Abstract:
A liquid crystal cell (100) is presented that utilizes a deposited metal gasket moisture barrier and support membrane (106) bonding two opposing plates of glass (110), a thin film spacer layer (107) to accurately control cell gap thickness, and an optional integrated thermal sensor and heater deposition layer (108) sandwiched therebetween.
Abstract:
A distributed optical structure comprises a set of diffractive elements. Individual diffractive element transfer functions collectively yield an overall transfer function between entrance and exit ports. Diffractive elements are defined relative to virtual contours and include diffracting regions) altered to diffract, reflect, and/or scatter incident optical fields (altered index, surface, etc). Element and/or overall set transfer functions (amplitude and/or phase) are determined by: longitudinal and/or angular displacement of diffracting regions) relative to a virtual contour (facet-displacement grayscale); longitudinal displacement of diffractive elements relative to a virtual contour (element-displacement grayscale); and/or virtual contours) lacking a diffractive element (proportional-linedensity gray scale). Optical elements may be configured: as planar or channel waveguides, with curvilinear diffracting segments; to support three-dimensional propagation with surface areal diffracting segments; as a diffraction grating, with grating groove or line segments.
Abstract:
The present invention discloses a widely wavelength tunable polychrome colloidal photonic crystal device whose optical Bragg diffraction stop bands and higher energy bands wavelength, width and intensity can be tuned in a continuous and fine, rapid and reversible, reproducible and predictable fashion and over a broad spectral range by a controlled expansion or contraction of the colloidal photonic lattice dimension, effected by a predetermined change in the electronic configuration of the composite material. In its preferred embodiment, the material is a composite in the form of a film or a patterned film or shape of any dimension or array of shapes of any dimension comprised of an organized array of microspheres in a matrix of a cross-linked metallopolymer network with a continuously variable redox state of charge and fluid content. The chemo-mechanical and electro-mechanical optical response of the colloidal photonic crystal-metallopolymer gel is exceptionally fast and reversible, attaining its fully swollen state from the dry shrunken state and vice versa on a sub-second time-scale. These composite materials can be inverted by removal of the constituent microspheres from the aforementioned colloidal photonic crystal metallopolymer-gel network to create a macroporous metallopolymer-gel network inverse colloidal photonic crystal film or patterned film or shape of any dimension optical Bragg diffraction stop bands and higher energy bands wavelength, width and intensity can be redox tuned in a continuous and fine, rapid and reversible, reproducible and predictable fashion and over a broad spectral range by a controlled expansion or contraction of the colloidal photonic lattice dimensions.
Abstract:
A microdisplay includes a base substrate having an actively addressable array thereon. Multiple electrical contacts connect the array to an electrical input circuit. A covering substrate is disposed over the base substrate and has a conducting layer thereon. The conducting layer is electrically coupled to an opposing electrical terminal to the electrical input circuit. An electro-optic material is disposed between the conducting layer of the covering substrate and the base substrate.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a new method for spectral filtering of optical radiation wherein the light to be filtered is directed onto two or more spaced apart layers of photosensitive material (1). A holographic grating is recorded in the layers so that each layer of the photosensitive material contains a portion of the recorded holographic grating. The output optical signal (6) is formed as the result of interference of the light reflected due to the Bragg diffraction from the parts of the diffraction grating recorded in different layers. The reflected light propagates through the spaced apart electrooptical layers (2) sandwiched between the photosensitive layers (1). The refractive index of the electrooptical layers is varied by the application of the appropriate electrical field (Em) to provide the phase difference between the reflected optical signals in order to obtain the desired value of the total output signal resulted from the interference of the reflected light.
Abstract:
The present invention is related to photonic crystal devices that comprise novel mesoscopic periodic materials which comprise polymerized crystalline colloidal arrays (CCA) and at least one photosensitive component. Preferably, the photosensitive component is a photochromic molecule and more preferably the component is an azobenzene derivative. Methods for making these devices are also disclosed. The devices of the present invention are useful in many applications including, for example, optical switches, display devices and memory storage devices. The devices of the present invention permit the possibility to write with ultraviolet light and erase with visible light. In addition, the present invention is related to a functionalized polymerized crystalline colloidal array which preferably comprises reactive epoxide groups. The present invention is further directed to a photosensitive polymerized crystalline colloidal array. Futhermore, the present invention is directed to azobenzene derivatives which have improved water solubility.
Abstract:
Switchable holographic optical elements (HOEs) (320) that can be turned on and off are used in systems and methods for projecting 3-D images, or for projecting 2-D tiled images with increased size and/or resolution. In one embodiment, the method projects monochrome 3-D images through the steps of (a) displaying, at an object plane (310), a 2-D image (306; 307; 308) that is a cross section of a 3-D image, (b) activating an HOE (302) to focus the 2-D image onto an appropriate image plane (331; 332; 333; 334), and (c) repeating steps (a)-(b) for different cross sections of the 3-D image. Each of the cross sections is focussed onto a different image plane, so that the resulting images appear in an "image volume" (330) as a 3-D image. Steps (a)-(c) are then rapidly repeated at a fast rate (such as 60 frames per second) to create a continuously displayed 3-D image (335). The 3-D image may be a static image or a moving image. In another embodiment, the method includes steps of sequentially displaying 2-D cross-sectional images, and, in synchronization, sequentially activating switchable HOEs that image the cross sections onto different image planes. Also described is a 3-D projection system that includes (a) a 2-D display configured to sequentially display a series of cross sections and (b) an HOE configured to focus the 2-D display onto a series of image planes at different distances from the 2-D display. The switchable HOEs are also used in an image projection system that projects an image composed of an array of "tiles".