METHOD OF CURING A PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIAL USING EVANESCENT WAVE ENERGY

摘要

A method of curing a photosensitive material (10) having a critical electrical field amplitude (Ic) at which photoinitiation occurs. The method includes contacting the photosensitive material, e.g., a photoinitiator/monomer resin system, with a substrate (18) having surface (22), such as an optical element, so as to form an interface (20) between the photosensitive material and the substrate surface. A light beam (12) from source (14) is directed into the substrate, such that the light beam is totally internally reflected from the interface within the substrate, so that an evanescent wave is created in the photosensitive material with amplitude (I). In order for curing to occur in photoinitiation region (16) to depth (I), the electric field amplitude (Io) of the evanescent wave at the interface must be least equal to the critical electric field amplitude of the photosensitive material.