US Patent 10295739 Athermal optical devices based on composite structures

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for implementing athermal optical devices based on composite structures having different components with different thermal properties such as a composite structure having materials of positive and negative thermo-optic effects or a composite structure having materials exhibiting different thermal expansion coefficients. In one aspect, a method for providing thermally stabilized optical device structure against temperature fluctuations includes forming an optical device structure to include a first optical material and a second optical material different from the first optical material, in which one of the first and second optical material exhibits a positive thermal-optic effect and the other one exhibits a negative thermal-optic effect, and structuring the first and second optical materials in the optical device structure to reduce a change in an effective refractive index of the optical device structure collectively produced by the first and second optical materials in response to a temperature variation.