Process for making crystalline structures having interconnected pores and high refractive index contrasts

Abstract

Techniques for producing a glass structure having interconnected macroscopic pores, including providing a polymeric structure having interconnected macroscopic pores; providing polymerizable glass precursors; filling pores in the polymeric structure with the polymerizable glass precursors; polymerizing the polymerizable glass precursors to yield a filled polymeric structure; and decomposing the filled polymeric structure to produce a glass structure having interconnected macroscopic pores. Techniques for filling pores of such glass structure with a material having a high refractive index, and for then removing the glass structure. Structures can be produced having interconnected macroscopic pores and high refractive index contrasts, which can be used, for example, as photonic band gaps.

1 . A method of producing a glass structure having, interconnected macroscopic pores comprising: 
 providing a polymeric structure having interconnected macroscopic pores;    providing polymerizable glass precursors;    filling pores in said polymeric structure with said polymerizable glass precursors; polymerizing said polymerizable glass precursors to yield a filled polymeric structure; and    decomposing said filled polymeric structure to produce a glass structure having interconnected macroscopic pores.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further including opening surface pores on said glass structure.  
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1  further including filling pores of said glass structure with a material having a high refractive index to yield an interpenetrating structure  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1  in which said polymerizable glass precursors include silicon.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 3  in which filling pores is carried out by chemical vapor deposition.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 3  in which said material is filled into pores of said glass structure at a temperature of at least about 400° C.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 3  in which said material has a refractive index of at least about 3.0.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 3  in which said material is selected from the group consisting of: silicon, tellurium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium phosphide, aluminum nitride, indium nitride, gallium antimonide, indium antimonide, aluminum antimonide, aluminum gallium nitride, aluminum gallium arsenide, aluminum gallium antimonide, gallium aluminum antimonide, indium gallium antimonide, gallium arsenic antimonide, indium gallium phosphide, indium gallium arsenide, indium arsenic antimonide, indium gallium arsenide phosphide, indium aluminum gallium arsenide, indium aluminum gallium nitride, indium aluminum gallium antimonide, lead sulfide, cadmium selenide, tin sulfide, cadmium sulfide, zinc selenide, bismuth, and selenium.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 3  further including removing said glass structure from said interpenetrating structure.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 6  in which said material is filled into pores of said glass structure at a temperature of at least about 500° C.  
   
   
       11 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing inorganic-organic silicon(e)-containing precursors in which silicon is bonded directly or indirectly to reactive organic groups.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing a member selected from the group consisting of organically modified silicate monomers and silsesquioxane monomers.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing partially condensed silsesquioxane oligomers having an average molecular weight of about 500-20,000 grams per mole.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing an inorganic silicon-containing compound dispersed in a polymerizable material.  
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing silicon dioxide dispersed in a polymerizable material.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing an alkoxysilane.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing a silsesquioxane oligomer having the following formula:  
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
     
     in which R can be any saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon moiety.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing polydimethylsiloxane oligomers.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 1  in which providing polymerizable glass precursors includes providing vinyl-terminated siloxane base oligomers and hydride functional siloxane oligomers.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 1  including providing polymerizable glass precursors that include silicon.