices, such as filters, optical source, detectors, sensors, switches and the like, will be implemented in conjunction with the sol-gel based waveguides to provide for an integrated optical system. Methods of formulating the sol-gel based material and methods for fabricating the sol-gel based devices are also provided.
1. An optoelectronic device comprising:
a substrate having a first surface; and
at least one optical interconnect formed on the first surface of said substrate comprising a sol-gel based material including an active region defined in the sol-gel based material, wherein the active region comprises rare earth ions.
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The present application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/194,663, entitled "Integrated Optical Circuits", filed on Apr. 4, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to integrated optical circuits and more particularly to devices and systems that integrate sol-gel based optical interconnects with associated optical elements and methods for fabricating integrated sol-gel based optical interconnects.
Advances in optical sciences have recently been widely recognized for their impact in the field of communications. These advances have precipitated innovation towards an all-optical network, which includes; sources, modulators, wavelength division multiplexers, amplifiers and functional optical devices. Such an all-optical network would provide increased bandwidth. However, barriers still exist that prevent the total realization of an all-optical network. One key problem for both telecommunications and data communications in an all-optical environment is in the area of integration, i.e. being able to integrate and connect a myriad of optical devices in a confined space. In this regard, the increasing sophistication of the network leads to greater complexity. More network elements—such as multiplexers, de-multiplexers, lasers, modulators, etc.—need to share the limited space available on a substrate or semiconductor chip. Thus, in order to implement a fully optical network, it becomes increasingly important to integrate multiple optical elements on a single substrate/chip in various combinations depending on the application.
The need for hardware to address high-speed data communication and information transfer has prompted the emergence of optical interconnection technology that includes multi-chip module packaging based on free space and guided wave interconnects. Integrated optical interconnection has inherited a mature and compatible technology from microelectronics, and semiconductor lasers. The optical interconnects encompass intra-chip, multichip module, inter-board, and system-to-system level links. A considerable effort has been dedicated towards the development of reliable, high speed and efficient optical links. Several areas have been developed in parallel; for example, surface-emitting semiconductor lasers, both vertical and horizontal cavity laser arrays, high-speed photodetectors, and drive circuitry. For example, 2 Gbs Vertical Cavity Semiconductor Laser (VCSEL) arrays operating at 850 nm and fast photodetectors are commercially available. These interconnections have predominately been made with short optical fibers called "jumpers," or patch cords. However, the increasing density of these cable connections is creating problems in cable management, resulting in incorrect or unidentified connections. Other trouble spots include reliability, cost, and space consumption.
Major advances have been achieved in the technology of fabricating an optical interconnect in polymeric film in recent years. One type of such optical interconnect is an optical waveguide. The optical waveguide formed in a polymeric film is beneficial in providing short distance optical interconnections. While these waveguides have exhibited optical loss of less than about 0.1 dB/cm at a wavelength of about 850 nm, typically, high loss is associated with such optical waveguides particularly at communication wavelengths of about 1300 to about 1600 nm. For this reason their implementation has been limited to relatively short distances. See for example, "Recent Progress in Short Distance Optical Interconnects", J. Bristow et. al., SPIE Vol. 3005, pp. 112–119, 1997.
In addition, one application in which optical interconnections would be desirable is backplane design. While it would be desirable to have a backplane design that is all-optical, the all-optical interface for backplane application does not exist because lasers, photodetectors and the like are formed of different materials. Therefore, the integration and packaging of such backplanes have been and still remain a major challenge. In spite of various successful endeavors, a fully new approach is needed to easily integrate the three main components; the waveguide, the optical source and the optical detector of an optical interconnect unit.
Sol-gel waveguide structures on silica or silicon substrates have been demonstrated previously in the form of discrete passive optical components, such as, wavelength filters or splitters. Due to the physical properties of such substrates, the size of such components is typically small, one inch or so, which is perfectly acceptable for discrete components, but is of no value in backplane applications where the optical paths of interest are tens of inches.
Traditional work in the area of sol-gel based interconnects/waveguides have required high temperature processing and, therefore has resulted in devices having high optical loss. For example, traditional sol-gel based interconnects are typically fabricated in the about 800 to about 1000 degree Celsius range. As such, the underlying substrate is limited to materials that can withstand this high temperature processing, such as glass. Additionally, rare earth ion (erbium, ytterbium, etc.) doping of sol-gel to create active regions within the waveguides has been limited to traditional high temperature processing. See for example, "Fabrication of Highly Concentrated Er3+ Doped Aluminosilicate Film Via Sol-Gel Processing", Ryu et. al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 66, p. 2497, 1995. In this erbium doped sol-gel application, the post-bake anneal processing involves temperatures ranging from about 650 to about 1050 degrees Celsius. Also, see "Preparation and Characterization of Sol-Gel Derived Er3+: Al2O3—SiO2 Planar Waveguides", Benatsou et. al., Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 71, p. 428, 1997. In a similar fashion, this erbium doped sol-gel application requires post-bake annealing at temperatures in the range of about 900 to about 1100 degrees Celsius.
Recently, the use of hybrid materials (i.e. sol-gel and polymer combinations) has resulted in sol-gel based interconnects capable of being formed using conventional microelectronic fabrication techniques, such as conventional photolithography. For an example of such hybrid materials see, "Sol-Gel Waveguide Fabrication Parameters: An Experimental Investigation", Du et. al., Journal of Optical Engineering, Vol. 37, pp. 1101–1104, 1998. However, the resulting interconnects result in optical loss greater than about 2.0 dB/cm. This degree of optical loss can be attributed to the processing temperatures that are characteristically in excess of the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material. Additionally, the hybrid materials do not lend themselves to conventional doping processes; i.e., ion implantation and the like.
Conventional optical waveguides have been implemented in many applications, such as sensor applications. See for example, "Integrated Optical Sensors Based on Reactive Low Voltage Ion Plated Films", Kunz et al., Eurosensors IV, Karlsruhe, 1990. These sensors are produced with a reactive ion plating of Ta3O5 and exhibit a refractive index of about 2.2 at a loss of about 1.1 dB/cm for TE0 mode and about 1.3 dB/cm for TM0 mode. This type of sensor resides in a substrate and is, therefore, limited in that it cannot be properly integrated in the composite optoelectronic structure that it functions along side. In another application glass waveguides formed in organic substrates have been developed for sensor applications. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,687, entitled "Optical Waveguide with a Substantially First Substrate and a Process for its Production", issued on 2 Jan. 1996, in the name of inventors, Heming, et al. The waveguides disclosed in the Heming '687 patent are limited in that they exhibit attenuation loss of about 5 dB/cm. The industry desire is to provide for waveguides and optical sensing units with attenuation loss approaching a totally loss-less device.
As capacity demands escalate in the high-speed data communication industries, service providers face competitive pressure to deliver data at the lowest cost per bit per kilometer, rapidly provision new services, and reconfigure bandwidth to meet customer requirements. Presently, data communication industries are experiencing explosive growth in the demand to transport large volumes of data. This demand is largely the result of the impact of Internet and multimedia communication for business, education, and recreation. Not only are the numbers of users increasing rapidly, but the per-user demand for bandwidth is increasing with computer technology advances as well. At present, the standard bandwidth for an optical fiber communication link is 2.5 Gbit/s. Some systems of 40 Gbit/s are beginning to be deployed at present, but predictions expect that systems operating at more than 1 Tbit/s will be required in the near future.
Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), in which data is transmitted at a lower bit rate, over multiple wavelengths or channels is one solution to this problem. For example, sending signals having four different wavelengths (channels) through the same fiber each at 2.5 Gbit/s would increase the system bandwidth to 10 Gbit/s. In recent years, 8- and 40-channel and even 80-channel DWDM (Dense WDM) systems have become commercially available, thus paving the way for DWDM deployment. However in known DWDM systems, the number of channels may be limited due to the limited gain bandwidth of Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifiers (EDFAs) and the problems inherent with wavelength-selective Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) lasers.
Due to these bandwidth limitations current optical-to-electrical-to-optical techniques will have difficulty meeting the needs of this new network. In the future, many network functions will take place in the emerging optical layer. The functions will require all-optical-network elements such as, add/drop filters, switches that, in conjunction with DWDM, will revolutionize communications networks. All-optical network elements will eliminate bottlenecks and create more service delivery options.
Early work in the area of integrated optics focused on known theoretical concepts established previously in the microwave field. In this regard, early technological advancements centered on developing and demonstrating devices that were compatible with rudimentary integrated optical technology. The distributed feedback (DFB) laser demonstrated by Kogelnik and Shank in 1972 was a milestone along this path. A wide variety of passive optical components such as optical directional couplers, Y-branches, waveguide crossings, acousto-optical filters, Bragg gratings, transmission gratings, optical switches and modulators were also demonstrated around that time. A 4-channel WDM transmitter represented the first attempt to realize integrated optical circuits for telecommunications.
Today, the technology of integrated optics has attained a high degree of maturity. Most of the integration applications have used materials such as indium-gallium-arsinide-phosphorus (InGaAsP), gallium-aluminum-arsinide (GaAlAs), lithium niobate (LiNbO3) and glass. InGaAsP/InP systems allow for monolithic integration in the 1.3/1.5 μm region, which is widely known to represent the attenuation window for glass fibers. The waveguide structures from this materials system are formed by epitaxy and dry etching. GaAlAs/GaAs systems allow for monolithic integration in the 0.8 μm region, which is the wavelength widely used for short-range connections for telecommunications. Lithium niobate is an anisotropic material with high electro-optical and acousto-optical coefficients; however, the resulting devices have significant polarization dependence.
Integrated optics technology is already finding wide applications in telecommunications and computer technology, and one can confidently expect that in the near future concepts like waveguides and optical network will have firmly entered the household usage. The developments of this future technology are still being carried out and improvements in this area include the need to develop integrated components and devices that minimize space consumption on the chip/substrate and accomplish this task in a cost effective manufacturing environment.
A class of sol-gel based optical components, devices and subsystems are therefore provided that benefit from fabrication techniques that allow complex optical circuitry to be integrated in an all-optical environment. By leveraging emerging MEMS technology, devices can be readily fabricated in large volume using photolithography techniques that provide for intricate integrated circuitry. Such devices will be instrumental in addressing the demands of future telecommunications and data communications.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an optoelectronic device is defined as including a flexible substrate and an optical interconnect (i.e. waveguide) comprising a sol-gel based material formed on the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate will typically comprise a polymeric material. The sol-gel based material may comprise a pre-hydrolyzed silica sol-gel, such as Methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) or the like. To minimize optical loss in the resulting waveguides the pre-hydrolyzed silica sol-gel is synthesized in an aqueous-free and alcohol-free environment to provide for processing temperatures during device fabrication that are below the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material. In one embodiment of the invention, the optical waveguide will include an active region that is characteristically optically pumped by optical sources having a suitable wavelength of absorption. The active region may be defined by rare earth ion dopants having transition lines in the about 0.2 micron to about 3.0 micron spectrum when illuminated by optical pumping means having a generally suitable wavelength. In specific embodiments the rare earth ions may include, alone or a combination of erbium, ytterbium and neodymium ions or the like. The sol-gel based waveguide provides for an interconnect that may be optically side-pumped or end-pumped depending on the appropriate application. In addition, the waveguides may incorporate Bragg grating structures or prisms to facilitate wavelength selection.
In a further embodiment of the invention an array of optical interconnects (i.e., array waveguides (AWG)) is provided including a flexible substrate and a plurality of optical interconnects disposed in a predetermined pattern on the flexible substrate. The optical interconnects or waveguides comprise a sol-gel based material. The waveguides in the array may include point-to-point waveguides, point-to-multipoint, multipoint-to-multipoint waveguides or a combination thereof.
Additionally the invention is encompassed in an optoelectronic system including a substrate, an optical interconnect comprising a sol-gel based material formed on the substrate and at least one optical source in optical communication with the optical interconnect that is used to pump an active region of the optical interconnect. In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention the optical source will comprise the sol-gel based material so that the composite optoelectronic system may result in a monolithic integrated optical system. The optical source may comprise vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSEL), fiber lasers, waveguide lasers or the like. Characteristically the resulting waveguide structures may be optically side-pumped or end-pumped depending on the application. Typically, the optoelectronic systems will include an optical detector for detecting an optical signal within the optical interconnect. In most instances the detector may also be fabricated from a sol-gel based material. Grating structures and/or prisms may be implemented on the waveguides to facilitate wavelength selection coming from the optical source or leading to the optical detector.
The optoelectronic device of the present invention may also be defined in terms of the layering of the device during fabrication. In such an embodiment, a flexible substrate will have disposed thereon a first cladding layer comprising a first sol-gel based material, a core layer disposed on the first cladding layer comprising a second sol-gel based material that will have a higher refractive index than the sol-gel based material used to form the first cladding layer and a second cladding layer disposed on the core layer and the first cladding layer. The second cladding layer is comprised of the first sol-gel based material. In this arrangement the device is typically formed as a ridge or buried waveguide on the surface of the substrate. Alternatively, the waveguide may be formed as a surface waveguide. Such as surface waveguide would be defined as having a flexible substrate and a sol-gel based layer disposed on the flexible substrate. The sol-gel based layer has a core region of a first refractive index and a cladding region, adjacent to the core region, of a second refractive index.
The invention is also embodied in an optoelectronic device having a substrate with first and second optical interconnects disposed thereon. The optical interconnects comprise a sol-gel based material. The second optical interconnect is disposed on the substrate so as to be generally parallel to the first optical. A first coupling region is formed comprising an area in which the first and second optical interconnects come into close proximity to one another so as to facilitate optical coupling. The first and second optical interconnects are generally in a Michelson interferometer configuration and provide for an optical sensor. Bragg grating structures may be formed on an arm of one or both optical interconnects to provide for an optical switch or, in the instance where the gratings are chirped, a dispersion compensation filter. Additionally, the Bragg grating structures may be formed on a port of either interconnect and provide for an optical circulator. By providing for fixed Bragg grating structures in the arms of the first and second optical interconnects an add/drop filter may also be realized. In an alternate embodiment, the optoelectronic device comprises a second coupling region comprising another area in which the first and second optical interconnects come into close proximity to one another so as to facilitate optical coupling. In the instance where two coupling regions are provided for the first and second optical interconnects, the optoelectronic device is in Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration.
Alternate embodiments of the invention are found in tunable laser devices and associated arrays, drop/add filters, optical circulators and dispersion compensation filters. These embodiments incorporate an optical interconnect comprising sol-gel based material formed on a flexible substrate.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, multi-dimensional optoelectronic devices are provided. The multi-dimensional device comprises a flexible substrate, a first optical interconnect formed on the first surface of the flexible substrate in a first plane of orientation and comprise a sol-gel based material and a second optical interconnect formed in a second plane of orientation above the first plane of orientation, the second optical interconnect also comprises a sol-gel based material. In a typical arrangement four interconnects, two disposed in a first horizontal plane and two disposed in a second horizontal plane with respect to the substrate will be arranged so as to come into close proximity to act as an optical coupler. Additionally, the interconnects may be arranged in any three dimensional configuration, such as a star-like configuration, in order to facilitate the required amount of power transfer during coupling. Thus, the multi-dimensional optoelectronic devices permit the coupling between the optical interconnects to be tailored as desired for a particular application.
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The invention as disclosed includes numerous embodiments of novel optical interconnect (i.e. waveguide) devices and associated optical devices that include these optical interconnects. In addition, the invention incorporates the methods for fabricating the material used to form the interconnects, the fabrication of the interconnects and methods for using the interconnects of the present invention.
Sol-Gel Based Waveguides Formed on Flexible Substrates
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
Sol-gel based interconnects on flexible substrates, such as polymeric substrates, are made possible by incorporating the low temperature fabrication techniques that are detailed in later discussion. These fabrication techniques are in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In conventional sol-gel processing, the interconnects are formed within non-flexible substrates, such as glass, and processing temperatures upwards of about 800 degrees Celsius to about 1000 degrees Celsius are typical. The flexible/polymeric substrates of the present invention will not withstand such high temperature processing. In addition, the temperatures used to pre-bake, post-bake and anneal the sol-gel based interconnects need to be low enough (i.e., below the glass transition temperature of the polymer within the sol-gel based material) such that the sol-gel material remains stable and a low loss optical interconnect results.
The optical interconnects 30 shown in
Method for Formulating and Synthesizing Sol-Gel for Interconnect Fabrication
In one embodiment of the invention the sol-gel based material used to fabricate the interconnects and other electro-optical components will comprise, a silica sol-gel, a coupling agent, such as zirconium isopropoxide, aluminum isopropoxide or the like, and a monomer, such as methacrylic acid or the like. The silica sol-gel may be incorporated in a sol-gel-based compound, such as Methacryloxyproppyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS). MAPTMS is a monomer that combines with an additional monomer, such as methacrylic acid, during formulation to form a polymer. For an example, "Sol-Gel Waveguide Fabrication Parameters: An Experimental Investigation", Du et. al., Journal of Optical Engineering, Vol. 37, pp. 1101–1104, 1998. In formulating and synthesizing the components of this or any other sol-gel based combination the desire is to prevent high temperature plastic flow (HTPF) which prohibits resulting uniform width of the interconnects and to improve the surface hardness of the preheated sol-gel based combination. The ideal combination of the stated constituents or any other combination of sol-gel based materials should exhibit maximum optical clarity with prolonged color stability over time. By maximizing these optical properties it is possible to achieve a low loss optical interconnect.
In order to achieve the desired low optical loss interconnects of the present invention the post-hydrolysis formulation and synthesization of the sol-gel based material will occur in an aqueous-free and alcohol-free environment. By providing for the aqueous-free and alcohol-free environments it is possible to pre-bake, post-bake and anneal the optical interconnects at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the polymer. For instance, in applications in which MAPTMS is used to form the interconnect, the resulting polymer has a glass transition temperature of about 120 degrees Celsius. By eliminating water and alcohol from the post-hydrolysis processing, pre-bake and post-bake annealing of the MAPTMS based optical interconnect can be accomplished at temperatures of about 110 degrees Celsius. The resulting optical interconnect exhibits long-term color stability because the glass transition temperature of the polymer is not reached during fabrication. As a result of this stability the optical interconnects of the present invention can achieve long-term optical loss of less than about 0.2 dB.
In one embodiment of the present invention the synthesizing process will entail the following steps. The sol-gel based material, such as MAPTMS, is pre-hydrolyzed with an aqueous acid solution, such a hydrochloric acid (HC1) solution (about 0.01 mole solution). The coupling agent and additional monomer, such as zirconium isopropoxide and methacrylic acid, will then be mixed with 1 to 1, 2, 3, and 4 molar ratio. Typically the synthesized sol-gel mixture will be aged for periods between about 12 to 24 hours to facilitate the proper thickness of the sol-gel for interconnect fabrication purposes.
In one specific embodiment of the invention, the pre-hydrolyzed sol-gel based material, such as MAPTMS is mixed with nitric acid, typically 0.001 molar concentrate nitric acid. After introduction of the nitric acid, a photo-initiator is added to the mixture, typically in a ratio of about 2 parts photo-initiator to about 33 parts pre-hydrolyzed MAPTMS solution. The resulting sol-gel base solution is stirred for a prolonged period, typically about 12 to about 24 hours, preferably about 16 hours.
A separate dopant solution will comprise the coupling agent, typically zirconium or aluminum isopropoxide and the additional monomer, typically methacrylic acid mix in a 1:1 ratio. To facilitate reaction this solution will typically be vigorously shaken for upwards of about one minute followed by a period of about fifteen minutes in which the solution is allowed to stand without agitation. The dopant solution is then added slowly to the sol-gel base solution, typically in a ratio of about two parts dopant solution to about 7 parts sol-gel base solution. The combined solution is then aged by stirring the solution for a period of about 12 to about 24 hours, preferably about 16 hours. The resulting doped sol-gel base mixture is consistent with material used to form the core layer of the waveguide. The material used to form the cladding layer will typically be prepared in a similar fashion, with generally less zirconium so as to facilitate a lower refractive index in the cladding layer. Alternately, the resulting sol-gel base mixture described above may be used for the cladding layer and a formulation with more zirconium may be prepared to form the core layer.
Method for Fabricating Ridge and Buried Sol-Gel Based Waveguides on a Flexible Substrate
As shown in
The cladding layer 110 is then masked for subsequent photolithography processing. The masked cladding layer is then subjected to a cure procedure that will cure the exposed regions and allow for unexposed regions to be chemically removed. For example, the cure procedure may involve a deep UV-light cure (e.g. 254 nm, 30W, Spectroline UV-cure device, available from the Spectronics Corporation of Westbury, N.Y.). Unexposed cladding layer regions and the maskant may be washed away using an organic solvent, such as a combination of methanol and acetone. The resulting structure is shown in
It should be noted that various fabrication parameters will impact the overall quality of the resulting sol-gel based interconnect/waveguide. For example, it has been observed that parameters such as, but not limited to, pre-bake time and temperature, UV-cure time, photolithography solvent ratio and post-bake anneal time and temperature will affect the quality of the resulting waveguide. In this regard, the time and temperature of the pre-bake process affect the shape and definition of the waveguide. As the pre-bake time increases the waveguide becomes narrower in shape and better defined. However, excessive pre-baking results in irregularities in the shape of the waveguide and in some instances cracks in the waveguides are observed. The pre-bake temperature will be maintained below the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material to insure long-term color stability of the interconnect. For instance, in embodiments in which the sol-gel based material comprises MAPTMS the glass transition temperature is about 120 degrees Celsius, and thus the pre-bake temperature, as well as, the post anneal temperature should be below 120 degrees Celsius. In one embodiment of the invention an optimal pre-bake temperature is in the range of about 100 to about 110 degrees Celsius for a period in the range of about 20 to about 60 minutes.
The UV cure time affects the subsequent hardness and size of the resulting waveguide. Generally, exposure times less than about two minutes are not enough to sufficiently harden the sol-gel mixture and exposure times in excess of 6 minutes result in an undesirable increase in the size of the waveguide and irregularities in the shape of the waveguide. In one embodiment of the invention an optimal UV cure time is about 2 to about 3 minutes in applications using a deep UV cure (e.g. 254 nm, 30 W, Spectroline). Duration of the cure time will vary depending on the thickness of the cladding layer, the strength of the UV light and the material used to form the cladding layer. In one embodiment of the fabrication process the solvent used as the masking rinse comprises a mixture of methanol and acetone, an optimal ratio of methanol to acetone was observed to be about 3 parts methanol to about 1 part acetone.
Once the unexposed regions of the cladding layer 110 are removed, the cladding layer undergoes a post-bake anneal process to provide additional strength to the resulting interconnect and to lessen the brittleness of the resulting interconnect. A typical post-bake anneal cycle will be about 7 to 10 hours at a temperature of about 115 degrees Celsius. To insure long-term stability and low optical loss in the interconnect the post-bake anneal temperature should be maintained below the glass transition temperature of the material used to form the cladding layer. Thus, for embodiments implementing MAPTMS in the sol-gel based mixture the post-bake anneal temperature will be maintained below the glass transition temperature of 120 degrees Celsius.
Once the post-bake anneal process is completed, the core region of the waveguide is formed on the unexposed remaining cladding layer 110. This process involves dispersing the core material on the top surface of the cladding layer, masking the core region to define the region, curing the core region and removing exposed regions of the core material. The resulting structure is shown in
In one embodiment of the invention the core region comprises an about 20 to about 25 molar ratio zirconium or aluminum sol-gel based material. This would account for an increase in the refractive index of the core region by about 0.01 in comparison to the cladding layer, in the instance in which the cladding layer comprises an about 10 molar ratio zirconium sol-gel based material. The sol-gel based material used for the core region is typically aged for about 12 hours to about 24 hours prior to disposing on the interconnect construct. Prior to disposing the core layer on the interconnect construct, it is, typically, necessary to physically filter the sol-gel based cladding layer material to insure uniformity and avoid scattering in the optical interconnects. For instance, it may be necessary to filter out all particles greater than about 0.1 micrometers in diameter. The core region can be dispensed on the cladding layer using one of the known dispersion techniques such as, spin coating, dipping, dispensing, spraying or printing. For example, in one embodiment of the invention the core layer is spin coated to the cladding layer at a spin rate of about 2,500 rpm. The core layer is then subjected to a pre-bake process. As previously discussed (for embodiments in which the sol-gel based material forms the cladding layer), the time and temperature of the core layer pre-bake process will affect the shape and definition of the waveguide. The pre-bake temperature will be maintained below the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material to insure long-term color stability of the interconnect. For instance, in embodiments utilizing MAPTMS the glass transition temperature is about 120 degrees Celsius, and thus the pre-bake temperature, as well as, the post anneal temperature should be below 120 degrees Celsius. In one embodiment the pre-bake cycle will be about 40 minutes at about 110 degrees Celsius.
The preheated sol-gel core layer is then cured, for example, by implementing deep UV-light (e.g. 254 nm, 30 W, Spectroline UV cure device) for a period of about 10 minutes. The duration of the cure cycle will depend upon the strength of the UV light, the material used to form the core region and the thickness of the core layer; thicker waveguides will require longer UV exposure time to insure complete surface bonding between the layers. The unexposed regions of the core layer are typically removed by chemical treatment. By way of example, one embodiment of the invention uses a methanol-acetone solvent mixture of about 3 parts acetone to about 1 part methanol.
Once the unexposed regions of the core layer 120 are removed, the core layer undergoes a post-bake anneal process to provide additional strength to the resulting interconnect and to lessen the brittleness of the resulting interconnect. A typical post-bake anneal cycle will be about 5 to about 10 hours at a temperature of about 115 degrees Celsius. To insure long-term stability and low optical loss in the interconnect the post-bake anneal temperature should be maintained below the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material used to form the core layer. Thus, for embodiments implementing MAPTMS in the sol-gel based mixture the post-bake anneal temperature will be maintained below the glass transition temperature of 120 degrees Celsius.
Method for Fabricating Surface Sol-Gel Based Waveguides on a Flexible Substrate
In addition to the ridge and buried waveguides shown in
Initially, as shown in
Once the sol-gel mixture is disposed on the substrate or surface of interest it is then subjected to a pre-bake process. The pre-bake temperature and duration will affect the overall quality of the waveguide. The pre-bake temperature will be maintained below the glass transition temperature of the sol-gel based material to insure long-term color stability of the interconnect. For instance, in embodiments utilizing MAPTMS the glass transition temperature is about 120 degrees Celsius, and thus the pre-bake temperature, as well as, the post anneal temperature should be below 120 degrees Celsius. In one embodiment the pre-bake cycle will be about 40 minutes at about 110 degrees Celsius.
After completion of the pre-bake process, the sol-gel based material layer 210 is then masked for subsequent photolithography processing. The mask is then subjected to a cure procedure that will cure the exposed regions to have a higher refractive index than the unexposed regions. Hence, a waveguide is formed as a result of this UV exposure process. For example, the cure procedure may involve a deep UV-light cure (e.g. 254 nm, 30 W, Spectroline UV cure device).
The resulting structure is shown in
Sol-Gel Based Waveguides Incorporating Prisms, Gratings and Active Devices
An additional embodiment of the present invention incorporates the implementation of micro devices, such as prisms, gratings and the like, to provide for coupling and de-coupling. In addition, micro devices such as grating, prisms etc. can be fabricated to allow coupling and de-coupling of light into and out of the waveguides. The use of such micro-devices would typically be in conjunction with the ridge and surface waveguides discussed above.
In accordance with the typical optical interconnect of the present invention described above, prism coupling structures and grating coupling structures will be formed within layers below, above or adjacent to the optical interconnects. For example, a layer of material may be disposed above the optical interconnect structure; above the core layer, the cladding layer and/or the polymer layer. Any material suitable for microelectromechanical processing may be used, including but not limited to, a sol-gel based material or the like. By fabricating the microdevices from the same or similar material used to form the interconnect the overall device benefits from fabrication efficiencies and unitary performance characteristics. The material used to form the microdevices will be deposited using convention deposition techniques such as, spin coating, dipping, dispensing, spraying or printing. Standard photolithography techniques are typically used to define the structure of the microdevice within the layer. The grating and/or prism coupling devices that are formed may be constructed in such a fashion that they are wavelength sensitive or they may be constructed with other optical features.
In one embodiment of the invention, the light sources 360 and the detectors 370 are fabricated from sol-gel based materials. In this regard, these active devices can be formed directly on the same substrate or in the same polymer film as the waveguides using the same lithography techniques and, thus the same materials, as the underlying waveguides and microdevices. Such an integration of the active devices with the waveguides provides for a comprehensive optical system capable of point-to-point, chip-to-chip, and circuit board-to-circuit board communications. The integrated optical system of the present invention benefits from not requiring external light sources and detectors and, thus, problems associated with optical alignment are eliminated.
Sol-Gel Based Waveguides Incorporating Amplifiers and Side Pumping
In one embodiment of the invention erbium (III) tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) (ErQ) is added to the sol-gel based mixture during formulation with the end result being an erbium doped sol-gel based interconnect or related optical device. Unlike conventional erbium doped sol-gel that requires annealing at high temperature (about 600 to about 1110 degrees Celsius), the ErQ dopant and associated doping process provide for an erbium doped sol-gel based material that is photo-sensitive and can be annealed at low temperature (less than about 120 degrees Celsius).
To facilitate the amplification of the optical signal, pumping can be done generally from the side with respect to the substrate in order to excite the rare earth ions and amplify the optical signals. In order to efficiently side pump the interconnects of the present invention either cylindrical lenses or diffractive lenses specially designed for a side pump application will be implemented. For instance, external VCSELs may be used to side pump the doped waveguide or surface emitting light sources that may be fabricated in an integrated system may be implemented. In the integrated system embodiment the light sources will typically be disposed under or above the amplified doped region of the waveguide. In the applications that implement such surface emitting light sources proper waveguide and light source packaging (i.e. bonding or the like) will insure that no further alignment of the light source and the waveguide is required. Light amplification, resulting from side pumping the doped amplifier regions, eliminates problems associated with signal loss and enables the implementation of sol-gel based waveguides, especially those fabricated on flexible substrates in highly complex optical circuits and across relatively long interconnect distances.
Optical Sensors Embodying Sol-Gel Based Waveguides
In yet another embodiment of the invention, optical sensors can be fabricated that embody both single mode oscillation and multimode oscillation sol-gel based waveguides. In some optical circuits, there are regions (or spots) of high stress or high temperature. Integration of optical sensors in the optical circuits allows these physical parameters to be measured. These sensors can be constructed as integrated interferometers or as formation of gratings in or proximate to the sol-gel based waveguides.
Optical sensors that incorporate sol-gel based waveguides have widespread applicability in many applications, including but not limited to, the medical industry. For example, such sensors can be implanted in a patient or used as a disposable diagnostic tool. Additionally, optical sensors of this nature can also be used for "smart structures". In this regard, by configuring the optical sensors so that the interconnect and substrate are flexible they become ideal for smart structural sensing. An application of these sensors is in the area of "smart skin". Smart skin sensors can monitor the internal conditions of the structure during fabrication and operation. For example, such sensors have various implications in the automotive, aerospace and space industries. Characteristically, optical sensors that incorporate sol-gel based waveguides have a signal loss in the range of less than about 2 dB/cm. As signal loss approaches zero in the waveguides, the accuracy of the optical sensor increases. By incorporating previously discussed amplification means and side pumping techniques it is possible to fabricate an optical sensing unit having optical loss that approaches zero.
For example, interferometric sensors embodying sol-gel based waveguides can be made for temperature, pressure and strain sensing.
Additionally, it is also possible to incorporate gratings into the waveguides that are wavelength selective and thereby create an optical sensor that has physical sensing capabilities.
Tunable Laser Arrays Incorporating Sol-Gel Based Waveguides
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a tunable laser array incorporating sol-gel based waveguides can be fabricated.
Typically, the core region of these waveguides will be doped with rare earth ions, such as ions of erbium, ytterbium, neodymium or the like, to create an active region within the waveguide. When the active region of the waveguide is optically pumped, laser action will occur. The doping process can be accomplished during the fabrication by adding the dopant to the sol-gel based material prior to fabrication (as previously discussed) or the dopant can be added in a post processing technique, such as laser deposition or ion implantation. When sol-gel based waveguides are doped with rare earth dopants, such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium and the like the basic building block exists for amplifiers and lasers to be incorporated into the structure of the device. In this regard, sol-gel processing allows dopant levels more than 40 times higher than waveguides made by chemical vapor deposition. By drastically increasing the dopant levels the resulting waveguides have superior absorption and emission capabilities. Additionally, by co-doping the waveguide with a combination of rare earth ions, such as ions of ytterbium with erbium, stronger absorption of pump laser light will generally result and a transfer of energy into erbium ions occurs.
The emission wavelength of the lasing region is a function of the total optical cavity length of the lasing region. The optical cavity length in turn is a function of the product of the physical cavity length and the refractive index of cavity. In certain designs, tunability in lasers is achieved through altering the physical cavity length by deploying moving output mirror parts, such as a Coretek's MEMS based tunable laser. This is typically not desirable and the laser performance is compromised with respect to line jitter and noise. Alternatively, the refractive index can be altered, keeping the physical length constant, to tune the cavity optical length. This is easily achieved through the use of material with electro-optical properties in the cavity, such as certain organic material, such in response to an applied voltage across the electrodes deposited around the cavity, the refractive index is changed causing a change in the emission frequency of the laser. Through the linear combination of such tunable laser structures and pursuant amplifier regions, optical emissions of wavelengths in the telecom band with varying power levels, as determined by the level of amplification applied, can be achieved.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the interconnects/waveguides of the present invention may be incorporated in optical modulators by introducing organic components, such as electro-optic polymer materials. It is possible to physically mix silica sol-gel with an organic component, or via a silicon-carbide it is possible to chemically link silica sol-gel and organic components. In this regard, the properties of the sol-gel material can be varied by adding an organic component. For example, by mixing silica sol-gel with a polymer having electro-optic properties silica sol-gel waveguides can be produced with high non-linearity, thus, providing the capability to modulate light intensity. This nonlinear waveguide has a very low dielectric constant and very low microwave dispersion, so at high-speed operation it would be easy to obtain phase matching required for the optical modulation. As is known by those of ordinary skill in the art, the optical waveguides will require polling (i.e., application of a strong electric field to produce a dipole effect in the material) in order for the waveguides to used as optical modulators.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, the same electro-optically active interconnect described above can be used to create tunable wavelength filters. In this application the tuning is accomplished with externally applied voltage similar to the electro-optic modulator. In one embodiment, a tunable wavelength filter in accordance with the present invention will comprise an electro-optic interconnect/waveguides that has Bragg gratings formed thereon. By implementing such tunable wavelength filters in waveguide lasers the resulting laser would be, characteristically, frequency agile.
Add/Drop and Dispersion Compensation Filters Incorporating Sol-Gel Based Waveguides
Additionally, the optical sensors previously discussed may be incorporated in integrated filter and WDM systems for the measurement of environmental parameters such as strain, pressure and temperature. For example, it may be advantageous to incorporate a temperature sensor in a WDM system to correct filter drift.
In yet embodiment of the present invention, sol-gel based waveguides having gratings formed thereon, may be incorporated into a chromatic dispersion compensation device. In this regard, the grating structures serve as a selective delay line, which delays signals having the wavelength that travels fastest through the fiber until signals having the other wavelengths catch up. To provide for this phenomenon the spacing of the gratings is chirped, increasing along its length, so that the grating reflects different wavelengths at different points along the fiber. Such a grating could be used in the receiver or transmitter, but is typically incorporated at the receiver. Additionally, the chirped gratings incorporated in the sol-gel based waveguides may be tunable, allowing the transmitter to intelligently introduce appropriate compensation depending on the distance to the receiver or the receiver can tune a single filter to receive signals from multiple sources.
Three Dimensional Waveguide Structures Incorporating Sol-Gel Based Waveguides
As previously discussed the process for fabricating the sol-gel base waveguides of the present invention involves fabricating structure on the substrate rather than etching into the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to incorporate further processing complexity and add more structure over the previously proposed fabrication. In this regard, it is possible, and within the inventive concepts herein disclosed, to fabricate a sol-gel based waveguide on a substrate using the processing methods previously disclosed and then fabricate an additional (or more than one) layer of waveguide or other optical device on top of the base waveguide structure to produce a multilayer, three dimensional, waveguide system. Three dimensional waveguide structures have applicability in power splitters, couplers and the like. An alternate embodiment of the present invention details a three-dimensional, n�m matrix of sol-gel based waveguides that serve as power splitters, couplers or the like.
In a conventional waveguide coupling structure, two waveguides are fabricated in close proximity to one another in order to mutually couple light. As is illustrated in
The 3-D optocouplers enable concurrent coupling in the horizontal plane and vertical plane. For horizontal and vertical plane coupling to occur, the waveguides have to be bought in close proximity to one another in both the x and y plane directions.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
Since the typical length of the sol-gel based waveguide devices is relatively short (i.e. about a few millimeters), a successive (m�n) matrix can provide WDM devices with almost no limitation. This out-of-plane coupling provides a volume that incorporates many waveguides in which some couple together in desirable locations and with a desirable coupling length (coupling length is a parameter that determines the wavelength selectivity.)
Three dimensional waveguide couplers may be incorporated into active optical components, such as an optical switch, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The optical switch comprises sol-gel based waveguide couplers that use photo-conductive or photo-refractive material in the coupling region. This material will characteristically be optically transparent. In application, when a second light of different wavelength that is absorbed by the photo-refractive/conductive material is input into the coupler the coupling or boundary conditions that define the coupling (i.e., the refractive index and other similar optical paramters) will be altered and therefore light will not couple to the neighboring waveguide.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, three dimensional waveguide structures can be implemented in a dynamic optical router in which wavelength can be used to select a particular route through a three-dimensional cross-connect switch. This transponder function, being able to dynamically switch from one wavelength to another, can be realized by implementing the previous described wavelength agile tunable lasers in conjunction with the three-dimensional waveguide structures. The versatility that such a dynamic optical router offers will enable many different service protocols (IP, ATM, etc.) to coexist in complex Wide Area Networks (WANs).
Calculations for Sol-Gel Based Waveguide Parameters
The three dimensional waveguide structures disclosed herein will be highly beneficial in integrated optics and telecommunications, in that they can be implemented in multichannel optical couplers, switches, WDM devices, etc.
The basic building block of such structures is a single-mode buried rectangular waveguide. To theoretically analyze the three dimensional waveguide structure it is necessary to start by appreciating the fundamental equations related to the single mode rectangular waveguide. Rectangular dielectric waveguides are the ones most widely used in integrated optics technology. This is due to their simplicity, precision of construction and mechanical stability. Also, single-mode operation can be achieved with relatively large transverse dimensions of the guide compared with the free-space wavelengths, thus relaxing tolerance requirements.
In the case of rectangular waveguides, as well as other structures symmetric with respect to propagation in the z-axis, the permitivity of the structure is invariant along the z-axis. The assumption is made that the free-space permeability is μ0, in which case the waveguide geometry is completely determined by specifying the dielectric permitivity ∈ as a function of x and y.
Regardless of how complex the shape of waveguide is (i.e. the complexity of the function ∈(x, y)), several very general results can be stated concerning the nature and behavior of the guided modes in such structures. These results are essential for the coupled-mode theory, which is of a paramount importance in telecommunications and integrated optics technology. This theory is the basis for designing such important devices as directional and contra-directional couplers, fiber optic connectors, all-optical switches, multiplexers and various other devices. In the three-dimensional model directional couplers are the paramount devices of interest and, thus, the coupled-mode theory will be given due attention.
Equations for the fields in a 2�2 directional coupler have the form:
Full power transfer between the waveguides is possible only if the "phase-matching" condition is satisfied:
Complete power transfer length is determined by the phase (CZ):
Thus it is possible for the incident power to be transferred to the second waveguide or to be returned into the first one.
The following discussion teaches the calculations that must be undertaken to assess the parameters for three-dimensional waveguide.
Characteristically, sol-gel materials can be prepared so that the material's refractive index can be tailored to meet the requirements of the application for which the resulting interconnect will be used. In this regard, the refractive index can be varied around the value n=1.5. More specifically, for a waveguide of square cross-section with the side a and the core and cladding refractive indices of:
if the waveguide is to be single mode, that is, only the fundamental Ex 11 and Ey 11 modes are to be supported, then side a can be defined as:
Therefore, if laser light of telecommunications wavelength λ=1.5 μm is used, the side of the waveguide must have dimensions of about 4.6 micrometers. If a conventional He—Ne laser with λ=0.6328 μm is used, a smaller waveguide having a side dimension of about 2.0 micrometers is implemented.
These values are similar to those obtained for optical fibers, even though fibers do generally allow slightly larger dimensions for single-mode operation.
A specific three-dimensional coupler embodiment in which a 4�4 configuration is defined (in this standard terminology 4�4 represents 4 input and 4 output waveguides) is illustrated in the perspective view of
then the coupled mode equations are defined as:
where kBD=kB−kD, etc, is the difference between the propagation constants of the guided modes in the respective guides, and CXY is the coupling coefficient between the guides X and Y.
To comprehend the behavior of the solutions of these couple mode equations a simplified model is defined in which the phase matching condition, kXY=0, is assumed. This assumption can be made in the case in which the guides comprising the three-dimensional structure are generally identical. In application, it is necessary to assume the phase matching condition, since, as the simple 2-coupler analysis shows, only if the assumption is made can an expectation of full power transfer be realized. Also, it is necessary to set all the coupling coefficients to be equal to 1 cm−1 for the purposes of modeling. This is consistent with the order of magnitude that one has for most practical couplers.
The system is solved subject to an initial condition aA0=1, aB0=aC0=aD0=0, thus the incident power is normalized to 1 and all the light is initially sent into the guide A.
The results are shown in
The overall behavior of the guided mode having a fixed coupling length z is generally dependent on the wavelength λ. To emphasize this wavelength dependency a hypothetical is illustrated which renders an approximate solution of the series of coupled mode equations for waveguide A (lower left corner waveguide of
In an alternate application, if an optical beam of λ=1.54 μm is launched into the input of waveguide A (lower left corner waveguide of
In practice, it is desirable to have the wavelength separation as small as possible, therefore the device needs to be designed so that parameters take into account the small degree of wavelength separation. For instance, if the goal is to separate wavelengths λ=1.555 μm and λ=1.560 μm at the coupling length of 5 mm, then computations show that the coupling coefficient between the waveguide generally must be C=Aλ, with A≈2.144 cm−1 μm−1. This can be shown by implementing a known approximate formula for the coupling coefficient:
where s is the separation between the waveguides, a the side of each rectangular waveguide, and
The behavior of the device will characteristically change if the waveguides are asymmetric. For instance, (referring to
With this change, the system of coupled mode equations can be solved to yield the graphical result shown in
Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
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Utah vs Cavs in finals, Utah wins.
First round games (team bolded will win the second round series)
Jazz over Suns, Cavs over Pistons
Jazz over Cavs.
Utah vs Cavs in finals, Utah wins.
First round games (team bolded will win the second round series)
Jazz over Suns, Cavs over Pistons
Jazz over Cavs.
Follow me on twitter @EricLilly7
Sixers surprise the Pistons and steal game 1 on the road.
As I said in my first post, I think this series has a lot of potential.
Anyone watching the Cavs game? Haywood ejected after throwing Lebron while he is going up for a layup. Uncle Reg disagreed, but I think it was the right call. Honestly, I believe their strategy is to hit him as hard as possible when he comes in for dunks/layups/etc. and who cares if he is injured.
Previously, Stevenson finally hit a shot and made some sort of gesture. Lebron followed up with a 3 of his own on the very next possession.
Love the heat between the two though, good stuff.
I rarely make guarantees, but I'll make one here: The Spurs WILL NOT win the NBA Championship. No how, no way. They are, in my estimation, the 4th or 5th best team in the playoffs this season.
"I know a lot about the law and various other lawyerings."
Situational Hitting is Stupid
"I know a lot about the law and various other lawyerings."
Situational Hitting is Stupid
the wizards are a joke of a team. a team with three all-star players should do a little better than the 5 or 6 seed in a weak East every year and out in the first round.
btw, the Cavs seem to be coming together a little and if Wally can catch fire after tonight, they will be a dangerous team in the East again
Still disagree, thats a flagrant 2. How do you sell a hit in mid air? I think he was trying to hit the shot since he had about a 99% chance of being fouled in that situation.
I'm not saying that Haywood intentionally tried to HURT Lebron, but he wasn't going for the ball by any means & I think he was a little careless with his actions.
Either way, I've really started to hate the Wizards... love to see them being destroyed right now
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When you mentioned the whisky leathers, only the 4 zip came to mind. Though I do not have a bomber yet and do feel that there is a place in my wardrobe for it...the 4 zip seems to be much more...interesting. You are seriously making me consider it now haha.
9/15/11 at 11:59pm


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We love it with...
Alfre - Classic with a Twist is rated out of 5 by 4.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Joyful from Fabulous Color! I am in love with this colour! It's a subtle, sophisticated, slightly greyed purple, very suitable for professional dress if you wish. I did a "French Tip" effect by adding Glam Roc, which almost exactly matches it, so the overall effect continues to be subtle but really beautiful. I highly recommend this colour - don't be put off if you don't normally do purples - this one is amazing. (two coats required - first one will appear a bit streaky but second coat makes it a perfect finish)
Date published: 2014-06-09
Rated 2 out of 5 by KelseyB from Nice Colour but Poor Formula I love the colour and will definitely use it in the future, but it is very difficult to work with. I had an idea that it would be thick based on the picture but not this bad! The formula was very thick and tacky thus super hard to paint with it. It also started to dry before I could finish my first coat making it even more difficult to work with. Julep, I really like you and your colours and a number of your formulas, but a lot of your formulas need to be fine tuned.
Date published: 2014-07-12
Rated 5 out of 5 by fidgetstix from An Unexpected Love When I first received this polish I was very happy. I had never seen it here on the site, but in the bottle it looked like a nice gunmetal. I put it on my toes and soon noticed that sometimes it had a purple tint and almost thought maybe I was just crazy, but then I looked closer and realized it was actually purple instead! It was a neat surprise and I like it even more now!
Date published: 2014-07-21
Rated 5 out of 5 by Carolinca from LOVE this one!! I was hesitant buying this one as I was afraid it would be too dark,but I fell in love with it from the moment I put it on! Unlike KelseyB, my bottle of polish was fine.Mine went on smoothly and lasted close to 1 week.I do find that I get the odd polish from Julep that is very thick and gooey but with adding nail polish thinner they are fine.I do tend to add a LOT more than the 2 to 3 drops the bottle says to add. Depending on how thick the polish is, I might START with 12 drops and if the polish is STILL thick I just repeat until it's smooth and easy to spread. Watch closely though as you don't want to OVER thin! I have a LOT of Julep polish~ 4 full Julep caddies now and enough remaining polish in boxes to fill at least 2 more! I sometimes have a polish that is thicker but Polish thinner fixes that problem up in no time. Every collection should have have a bottle of thinner! Sorry,I got off topic there so~~back to Alfre. I wear this one often and always get compliments on it.It does seem to have a grayish tint to it so it looks fabulous with pink/purple and gray/taupe ensembles.It is really quite a flexible color. I find that this color seems to last longer and chip less than some other colors do.That's probably why I keep going back to this color so much!! Give it a try~it's not really as dark as it might look.You might get as pleasant a surprise as I did, but if it's not the color for you, use it for nail art or gift it to a friend.
Date published: 2014-09-21


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- 18 & over
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The HKL Pro Comedy Show
Tuesday, August 20, 2013 8:30 PM
Gotham Comedy Club, New York, NY
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Kevin J. Williams and Monica Vida present the famed pro show, Hugs, Kisses & Laughs. Featured comedians have performed on The Late Show, The Tonight Show, HBO, Comedy Central, USO Tours, and more. More information is here: www.hugskisseslaughs.com
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- Another great All-Stars show 2nite at 8p w/ @Deanofcomedy @ComicMikeV @ryanreiss @marinayfranklin & more! Tix bit.ly/1CNq2Yo Jul 02
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The Message audio Bible is now available on Bible Gateway! Click to learn more.
108:5 above the heavens. God is so great that not even the heavens can contain Him (1 Kin. 8:27). He is transcendent, yet in special ways (presently by the Holy Spirit), He is also immanent in that He compassionately condescends to dwell with His people.


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Tour to Ethiopia-Hidden Treasures Tour
Best Holliday
Aug 07, 2013 01:31 pm
I can tell you I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the chance to go on this trip. I had always wanted to visit Africa but it seemed like a "maybe someday" possibility. I loved learning about the fascinating history of Ethiopia and experiencing the beauty of Zanzibar. Highlights were definitely the rock-hewn churches and coffee ceremony we saw in Lalibela, and the Jozani forest, dhow cruise and spice tour in Zanzibar.
Our tour guide in Ethiopia, Berket, was an absolute treasure. He displayed a perfect combination of competence (navigating us through airports), knowledge (able to tell compelling stories about every sight we saw) and good humor (always smiling and seeming to enjoy himself).
Having him along really enhanced our experience. All the other drivers and employees we dealt with were also great. The hotels we stayed in were clean and comfortable. It was nice to be able to modify our itinerary when we wanted to, for example, instead of taking the mule tour in Lalibela we visited a local school at my sister's request (she's a
teacher) and saw a different monastery which was beautiful and really interesting.
Our flights all went well with one near-exception, we almost did not make it on the flight to Lalibela (remember that on Friday, we were listed as standby but were told we would be confirmed over the weekend?). When we got to the airport Monday morning we were still standby and it looked unlikely we would make it. We spent an anxious hour sitting on the airport floor and ended up on a separate flight from our guide, but it did all work out in the end. That was probably the biggest problem we experienced on the whole trip, I'm happy to say.
Daniela, Austria
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About 20 minutes ago, Dave Spadaro (@DaveSpadaro), tweeted that the Philadelphia Eagles had placed Jason Kelce on the Injured Reserved list and that he would not return for the rest of 2012. This news was later confirmed by the Eagles.
With Kelce going on IR, the Eagles quickly re-signed Steve Vallos. Vallos is an offensive lineman who played with the Eagles for the preseason. Vallos has NFL experience having played two year each with the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks. Vallos also has versatility. He can play both center and tackle. This signing may not fill the void perfectly for the Eagles but it is the best possible option since Vallos played the preseason in Howard Mudd's system.
Kelce is the second OL to hit the IR this season. He joins tackle, Jason Peters, on the season-long IR.
The Eagles face off against the Arizona Cardinals in Arizona on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:05 PM.
David A. Cattai is the Featured Writer for the Philadelphia Flyers with Rant Sports & Featured Beat Writer covering the Philadelphia Phillies for Buzz On Broad.
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The director of video game remakes like "House of the Dead," "Alone in the Dark" and "Postal" goes postal on "you all" for not Kickstarting his latest project. And the rant's definitely NSFW.
Indiegogo is rolling out a test of a new service that will refund your money if a project fails to deliver within a certain time frame.
The Baltimore police union launches an effort to raise money for legal fees, but the fund-raising site says no go. It's the latest campaign involving alleged police misconduct that's been shuttered.
Experts believe controversial, political crowdfunding campaigns show no signs of slowing down.
The pilot and the captain of Serenity are back in action together, raising funds for "Con Man," a fictional look behind the scenes at sci-fi fan conventions.
Though there are only a couple of lenses at the moment and it only fits the iPhone 6, Moment's case Kickstarter already blew past its goal.
In the first case of its kind, the Federal Trade Commission has taken legal action against a Kickstarter creator who deceived his backers.
Finnish smartphone manufacturer Jolla has passed its Indiegogo crowdfunding target -- in just over two hours -- for its first tablet, a 7.9-inch slate that runs Sailfish OS, rather than Android.
A small, lightweight copter is taking off on Indiegogo based on the idea and computer-generated renderings, even though it hasn't actually been produced.
This week on Crave it's your last chance to order a Pocketcopter that doesn't exist, run for your lives from silent robot cheetahs and strap a jet pack to your back to improve your track and field skills. It's the Crave show!


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By Julian Pecquet - 11/15/13 02:35 PM EST
A Georgetown event on Afghan women's rights Friday gave Hillary Clinton her latest opportunity to shine on the public stage ahead of a potential 2016 run.
The former secretary of State was greeted by thunderous applause as she appeared on-stage alongside fellow former first lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State John Kerry. The event gave her and supporters a chance to remind the public of her longtime support for women's rights, including ongoing efforts to make sure the gains of the past decade aren't reversed when U.S. troops leave Afghanistan next year.
Bush joined her in urging continued U.S. involvement to prevent a return to the Taliban era, when girls could not go to school.
"I'm so worried that once our troops leave, no one will pay attention again to Afghanistan," Bush said. "We just can't take that risk."
The event was hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, whose executive director, Melanne Verveer, was Clinton's chief of staff at the White House and served as the first-ever ambassador-at-large for Global Women's Issues in Clinton's State Department. Co-sponsors include the George W. Bush Institute, the U.S. Afghan Women's Council — of which Clinton and Bush are both co-chairwomen — and the U.S. Alliance in Support of the Afghan People.
Clinton would be the presumptive Democratic front-runner in 2016 if she decides to run. She has increased her public visibility in recent months, launching a Twitter account, penning a deal for a memoir of her years as President Obama's secretary of State, and publicly campaigning for Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe.
Her biggest booster Friday was Kerry, who said no one had done more for Afghan women's rights than Clinton and Bush.
"For all the men studying here in Georgetown, who sit in classrooms where Bill Clinton sat so many years ago, my advice to you is this: Study hard, go to Oxford, become governor of your state," Kerry said. "And then maybe you can marry one of the country's remarkable secretaries of State."
Please send tips and comments to Julian Pecquet: email@example.com
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PRLog - Jan. 8, 2013 - CHICAGO -- From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, guests can experience the prix fixe 3-course menu specially curated by Chef Farid Oualidi for $29. The previous special continues Monday nights 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Soupe a L'oignon Gratinee
The Pre-Theatre meal begins with a choice between a variety of France's most traditional and beloved dishes. The first course offers the Soupe a L'oignon Gratinee a classic French onion soup and the Vols Au Vent Aux Champignons a baked puff pastry with a wild mushroom ragout. The Escargot de Bourgogne features braised escargots with a garlic herb butter and puff pastry. Lastly, the Oeuf en Cocotte represents a shirred egg atop sautéed mushrooms, crème fraiche and a porcini truffle mousse.
The second course boasts an assortment of delectably savory entrée items. The Boeuf Bourguignon is a rich dish of braised short ribs in a red wine burgundy sauce with pearl onions, carrots, fingerling potatoes and bacon. Grilled salmon is the star when it is paired with couscous, asparagus, tomatoes and a lemon butter sauce for the Pave de Saumon Grille. The Noisettes de Porc is a mix between sweet and savory with its roasted pork medallions, caramelized apples, haricots verts (green beans), and sauce normande. As a vegetarian option the Gnocchi a la Parisienne is available as a French twist on gnocchi complimented by sautéed vegetables and beurre noisette.
To finish off this French culinary expedition, Chef Oualidi prepares a choice between Gateau au Chocolat, a warm chocolate cake with espresso ice cream, Crème Brûlée and espresso and vanilla Gelato ice cream.
Pre-Theatre Menu
Prix Fixe $29 per person
First Course
(Choice of)
Soupe a L'oignon Gratinee
Classic French Onion Soup
Vols au vent aux champignons
Baked puff pastry, wild mushrooms ragout
Escargot de Bourgogne
Braised escargots with garlic herb butter and puff pastry
Oeuf en cocotte
Shirred egg atop sautéed mushrooms, crème fraiche, porcini truffle mousse
Second Course
(Choice Of)
Boeuf bourguignon
Braised short ribs in a red wine burgundy sauce, pearl onions, carrots, fingerling potatoes, bacon
Pave de Saumon grille
Grilled salmon with couscous, asparagus, tomatoes, lemon butter sauce
Noisettes de porc
Roasted pork medallions, caramelized apples, haricots verts, sauce normande
Gnocchi a la Parisienne
French style gnocchi, sautéed vegetable, beurre noisette
Third Course – Dessert
(Choice Of)
Gateau au chocolat
Warm chocolate cake with espresso ice cream
Crème Brulee
Gelato ice cream
Espresso and Vanilla
About Bistro Voltaire
Bistro Voltaire, a classic French bistro owned and operated by Ned Boukram, is located at 226 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60610. The restaurant is open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday through Saturday; closed on Sunday. For more information or to make reservations, please contact Bistro Voltaire at (312) 265-0911. Please also visit the website at bistrovoltaire.com.


text:
A Boston area family says a language barrier may have resulted in police using a Taser on a woman after she tried to buy too many iPhones at a local mall.
Photos: Taser used on woman buying multiple iPhones
Police said store had issue a 'stay-away' order against womanUPDATED 6:31 PM EST Dec 12, 2012
Slideshow Central
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59 year old man | Glendora, CA, USA | Seeking women 40-52 within 75 miles of Temple City, CA
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Looking for someone special
One thing I really cherish is my family. Although my children are grown, i still love spending quality time with them. I am looking for someone who also places value in their family. Besides my family being very important, I really enjoy doing anything athletic. I try to stay as fit as possible. I go to the gym about 5 times a week, but I still love to spend time outdoors. I love to hike, but my real passion is golf. I would hope to spend time with someone who could join me in my athletic endevors. Other than being athletic, I also enjoy doing things like going to movies, sporting events, and dinner. I dont mind getting a pizza or dining at a nice resturaunt, as long as there is good company. I work as a teacher. I love being around kids, which allows me to not take life to seriously. I am also not afraid to laugh at myself. I am looking for someone who has a sense of humor. I am a very honest person, and I really want to date someone who is honest too. I am looking for a kindhearted woman who does not play games.
Camping , Coffee and conversation , Cooking , Dining out , Hobbies and crafts , Movies/Videos , Music and concerts , Playing cards , Playing sports , Travel/Sightseeing , Volunteering
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Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
I have taken the casts off the moulds.
There is some crappy bits. The mix was on the drier side. So I did expect I would need to do some patching. After the first batch, I decided to put to much on in one go... causing the paper to slip down and fold into the castable. Now I have paper embedded about 6mm in places. Some paper I could pull out, some not.
The dome is thick 80 mm, so I don't think will cause structural issues, but not sure of the best way to fix it. Do I run the grinder along and create a V, to remove the paper, then patch? If I patch over the embedded paper will it cause issues? will it burn out? Air gaps? explode?
Not sure I am fussed on exploded castable topping on my Pizza :-)
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
Some photos
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
Probably will not cause any problems along the line, they look better than a lot of castings shown previously.
There are two types of refractory available here--maybe a whole lot more--but the asahi stuff has a trowel grade and a pourable grade. The pourable stuff has chunks of crushed firebrick (maybe) as the course aggregate. Maybe the trowel grade could be used to skim coat the interior of your dome. I do not know if there would be any problem with adhesion. This is the stuff I used when I joined my sections prior to doing the insulation thing. It still is a little grainy but it sets quick and hard.
It is interesting to see what issues arise when you are doing a castable dome. I spent a whole lot of time on forms--like 10 days! But much of this time was simply scratching my head trying to determine how to do a trapezium that would be freestanding--both inner and outer molds that maintain an 80mm space...then try to determine the best way to fill to avoid airpockets and the problem you face now.
I actually started posting on this forum after my forms were poured--too late to make major changes, but if there had been something drastically wrong, I could have torn back the form and made adjustments. The only issue I see with mine that I would change would be to shorten the landing as much as possible. Probably also a larger oven as well.
I have plans to do another oven this winter when things slow down. Now no time to even pass gas politely.
Keep up the good work--a great build in the making!
Another thought on the sand method of molding. It might be possible to first trowel on a 12-15mm layer of refractory (onto the sand mold initially). The stuff begins to set very quickly--when you have the trowelable 1/2 set, then begin with the pourable stuff that you could hand pack on the dome. That way, the inner surface would be glassy and there would be something that the pourable could bond to instead of just waxed or wet paper!
But that is just a thought?
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
I misread your post this morning when my eyes were not functioning yet. I thought you said "try two alcohol free drinks a day for a week"! A little different from what you said!
Cannot do that either! Never drank alcohol of any type until I quit smoking in 2001. Needed to replace one bad habit with something else--you know, have to keep those hands busy and feeding something into your mouth! So, tried a drink occasionally ... Now need to try catching up with 53 years of being dry... Two days alcohol free and that throws my calculations off to sometime when I am well over 100. Not an impossibility in my family--many family members have lived almost to 100!
Thanks for the advice though, does that work with those devices you use for making wine from different juices? The wine should be good enough to drink daily and almost any time of the day as well--maybe not breakfast??? but if for breakfast you could call it breakfestival!
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
Thanks for the comments mikku,
I think because the paper was wet and only a couple of layers thick, I should have gone a lot slower. Note that the imperfections are not deep. More care is needed to keep the paper stable. I think functionally it would work as is, but I will try and clean it up a bit. You can also see the texture change after around the first 100 mm, so the amount of water added does make a difference.
Perhaps I should have added more water. but this also reduces strength.
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
When I first read you post that the paper had slipped I feared the worst.
Now the pics have eased my mind. That's not that bad at all. Definitly not a bad structural fault at all . As for the look of it, its nice and smooth so doesn't look bad at all. The dome is perhaps the most important part along with insulation.
But the least seen. No one will ever see that " imperfection"
Hang in there
Regards dave
Measure twice
Cut once
Fit in position with largest hammer
My Build
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Last edited by cobblerdave; 10-09-2013 at 02:30 PM.
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
Hi Brissie,
I've never had the problem of the newspaper slipping, but then I've only used newspaper and water. As you also used oil this may have caused the problem. Any embedded newspaper will just burn away. You can leave it, the surface looks pretty good to me. If you have any voids to fill you can sieve out the course aggregate from some dry castable and mix a little water to the sifted castable that is left, to a peanut butter consistency. This mix can then be squished and smoothed into any voids. You need to do this operation before the casting gets completely dry. The day after removing from the mould is usually about right.
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
I think a brick oven interior is a lot rougher than that. Ever see the inside of professionally built Neapolitan ovens? Most of the ones I have seen have rough brickwork...your surface is more smooth.
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When we build, let us think that we build for ever.
John Ruskin
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
As others have said and I agree, nothing to worry about structurally! But just because someone else does not see any imperfections does not make them disappear...you have to satisfy yourself first! If it to your expectation, then nothing else matters!
Keep up the good work.
Re: New 36inch castable build in Brisbane
Weekend #4,
I went shopping for arch bricks today, we picked some that are dark in colour, they are seconds at $1 each. The plan is make the decorative arch tomorrow.
I have the dome in place with heat break number 1 and additional support for the dome 5:1 vermiculite concrete. The CalSill board is only 1 meter wide, so added extra support for 80mm walls.
You can see the 10:1 vermiculite insulating in the heat break. The gap at the top is 2 or 3 mm, and should not be an operational problem. the gap will fill with ash. ( thanks David s for the idea ).
The brick slabs had horrible edges. So needed to take off the edge with the grinder. If I did this again I would look at standard fire bricks, I think they give a better finish. The dome was easy to put together with the help of my son, we stuck the dome together with corfix 900 degree mastic, and did not seal the dome to the base to allow for expansion.
The hole in the top will be filled with castable tomorrow. I will use the remainder of the castable to patch over the joins in the dome. I started with 12 * 20 kg bags. This quantity is about the correct amount for 80mm thick 900mm/36 inch oven.
Last edited by brissie; 10-12-2013 at 06:25 AM.
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"Helping Hands" Basketball Game Benefits Brick Family [UPDATE]
Thank you to everyone that came out to support this amazing family in their time of need. As of this afternoon, MORE THAN $20,000 was raised. Thank you once again to everyone!
Thank you to everyone that came out to support this amazing family in their time of need. As of this afternoon, MORE THAN $20,000 was raised. Thank you once again to everyone!
Every Friday afternoon we get the 5 O'clock Happy Ending started with the Joe Jackson song called "Friday".
Would you like us to keep it as the song that gets the Happy Ending Started each week on FRIDAY afternoon?
Listen to the song and take the poll below
Bruce Springsteen has released the final track to his highly-anticipated album Wrecking Ball and 105.7 The Hawk has your chance to hear it first.
"We Are Alive" has been described as a campfire singalong. Like ma
The Daytona 500, the crown jewel of NASCAR's races, is this weekend. There may be no better genre of music to go along with the adrenaline rush of NASCAR then hard rock and heavy metal. To get yourself prepped for the big race, you need the proper soundtrack, right? So here's 20 headbang
Before their show on February 15 at the Count Basie in Red Bank, Barbara spoke to Foreigner's Thom Gimbel about the band's latest release, a CD/DVD package called Feels Like the First Time.
In addition to hitting the airwaves every Sunday night at 9 p.m. in his Underground Garage, Little Steven Van Zandt is a busy man.
Less than 24 hours before Point Pleasant resident packs up his vehicle and begins his 700 mile journey to Superbowl XLVI to see the Giants take on the New England Patriots.
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Metallica meets Stevie Wonder, and the results are EPIC.
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Every year for the past decade, the Hawk's band of merry elves breaks in to a family's house and delivers a Christmas miracle. You can check out the audio here:
Wishing Gary Rossington a very happy belated birthday.


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Measurements: 1.25" Heel, 13" Shaft, 12.75" Circumference
(based on 33 reviews)
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I finally found my perfect boots!
By Naomi
from Boulder, CO
Comments about Women's Adelyn Tall Leather Boots with Shearling Lining:
I have been looking all over for the boots. They are absolutely perfect! Not too dressy, not too casual. Not too high of a heal. And extremely comporttable! Thank you Overlabd!
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Nice boots
By Cita
from Ark
Product arrived quickly and boots are very nice. I wore them to ski resort and they were perfect. Good slip resistance on ice/snow, wear with leggings or skirts, warm and comfy. They were a tad snug first wearing, and I am a true 7. Inserts that are permanently secured would be a great addition.
My wife loved the product.
By Janilson fernandes
from Tyngsborough,ma
My wife loved the boots and we strongly recommend it! Nice and warm,specially for new england freezing weather.
Thoroughly enjoying these boots
By Jill the outdoorsy woman
from St. Louis
These are beautiful, comfy, warm boots that I was able to use when temps dropped and it was cold, snowy and slippery. I felt sturdy and sure fitted with these well constructed, beautifully made boots. They are also very easy to get on with the side zipper. I love these boots!
I Would Buy These Again!
By Florida transplant
from Whitesville, NY
Warm boots! Very comfortable, I could walk miles in these and they don't have to be broken in! Made by hand, the craftsmanship is excellent. The boots look great and I get compliments on them all the time. I like the dark brown color so they aren't the same as my other boots. My lined jeans fit in these without any problems. The sole makes me feel safe in this ice/snow weather, the grip is great. I would definately buy these again!
Nice shoes, but came too late
By onlineshopper91320
from Thousand Oaks, CA
See all my reviews
The shoes are nice and warm and fit well. However, I bought them for a trip to Boston between blizzards and they did not arrive in time. I was counting on the two-day shipping and was really disappointed when I somehow got 5 day shipping instead. Now I am back in California. I'll put them in the closet and wait for another opportunity to waer.
Love the boots
By Crisyteen
from Upstate ny
These boots fit great, they are warm but not hot, very comfortable and the perfect calf size and can be worn with clothing tucked in, or not. I am so glad I purchased them. The black brown color is versatile. I've received many compliments on them too.
The best boots!
By DKW from the North
from Feura Bush, NY
These are my favorite boots! They're gorgeous, comfortable and warm! I live in the great Northeast, and with all the snow and bitter cold weather, I've worn them every day since they arrived! You can dress them up or down. There's plenty of room in the calf to wear over slacks. The feel of the leather is soft and supple. The shearling is rich, warm and luxurious. I wear a size 7 and the European 37 fit perfectly! Buy the boots!!!
Amazing Boots
By Candace
from Urbandale, IA
I live in Iowa and my feet get cold. These boots are warm and stylish. I normally wear 9.5 in boots, I had to go to a 10 in these.They are comfortable and able to wear for an extended amount of time.
no need to worry about cold feet.
By Daisy's owner
from Waukegan, IL
Being a dog owner I have to go out every cold winter day.Am glad I found these boots that keep my feet and legs very warm.The boots are easy to put on and off. No problem with the zippers. The boots are not dark brown and shiny as in the picture. They are brown/greyish. Looks like dust.When reading the description of the boots again, I noticed that the leather isdistressed and the look of the color is the distressed look.Am very happy having bought these good quality boots that will keep me warm for many winters. The shipping was super fast. Two days.