U.S. patent application number 09/805817 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-06 for holographic illumination system.
Invention is credited to Popovich, Milan M., Storey, John J., Waldern, Jonathan D..
Application Number | 20010019434 09/805817 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27400901 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010019434 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Popovich, Milan M. ; et
al. |
September 6, 2001 |
Holographic illumination system
Abstract
Disclosed is an apparatus and method of illuminating an image
display via an electrically switchable holographic optical element.
The method includes a first electrically switchable holographic
optical element (ESHOE) receiving illumination light. The first
ESHOE comprises oppositely facing front and back surfaces. The
first ESHOE diffracts a first component (e.g., p-polarized blue
light) of the illumination light while transmitting the remaining
components of the illumination light without substantial
alteration. An image display is provided and receives the
diffracted first component. In response to receiving the diffracted
first component, the image display emits image light. The first
ESHOE receives and transmits this image light without substantial
alteration. In one embodiment, the diffracted first component
emerges from the first ESHOE at the back surface thereof, and the
first ESHOE receives the image light at the back surface thereof so
that the image light is received by the first ESHOE in a direction
substantially parallel to a direction at which the diffracted first
component emerges from the back surface of the first ESHOE.
Inventors: |
Popovich, Milan M.;
(Leicester, GB) ; Waldern, Jonathan D.; (Los Altos
Hills, CA) ; Storey, John J.; (Nottingham,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Eric A. Stephenson
SKJERVEN MORRILL MACPHERSON LLP
Suite 700
25 Metro Drive
San Jose
CA
95110
US
|
Family ID: |
27400901 |
Appl. No.: |
09/805817 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09805817 |
Mar 14, 2001 |
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09607432 |
Jun 30, 2000 |
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6211976 |
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09607432 |
Jun 30, 2000 |
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09395889 |
Sep 14, 1999 |
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6115152 |
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60255820 |
Dec 15, 2000 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
359/15 ; 359/13;
359/24 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 5/32 20130101; G02F
1/13342 20130101; G02F 1/133621 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
359/15 ; 359/13;
359/24 |
International
Class: |
G03H 001/28 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: a first electrically switchable holographic
optical element (ESHOE) receiving illumination light; the first
ESHOE diffracting a first component of the illumination light while
transmitting the remaining components of the illumination light
without substantial alteration; an image display receiving the
diffracted first component; image light emitting from the image
display in response to the image display receiving the diffracted
first component; the first ESHOE receiving and transmitting the
image light without substantial alteration.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first ESHOE comprises
oppositely facing front and back surfaces, wherein the diffracted
first component emerges from the first ESHOE at the back surface
thereof, wherein the first ESHOE receives the image light at the
back surface thereof, wherein the image light is received by the
first ESHOE in a direction substantially parallel to a direction at
which the diffracted first component emerges from the back surface
of the first ESHOE.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first ESHOE receives the
illumination light at the front surface thereof, wherein the image
light emerges from the first ESHOE at the front surface thereof,
wherein a non-zero angle is defined between the illumination light
received by the first ESHOE and the image light emerging from the
first ESHOE.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first ESHOE operates between
an active state and an inactive state, wherein the first ESHOE,
when operating in the active state, diffracts the first component
of the illumination light while transmitting the remaining
components of the illumination light without substantial
alteration, wherein the first ESHOE, when active, transmits the
image light without substantial alteration, and wherein the first
ESHOE, when operating in the inactive state, transmits the
illumination light including the first component thereof without
substantial alteration.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the image display
reflecting and modulating the diffracted first component to produce
the image light.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the image display modulates the
diffracted first component in accordance with image information
provided to the image display.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the image display
reflecting and modifying the diffracted first component to produce
the image light, wherein the image display modifies the diffracted
first component in accordance with image information provided to
the image display device.
8. The method of claim 5 wherein the image light has a polarization
state that is orthogonal to the polarization state of the first
diffracted light.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first ESHOE comprises a
holographic recording medium that records a hologram, wherein the
holographic recording medium comprises: a monomer dipentaerythritol
hydroxypentaacrylate; a liquid crystal; a cross-linking monomer; a
coinitiator; and a photoinitiator dye.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first ESHOE comprises a
hologram made by exposing an interference pattern inside a
polymer-dispersed liquid crystal material, the polymer-dispersed
liquid crystal material comprising, before exposure: a
polymerizable monomer; a liquid crystal; a cross-linking monomer; a
coinitiator; and a photoinitiator dye.
11. An apparatus comprising: a first electrically switchable
holographic optical element (ESHOE) for receiving illumination
light, wherein the first ESHOE is configured to diffract a first
component of the illumination light while transmitting the
remaining components of the illumination light without substantial
alteration; an image display for receiving the diffracted first
component, wherein the image display is configured to emit image
light in response to the image display receiving the diffracted
first component; wherein the first ESHOE is configured to receive
and transmit the image light without substantial alteration.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first ESHOE comprises
oppositely facing front and back surfaces, wherein the diffracted
first component emerges from the first ESHOE at the back surface
thereof, wherein the first ESHOE is configured to receive the image
light at the back surface thereof, wherein the image light is
received by the first ESHOE in a direction substantially parallel
to a direction at which the diffracted first component emerges from
the back surface of the first ESHOE.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first ESHOE is configured
to receive the illumination light at the front surface thereof,
wherein the image light emerges from the first ESHOE at the front
surface thereof, wherein a non-zero angle is defined between the
illumination light received by the first ESHOE and the image light
emerging from the first ESHOE.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first ESHOE operates
between an active state and an inactive state, wherein the first
ESHOE, when operating in the active state, diffracts the first
component of the illumination light while transmitting the
remaining components of the illumination light without substantial
alteration, wherein the first ESHOE, when active, transmits the
image light without substantial alteration, and wherein the first
ESHOE, when operating in the inactive state, transmits the
illumination light including the first component thereof without
substantial alteration.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the image display is
configured to reflect and modulate the diffracted first component
to produce the image light.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the image display is
configured to modulate the diffracted first component in accordance
with image information provided to the image display.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the image display is
configured to reflect and modify the diffracted first component to
produce the image light, wherein the image display is configured to
modify the diffracted first component in accordance with image
information provided to the image display device.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the image light has a
polarization state that is orthogonal to the polarization state of
the first diffracted light.
19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first ESHOE comprises a
holographic recording medium that records a hologram, wherein the
holographic recording medium comprises: a monomer dipentaerythritol
hydroxypentaacrylate; a liquid crystal; a cross-linking monomer; a
coinitiator; and a photoinitiator dye.
20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first ESHOE comprises a
hologram made by exposing an interference pattern inside a
polymer-dispersed liquid crystal material, the polymer-dispersed
liquid crystal material comprising, before exposure: a
polymerizable monomer; a liquid crystal; a cross-linking monomer; a
coinitiator; and a photoinitiator dye.
21. An apparatus comprising: an image display; a light source; a
first switchable holographic optical element (SHOE) disposed
between said image display and said light source, wherein said
first SHOE operates between active and inactive states, wherein
said first SHOE, when operating in the active state, is configured
to diffract light of a first bandwidth from said light source to
said image display, and wherein said first SHOE is configured to
transmit without substantial alteration light of the first
bandwidth from said image display into an output direction; and a
second SHOE disposed between said image display and said light
source, wherein said second SHOE operates between active and
inactive states, wherein said second SHOE is configured to diffract
light of a second bandwidth from said light source to said image
display, and wherein said second SHOE is configured to transmit
without substantial alteration light of the second bandwidth from
said image display into the output direction; wherein the first
bandwidth is different from the second bandwidth.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 09/607,432 filed Jun. 30, 2000, which is a divisional of Ser.
No. 09/395,889 filed Sep. 14, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,152,
and claims priority to Provisional Application Serial No.
60/255,820 filed Dec. 15, 2000.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates generally to illumination systems, and
particularly to illumination systems employing one or more
switchable holographic optical elements for use in illuminating an
image display.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Image displays are employed in projective display systems.
Projective display systems are a growing technology in the market
of televisions and digital monitors. Projective displays use images
focussed onto a diffuser to present an image to a user. The
projection may be done from the same side of the diffuser as the
user, as in the case of cinema projectors, or from the opposite
side. The image is typically generated on one or more "displays"--a
miniature LCD device that reflects or transmits light in a pattern
formed by switchable pixels. The LCD displays are generally
fabricated with microelectronics processing techniques. Each pixel
in the display is a region whose microelectronics processing
techniques. Each pixel in the display is a region whose reflective
or transmissive properties can be controlled by an electrical
signal. In an LCD display, light incident on a particular pixel is
either reflected, partially reflected, or blocked by the pixel,
depending on the signal applied to that pixel. In some cases, LCD
displays are transmissive devices where the transmission through
any pixel can be varied in steps (gray levels) over a range
extending from a state where light is substantially blocked to the
state in which incident light is substantially transmitted. More
recently, displays have also been constructed from
micro-electromechanical devices (MEMs) that incorporate small
movable mirrors. The mirrors, one or more at each pixel, control
whether or not light is reflected into an output direction.
[0006] When a uniform beam of light is reflected from (or
transmitted through) a display, the beam gains a spatial intensity
profile that depends on the transmission state of the pixels. An
image is formed at the LCD by adjusting the transmission (or gray
level) of the pixels to correspond to a desired image. This image
can be imaged onto a diffusing screen for direct viewing or
alternatively it can be imaged onto some intermediate image surface
from which it can be magnified by an eye-piece to give a virtual
image, as for example in a wearable display.
[0007] The displays are generally monochromatic devices: each pixel
is either "on" or "off" or set to an intermediate intensity level.
The display typically cannot individually control the intensity of
more than one color component of the image. To provide color
control, a display system may use three independent LCD displays.
Each of the three LCD displays is illuminated by a separate light
source with spectral components that stimulate one of the three
types of cones in the human eye. The three displays each reflect
(or transmit) a beam of light that makes one color component of a
color image. The three beams are then combined through prisms, a
system of dichroic filters, and/or other optical elements into a
single chromatic image beam.
[0008] Another method of generating a full color image, which
eliminates the problems of combining the beams from three separate
displays is to sequentially illuminate a single monochromatic
display that is updated with the appropriate primary color
components of the image.
[0009] The displays can be configured as arrays of red, green, and
blue pixels that are illuminated by white light with arrays of
color filters being used to illuminate each pixel with the
appropriate color. However, generating a color image in this manner
will reduce image resolution since only one third of the pixels are
available for each primary color.
[0010] A significant part of the design considerations for these
systems involves the choices of light sources and provisions for
effective control over the relative intensities of the light
sources. This control is required to allow effective color
balancing during initial calibrations as well as during
operation.
[0011] Holograms essentially generate predetermined wavefronts by
means of diffractive structures recorded inside hologram mediums. A
hologram may be used to reproduce the effects of a particular
optical element, such as a lens or a mirror. In certain cases,
where complex optical operations are not being reproduced,
"holographic optical elements" (HOEs) may be based on simple
diffraction gratings. These HOEs may be far easier and less
expensive to produce than their glass counterparts, especially when
the optical element is complicated or must meet stringent
tolerances. HOEs can be compact, lightweight and wavelength
specific which allows more flexibility in designing optical
systems. HOEs may be used to replace individual optical elements,
groups of elements and in some cases entire systems of conventional
optical components.
SUMMARY
[0012] Disclosed is an apparatus and method of illuminating an
image display via an electrically switchable holographic optical
element. The method includes a first electrically switchable
holographic optical element (ESHOE) receiving illumination light.
The first ESHOE comprises oppositely facing front and back
surfaces. The first ESHOE diffracts a first component (e.g.,
p-polarized blue light) of the illumination light while
transmitting the remaining components of the illumination light
without substantial alteration. An image display is provided and
receives the diffracted first component. In response to receiving
the diffracted first component, the image display emits image
light. The first ESHOE receives and transmits this image light
without substantial alteration. In one embodiment, the diffracted
first component emerges from the first ESHOE at the back surface
thereof, and the first ESHOE receives the image light at the back
surface thereof so that the image light is received by the first
ESHOE in a direction substantially parallel to a direction at which
the diffracted first component emerges from the back surface of the
first ESHOE.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent
upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference
to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electrically
switchable hologram made of an exposed polymer-dispersed liquid
crystal (PDLC) material;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a graph of the normalized net transmittance and
normalized net diffraction efficiency of a hologram (without the
addition of a surfactant) versus the rms voltage applied across the
hologram;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a graph of both the threshold and complete
switching rms voltages needed for switching a hologram to minimum
diffraction efficiency versus the frequency of the rms voltage;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a graph of the normalized diffraction efficiency
as a function of the applied electric field for a PDLC material
formed with 34% by weight liquid crystal surfactant present and a
PDLC material formed with 29% by weight liquid crystal and 4% by
weight surfactant;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a graph showing the switching response time data
for the diffracted beam in the surfactant-containing PDLC material
in FIG. 4;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a graph of the normalized net transmittance and
the normalized net diffraction efficiency of a hologram;
[0020] FIG. 7 is an elevational view of typical experimental
arrangement for recording reflection gratings;
[0021] FIG. 8a and FIG. 8b are elevational views of a reflection
grating having periodic planes of polymer channels and PDLC
channels disposed parallel to the front surface in the absence of a
field (FIG. 8a) and with an electric field applied (FIG. 8b)
wherein the liquid-crystal utilized in the formation of the grating
has a positive dielectric anisotropy;
[0022] FIG. 9a and FIG. 9b are elevational views of a reflection
grating having periodic planes of polymer channels and PDLC
channels disposed parallel to the front surface of the grating in
the absence of an electric field (FIG. 9a) and with an electric
field applied (FIG. 9b) wherein the liquid crystal utilized in the
formation of the grating has a negative dielectric anisotropy;
[0023] FIG. 10a is an elevational view of a reflection grating
disposed within a magnetic field generated by Helmholtz coils;
[0024] FIG. 10b and FIG. 10c are elevational views of the
reflection grating of FIG. 10a in the absence of an electric field
(FIG. 10b) and with an electric field applied (FIG. 10c);
[0025] FIG. 11a and FIG. 11b are representative side views of a
slanted transmission grating (FIG. 11a) and a slanted reflection
grating (FIG. 11b) showing the orientation of the grating vector G
of the periodic planes of polymer channels and PDLC channels;
[0026] FIG. 12 is an elevational view of a reflection grating when
a shear stress field is applied thereto;
[0027] FIG. 13 is an elevational view of a subwavelength grating
having periodic planes of polymer channels and PDLC channels
disposed perpendicular to the front surface of the grating;
[0028] FIG. 14a is an elevational view of a switchable
subwavelength wherein the subwavelength grating functions as a half
wave plate whereby the polarization of the incident radiation is
rotated by 90.degree.;
[0029] FIG. 14b is an elevational view of the switchable half wave
plate shown in FIG. 14a disposed between crossed polarizers whereby
the incident light is transmitted;
[0030] FIG. 14c and FIG. 14d are side views of the switchable half
wave plate and crossed polarizes shown in FIG. 14b and showing the
effect of the application of a voltage to the plate whereby the
polarization of the light is no longer rotated and thus blocked by
the second polarizer;
[0031] FIG. 15a is a side view of a switchable subwavelength
grating wherein the subwavelength grating functions as a quarter
wave plate whereby plane polarized light is transmitted through the
subwavelength grating, retroreflected by a mirror and reflected by
the beam splitter;
[0032] FIG. 15b is a side view of the switchable subwavelength
grating of FIG. 15a and showing the effect of the application of a
voltage to the plate whereby the polarization of the light is no
longer modified, thereby permitting the reflected light to pass
through he beam splitter;
[0033] FIG. 16a and FIG. 16b are elevational views of a
transmission grating having periodic planes of polymer channels and
PDLC channels disposed perpendicular to the front face of the
grating in the absence of an electric field (FIG. 16a) and with an
electric field applied (FIG. 16b) wherein the liquid crystal
utilized in formation of the grating has a positive dielectric
anisotropy;
[0034] FIG. 17 is a side view of five subwavelength gratings
wherein the gratings are stacked and connected electrically in
parallel thereby reducing the switching voltage of the
subwavelength grating;
[0035] FIG. 18 shows a switchable holographic optical element that
can be selectively made transparent;
[0036] FIG. 19 shows one embodiment of a system using a stack of
holographic optical elements to combine light of different
colors;
[0037] FIG. 20a and FIG. 20b show an alternate embodiment of a
system using a stack of holographic optical elements to combine
light of different colors;
[0038] FIG. 21a shows an embodiment of a system using a stack of
transmissive holographic optical elements to illuminate an image
display;
[0039] FIGS. 21b and 21c illustrate operational aspects of one
embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 21a;
[0040] FIG. 21d illustrates operational aspects of another
embodiment of the system shown in FIG. 21a; and
[0041] FIG. 22 shows an embodiment of a system in which a stack of
transmissive switchable holographic optical elements is used to
balance the color intensity in an illumination source for a
color-sequenced image display.
[0042] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications
and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by
way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in
detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and
detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the
invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary,
that the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and
alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the claims set forth below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0043] Holographic optical elements (HOEs) enable the construction
of several types of illumination systems. These systems may be used
to combine light sources of different colors to provide
polychromatic or "white"-light illumination. The introduction of
switchable (or "reconfigurable") HOEs allows intensity control over
individual color components of the white light. Switchable HOEs can
also be employed in systems that generate color images through
color-sequential illumination of monochromatic image displays (or
"video displays").
[0044] FIGS. 1-17: Switchable hologram materials and devices.
[0045] Holographic optical elements are formed, in one embodiment,
from a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) material comprising
a monomer, a dispersed liquid crystal, a cross-linking monomer, a
coinitiator and a photoinitiator dye. These PDLC materials exhibit
clear and orderly separation of the liquid crystal and cured
polymer, whereby the PDLC material advantageously provides high
quality optical elements. The PDLC materials used in the
holographic optical elements may be formed in a single step. The
holographic optical elements may also use a unique
photopolymerizable prepolymer material that permits in situ control
over characteristics of resulting gratings, such as domain size,
shape, density, ordering and the like. Furthermore, methods and
materials taught herein can be used to prepare PDLC materials for
optical elements comprising switchable transmission or reflection
type holographic gratings.
[0046] Polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials, methods, and
devices contemplated for use in the present invention are also
described in R. L. Sutherland et al., "Bragg Gratings in an
Acrylate Polymer Consisting of Periodic Polymer dispersed
Liquid-Crystal Planes," Chemistry of Materials, No. 5, pp.
1533-1538 (1993); in R. L. Sutherland et al., "Electrically
switchable volume gratings in polymer dispersed liquid crystals,"
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 64, No. 9, pp. 1074-1076 (1994); and
T. J. Bunning et al., "The Morphology and Performance of
Holographic Transmission Gratings Recorded in Polymer dispersed
Liquid Crystals," Polymer, Vol. 36, No. 14, pp. 2699-2708 (1995),
all of which are fully incorporated by reference into this Detailed
Description. U.S. Patent application Ser. Nos. 08/273,436 and U.S.
Pat. No. 5,698,343 to Sutherland et al., titled "Switchable Volume
Hologram Materials and Devices," and "Laser Wavelength Detection
and Energy Dosimetry Badge," respectively, are also incorporated by
reference and include background material on the formation of
transmission gratings inside volume holograms.
[0047] In one embodiment, the process of forming a hologram is
controlled primarily by the choice of components used to prepare
the homogeneous starting mixture, and to a lesser extent by the
intensity of the incident light pattern. In one embodiment, the
polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) material employed in the
present invention creates a switchable hologram in a single step. A
feature of one embodiment of PDLC material is that illumination by
an inhomogeneous, coherent light pattern initiates a patterned,
anisotropic diffusion (or counter diffusion) of polymerizable
monomer and second phase material, particularly liquid crystal
(LC). Thus, alternating well-defined channels of second phase-rich
material, separated by well-defined channels of a nearly pure
polymer, can be produced in a single-stop process.
[0048] The resulting PDLC material may have an anisotropic spatial
distribution of phase-separated LC droplets within the
photochemically cured polymer matrix. Prior art PDLC materials made
by a single-step process can achieve at best only regions of larger
LC bubbles and smaller LC bubbles in a polymer matrix. The large
bubble sizes are highly scattering which produces a hazy appearance
and multiple ordering diffractions, in contrast to the well-defined
first order diffraction and zero order diffraction made possible by
the small LC bubbles of one embodiment of PDLC material in
well-defined channels of LC-rich material. Reasonably well-defined
alternately LC-rich channels and nearly pure polymer channels in a
PDLC material are possible by multi-step processes, but such
processes do not achieve the precise morphology control over LC
droplet size and distribution of sizes and widths of the polymer
and LC-rich channels made possible by one embodiment of PDLC
material.
[0049] The same may be prepared by coating the mixture between two
indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated glass slides separated by spacers of
nominally 10-20 .mu.m thickness. The sample is placed in a
conventional holographic recording setup. Gratings are typically
recorded using the 488 nm line of an argon ion laser with
intensities of between about 0.1-100 mW/cm.sup.2 and typical
exposure times of 30-120 seconds. The angle between the two beams
is varied to vary the spacing of the intensity peaks, and hence the
resulting grating spacing of the hologram. Photopolymerization is
induced by the optical intensity pattern. A more detailed
discussion of exemplary recording apparatus can be found in R. L.
Sutherland, et al., "Switchable holograms in new
photopolymer-liquid crystal composite materials," Society of
Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Proceedings
Reprint, Volume 2402, reprinted from Diffractive and Holographic
Optics Technology II (1995), incorporated herein by reference.
[0050] The features of the PDLC material are influenced by the
components used in the preparation of the homogeneous starting
mixture and, to a lesser extent, by the intensity of the incident
light pattern. In one embodiment, the prepolymer material comprises
a mixture of a photopolymerizable monomer, a second phase material,
a photoinitiator dye, a coinitiator, a chain extender (or
cross-linker), and, optionally, a surfactant.
[0051] In one embodiment, two major components of the prepolymer
mixture are the polymerizable monomer and the second phase
material, which are preferably completely miscible. Highly
functionalized monomers may be preferred because they form densely
cross-linked networks which shrink to some extent and to tend to
squeeze out the second phase material. As a result, the second
phase material is moved anisotropically out of the polymer region
and, thereby, separated into well-defined polymer-poor, second
phase-rich regions or domains. Highly functionalized monomers may
also be preferred because the extensive cross-linking associated
with such monomers yields fast kinetics, allowing the hologram to
form relatively quickly, whereby the second phase material will
exist in domains of less than approximately 0.1 .mu.m.
[0052] Highly functionalized monomers, however, are relatively
viscous. As a result, these monomers do not tend to mix well with
other materials, and they are difficult to spread into thin films.
Accordingly, it is preferable to utilize a mixture of
pentaacrylates in combination with di-, tri-, and/or
tetra-acrylates in order to optimize both the functionality and
viscosity of the prepolymer material. Suitable acrylates, such as
triethyleneglycol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate,
pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetracrylate,
pentaerythritol pentacrylate, and the like can be used. In one
embodiment, it has been found that an approximately 1:4 mixture of
tri- to pentaacrylate facilitates homogeneous mixing while
providing a favorable mixture for forming 10-20 .mu.m films on the
optical plates.
[0053] The second phase material of choice is a liquid crystal
(LC). This also allows an electro-optical response for the
resulting hologram. The concentration of LC employed should be
large enough to allow a significant phase separation to occur in
the cured sample, but not so large as to make the sample opaque or
very hazy. Below about 20% by weight very little phase separation
occurs and diffraction efficiencies are low. Above about 35% by
weight, the sample becomes highly scattering, reducing both
diffraction efficiency and transmission. Samples fabricated with
approximately 25% by weight typically yield good diffraction
efficiency and optical clarity. In prepolymer mixtures utilizing a
surfactant, the concentration of LC may be increased to 35% by
weight without loss in optical performance by adjusting the
quantity of surfactant. Suitable liquid crystals contemplated for
use in the practice of the present invention may include the
mixture of cyanobiphenyls marketed as E7 by Merck, 4'
-n-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl, 4'-n-heptyl-4-cyanobiphenyl,
4'-octaoxy-4-cyanobiphenyl, 4'-pentyl-4-cyanoterphenyl,
.varies.-methoxybenzylidene-4'-butylaniline, and the like. Other
second phase components are also possible.
[0054] The polymer dispersed liquid crystal material employed in
the practice of the present invention may be formed from a
prepolymer material that is a homogeneous mixture of a
polymerizable monomer comprising dipentaerythritol
hydroxypentacrylate (available, for example, from Polysciences,
Inc., Warrington, Pa.), approximately 10-40 wt % of the liquid
crystal E7 (which is a mixture of cyanobiphenyls marketed as E7 by
Merck and also available from BDH Chemicals, Ltd., London,
England), the chain-extending monomer N-vinylp-yrrolidinone ("NVP")
(available from the Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, Wis.),
coinitiator N-phenylglycine ("NPG") (also available from the
Aldrich Chemical Company, Milwaukee, Wis.), and the photoinitiator
dye rose bengal ester;
(2,4,5,7-tetraiodo-3',4',5',6'-tetrachlorofluorescein-6-ace- tate
ester) marketed as RBAX by Spectragraph, Ltd., Maumee, Ohio). Rose
bengal is also available as rose bengal sodium salt (which must be
esterified for solubility) from the Aldrich Chemical Company. This
system has a very fast curing speed which results in the formation
of small liquid crystal micro-droplets.
[0055] The mixture of liquid crystal and prepolymer material are
homogenized to a viscous solution by suitable means (e.g.,
ultrasonification) and spread between indium-tin-oxide (ITO) coated
glass sides with spacers of nominally 15-100 .mu.m thickness and,
preferably, 10-20 .mu.m thickness. The ITO is electrically
conductive and serves as an optically transparent electrode.
Preparation, mixing and transfer of the prepolymer material onto
the glass slides are preferably done in the dark as the mixture is
extremely sensitive to light.
[0056] The sensitivity of the prepolymer materials to light
intensity is dependent on the photoinitiator dye and its
concentration. A higher dye concentration leads to a higher
sensitivity. In most cases, however, the solubility of the
photoinitiator dye limits the concentration of the dye and, thus,
the sensitivity of the prepolymer material. Nevertheless, it has
been found that for more general applications, photoinitiator dye
concentrations in the range of 0.2-0.4% by weight are sufficient to
achieve desirable sensitivities and allow for a complete bleaching
of the dye in the recording process, resulting in colorless final
samples. Photoinitiator dyes that may be useful in generating PDLC
materials are rose bengal ester
(2,4,5,7-tetraiodo-3',4',5',6'-tetrachlorofluorescein-6- -acetate
ester); rose bengal sodium salt; eosin; eosin sodium salt;
4,5-diiodosuccinyl fluorescein; camphorquinone; methylene blue, and
the like. These dyes allow a sensitivity to recording wavelengths
across the visible spectrum from nominally 400 nm to 700 nm.
Suitable near-infrared dyes, such as cationic cyanine dyes with
trialkylborate anions having absorption from 600-900 nm as well as
merocyanine dyes derived from spiropyran may also find utility in
the present invention.
[0057] The coinitiator employed in the formulation of the hologram
controls the rate of curing in the free radical polymerization
reaction of the prepolymer material. Optimum phase separation and,
thus, optimum diffraction efficiency in the resulting PDLC
material, are a function of curing rate. It has been found that
favorable results can be achieved utilizing coinitiator in the
range of 2-3% by weight. Suitable coinitiators include
N-phenylglycine; triethyl amine; triethanolamine;
N,N-dimethyl-2,6-diisopropyl aniline, and the like.
[0058] Other suitable dyes and dye coinitiator combinations that
may be suitable for use in producing holographic optical elements,
particularly for visible light, include eosin and triethanolamine;
camphorquinone and N-phenylglycine; fluorescein and
triethanolamine; methylene blue and triethanolamine or
N-phenylglycine; erythrosin B and triethanolamine;
indolinocarbocyanine and triphenyl borate; iodobenzospiropyran and
triethylamine, and the like.
[0059] The chain extender (or cross linker) employed in creating
holographic optical elements may help to increase the solubility of
the components in the prepolymer material as well as increase the
speed of polymerization. The chain extender is preferably a smaller
vinyl monomer as compared with the pentacrylate, whereby it can
react with the acrylate positions in the pentacrylate monomer,
which are not easily accessible to neighboring pentaacrylate
monomers due to steric hindrance. Thus, reaction of the chain
extender monomer with the polymer increases the propagation length
of the growing polymer and results in high molecular weights. It
has been found that chain extender in general applications in the
range of 10-18% by weight maximizes the performance in terms of
diffraction efficiency. In the one embodiment, it is expected that
suitable chain extenders can be selected from the following:
N-vinylpyrrolidinone; N-vinyl pyridine; acrylonitrile; N-vinyl
carbazole, and the like.
[0060] It has been found that the addition of a surfactant
material, namely, octanoic acid, in the prepolymer material lowers
the switching voltage and also improves the diffraction efficiency.
In particular, the switching voltage for PDLC materials containing
a surfactant are significantly lower than those of a PDLC material
made without the surfactant. While not wishing to be bound by any
particular theory, it is believed that these results may be
attributed to the weakening of the anchoring forces between the
polymer and the phase-separated LC droplets. SEM studies have shown
that droplet sizes in PDLC materials including surfactants are
reduced to the range of 30-50 nm and the distribution is more
homogeneous. Random scattering in such materials is reduced due to
the dominance of smaller droplets, thereby increasing the
diffraction efficiency. Thus, it is believed that the shape of the
droplets becomes more spherical in the presence of surfactant,
thereby contributing to the decrease in switching voltage.
[0061] For more general applications, it has been found that
samples with as low as 5% by weight of surfactant exhibit a
significant reduction in switching voltage. It has also been found
that, when optimizing for low switching voltages, the concentration
of surfactant may vary up to about 10% by weight (mostly dependent
on LC concentration) after which there is a large decrease in
diffraction efficiency, as well as an increase in switching voltage
(possibly due to a reduction in total phase separation of LC).
Suitable surfactants include octanoic acid; heptanoic acid;
hexanoic acid; dodecanoic acid; decanoic acid, and the like.
[0062] In samples utilizing octanoic acid as the surfactant, it has
been observed that the conductivity of the sample is high,
presumably owing to the presence of the free carboxyl (COOH) group
in the octanoic acid. As a result, the sample increases in
temperature when a high frequency (.about.2 KHz) electrical field
is applied for prolonged periods of time. Thus, it is desirable to
reduce the high conductivity introduced by the surfactant, without
sacrificing the high diffraction efficiency and the low switching
voltages. It has been found that suitable electrically switchable
gratings can be formed from a polymerizable monomer, vinyl
neononanoate ("VN") C.sub.8H.sub.17CO.sub.2CH.dbd.CH.sub.2,
commercially available from the Aldrich Chemical Co. in Milwaukee,
Wis. Favorable results have also been obtained where the chain
extender N-vinylpyrrolidinone ("NVP") and the surfactant octanoic
acid are replaced by 6.5% by weight VN. VN also acts as a chain
extender due to the presence of the reactive acrylate monomer
group. In these variations, high optical quality samples were
obtained with about 70% diffraction efficiency, and the resulting
gratings could be electrically switched by an applied field of
6V/.mu.m.
[0063] PDLC materials may also be formed using a liquid crystalline
bifunctional acrylate as the monomer ("LC monomer"). LC monomers
have an advantage over conventional acrylate monomers due to their
high compatibility with the low molecular weight nematic LC
materials, thereby facilitating formation of high concentrations of
low molecular weight LC and yielding a sample with high optical
quality. The presence of higher concentrations of low molecular
weight LCD in the PDLC material greatly lowers the switching
voltages (e.g., to .about.2V/.mu.m). Another advantage of using LC
monomers is that it is possible to apply low AC or DC fields while
recording holograms to pre-align the host LC monomers and low
molecular weight LC so that a desired orientation and configuration
of the nematic directors can be obtained in the LC droplets. The
chemical formulate of several suitable LC monomers are as
follows:
[0064]
CH.sub.2.dbd.CH--COO--(CH.sub.2).sub.6O--C.sub.6H.sub.5--C.sub.6H.s-
ub.5--COO--CH.dbd.CH.sub.2
[0065]
CH.sub.2.dbd.CH--(CH.sub.2).sub.8--COO--C.sub.6H.sub.5--COO--(CH.su-
b.2).sub.8--CH.dbd.CH.sub.2
[0066]
H(CF.sub.2).sub.10CH.sub.2O--CH.sub.2--C(.dbd.CH.sub.2)--COO--(CH.s-
ub.2CH.sub.2O).sub.3CH.sub.2CH.sub.2O--COO--CH.sub.2C(.dbd.
CH.sub.2)--CH.sub.2O(CF.sub.2).sub.10H
[0067] Semifluorinated polymers are known to show weaker anchoring
properties and also significantly reduced switching fields. Thus,
it is believed that semifluorinated acrylate monomers which are
bifunctional and liquid crystalline may find suitable application
in the formulation of holograms.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a cross-sectional
view of an electrically switchable hologram 10 made of an exposed
polymer dispersed liquid crystal material made according to the
teachings of this description. A layer 12 of the polymer dispersed
liquid crystal material is sandwiched between a pair of
indium-tin-oxide coated glass slides 14 and spacers 16. The
interior of hologram 10 shows Bragg transmission gratings 18 formed
when layer 12 was exposed to an interference pattern from two
intersecting beams of coherent laser light. The exposure times and
intensities can be varied depending on the diffraction efficiency
and liquid crystal domain size desired. Liquid crystal domain size
can be controlled by varying the concentrations of photoinitiator,
coinitiator and chain-extending (or cross-linking) agent. The
orientation of the nematic directors can be controlled while the
gratings are being recorded by application of an external electric
field across the ITO electrodes.
[0069] The scanning electron micrograph shown in FIG. 2 of the
referenced Applied Physics Letters article and incorporated herein
by reference is of the surface of a grating which was recorded in a
sample with a 36 wt % loading of liquid crystal using the 488 nm
line of an argon ion laser at an intensity of 95 mW/cm.sup.2. The
size of the liquid crystal domains is about 0.2 .mu.m and the
grating spacing is about 0.54 .mu.m. This sample, which is
approximately 20 .mu.m thick, diffracts light in the Bragg
regime.
[0070] FIG. 2 is a graph of the normalized net transmittance and
normalized net diffraction efficiency of a hologram made according
to the teachings of his disclosure versus the root mean square
voltage ("Vrms") applied across the hologram. .DELTA..eta. is the
change in first order Bragg diffraction efficiency. .DELTA.T is the
change in zero order transmittance. FIG. 2 shows that energy is
transferred from the first order beam to the zero-order beam as the
voltage is increased. There is a true minimum of the diffraction
efficiency at approximately 225 Vrms. The peak diffraction
efficiency can approach 100%, depending on the wavelength and
polarization of the probe beam, by appropriate adjustment of the
sample thickness. The minimum diffraction efficiency can be made to
approach 0% by slight adjustment of the parameters of the PDLC
material to force the refractive index of the cured polymer to be
equal to the ordinary refractive index of the liquid crystal.
[0071] By increasing the frequency of the applied voltage, the
switching voltage for minimum diffraction efficiency can be
decreased significantly. This is illustrated in FIG. 3, which is a
graph of both the threshold rms voltage 20 and the complete
switching rms voltage 22 needed for switching a hologram made
according to the teachings of this disclosure to minimum
diffraction efficiency versus the frequency of the rms voltage. The
threshold and complete switching rms voltages are reduced to 20
Vrms and 60 Vrms, respectively, at 10 kHz. Lower values are
expected at even higher frequencies.
[0072] Smaller liquid crystal droplet sizes have the problem that
it takes high switching voltages to switch their orientation. As
described in the previous paragraph, using alternating current
switching voltages at high frequencies helps reduce the needed
switching voltage. As demonstrated in FIG. 4, it has been found
that adding a surfactant (e.g., octanoic acid) the prepolymer
material in amounts of about 4%-6% by weight of the total mixture
results in sample holograms with switching voltages near 50 Vrms at
lower frequencies of 1-2 kHz. As shown in FIG. 5, it has also been
found that the use of the surfactant with the associated reduction
in droplet size, reduces the switching time of the PDLC materials.
Thus, samples made with surfactant can be switched on the order of
25-44 microseconds. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, the
surfactant is believed to reduce switching voltages by reducing the
anchoring of the liquid crystals at the interface between liquid
crystal and cured polymer.
[0073] Thermal control of diffraction efficiency is illustrated in
FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a graph of the normalized net transmittance and
normalized net diffraction efficiency of a hologram made according
to the teachings of this disclosure versus temperature.
[0074] The polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials described
herein successfully demonstrate the utility for recording volume
holograms of a particular composition for such polymer dispersed
liquid crystal systems.
[0075] As shown in FIG. 7, a PDLC reflection grating is prepared by
placing several drops of the mixture of prepolymer material 112 on
an indium-tin oxide coated glass slide 114a. A second indium-tin
oxide coated slide 114b is then pressed against the first, thereby
causing the prepolymer material 112 to fill the region between the
slides 114a and 114b. Preferably, the separation of the slides is
maintained at approximately 20 .mu.m by utilizing uniform spacers
118. Preparation, mixing and transfer of the prepolymer material is
preferably done in the dark. Once assembled, a mirror 116 may be
placed directly behind the glass plate 114b. The distance of the
mirror from the sample is preferably substantially shorter than the
coherence length of the laser. The PDLC material is preferably
exposed to the 488 nm line of an argon-ion laser, expanded to fill
the entire plane of the glass plate, with an intensity of
approximately 0.1-100 mWatts/cm with typical exposure times of
30-120 seconds. Constructive and destructive interference within
the expanded beam establishes a periodic intensity profile through
the thickness of the film.
[0076] In one embodiment, the prepolymer material utilized to make
a reflection grating comprises a monomer, a liquid crystal, a
cross-linking monomer, a coinitiator, and a photoinitiator dye. The
reflection grating may be formed from prepolymer material
comprising by total weight of the monomer dipentaerythritol
hydroxypentacrylate (DPHA), 35% by total weight of a liquid crystal
comprising a mixture of cyano biphenyls (known commercially as
"E7"), 10% by total weight of a cross-linking monomer comprising
N-vinylpyrrolidinone ("NVP"), 2.5% by weight of the coinitiator
N-phenylglycine ("NPG"), and 10.sup.-5 and 10.sup.-6 gram moles of
a photoinitiator dye comprising rose bengal ester. Further, as with
transmission gratings, the addition of surfactants is expected to
facilitate the same advantageous properties discussed above in
connection with transmission gratings. It is also expected that
similar ranges and variation of prepolymer starting material will
find ready application in the formation of suitable reflection
gratings.
[0077] It has been determined by low voltage, high resolution
scanning electron microscopy ("LVHRSEM") that the resulting
material comprises a fine grating with a periodicity of 165 nm with
the grating vector perpendicular to the plane of the surface. Thus,
as shown schematically in FIG. 8a, grating 130 includes periodic
planes of polymer channels 130a and PDLC channels 130b which run
parallel to the front surface 134. The grating spacing associated
with these periodic planes remains relatively constant throughout
the full thickness of the sample from the air/film to the
film/substrate interface.
[0078] Although interference is used to prepare both transmission
and reflection gratings, the morphology of the reflection grating
differs significantly. In particular, it has been determined that,
unlike transmission gratings with similar liquid crystal
concentrations, very little coalescence of individual droplets was
evident. Further more, the droplets that were present in the
material were significantly smaller having diameters between 50 and
100 nm. Furthermore, unlike transmission gratings where the liquid
crystal-rich regions typically comprise less than 40% of the
grating, the liquid crystal-rich component of a reflection grating
is significantly larger. Due to the much smaller periodicity
associated with reflection gratings, i.e., a narrower grating
spacing (.about.0.2 microns), it is believed that the time
difference between completion of curing in high intensity versus
low intensity regions is much smaller. It is also believed that the
fast polymerization, as evidenced by small droplet diameters, traps
a significant percentage of the liquid crystal in the matrix during
gelation and precludes any substantial growth of large droplets or
diffusion of small droplets into larger domains.
[0079] Analysis of the reflection notch in the absorbance spectrum
supports the conclusion that a periodic refractive index modulation
is disposed through the thickness of the film. In PDLC materials
that are formed with the 488 nm line of an argon ion laser, the
reflection notch typically has a reflection wavelength at
approximately 472 nm for normal incidence and a relatively narrow
bandwidth. The small difference between the writing wavelength and
the reflection wavelength (approximately 5%) indicates that
shrinkage of the film is not a significant problem. Moreover, it
has been found that the performance of such gratings is stable over
periods of many months.
[0080] In addition to the materials utilized in the one embodiment
described above, it is believed that suitable PDLC materials could
be prepared utilizing monomers such as triethyleneglycol
diacrylate, trimethylolpropanetriacrylate, pentaerythritol
triacrylate, pentaerythritol tetracrylate, pentaerythritol
pentacrylate, and the like. Similarly, other coinitiators such as
triethylamine, triethanolamine,
N,N-dimethyl-2,6-diisopropylaniline, and the like could be used
instead of N-phenylglycine. Where it is desirable to use the 458
nm, 476 nm, 488 nm or 514 nm lines of an argon ion laser, that the
photoinitiator dyes rose bengal sodium salt, eosin, eosin sodium
salt, fluorescein sodium salt and the like will give favorable
results. Where the 633 nm line is utilized, methylene blue will
find ready application. Finally, it is believed that other liquid
crystals such as 4'-pentyl-4-cyanobiphenyl or
4'-heptyl-4-cyanobiphenyl, can be utilized.
[0081] Referring again to FIG. 8a, there is shown an elevational
view of a reflection grating 130 made in accordance with this
disclosure having periodic planes of polymer channels 130a and PDLC
channels 130b disposed parallel to the front surface 134 of the
grating 130. The symmetry axis 136 of the liquid crystal domains is
formed in a direction perpendicular to the periodic channels 130a
and 130b of the grating 130 and perpendicular to the front surface
134 of the grating 130. Thus, when an electric field E is applied,
as shown in FIG. 8b, the symmetry axis 136 is already in a low
energy state in alignment with the field E and will reorient. Thus,
reflection gratings formed in accordance with the procedure
described above will not normally be switchable.
[0082] In general, a reflection grating tends to reflect a narrow
wavelength band, such that the grating can be used as a reflection
filter. In one embodiment, however, the reflection grating is
formed so that it will be switchable. More particularly, switchable
reflection gratings can be made utilizing negative dielectric
anisotropy LCs (or LCs with a low cross-over frequency), an applied
magnetic field, an applied shear stress field, or slanted
gratings.
[0083] It is known that liquid crystals having a negative
dielectric anisotropy (.DELTA..epsilon.) will rotate in a direction
perpendicular to an applied field. As shown in FIG. 9a, the
symmetry axis 136 of the liquid crystal domains formed with a
liquid crystal having a negative .DELTA..epsilon. will also be
disposed in a direction perpendicular to the periodic channels 130a
and 130b of the grating 130 and to the front surface 135 of the
grating. However, when an electric field E is applied across such
gratings, as shown in FIG. 9b, the symmetry axis of the negative
.DELTA..epsilon. liquid crystal will distort and reorient in a
direction perpendicular to the field E, which is perpendicular to
the film and the periodic planes of the grating. As a result, the
reflection grating can be switched between a state where it is
reflective and a state where it is transmissive. The following
negative .DELTA..epsilon. liquid crystals and others are expected
to find ready applications in the methods and devises of the
present invention: 1
[0084] Liquid crystals can be found in nature (or synthesized) with
either positive or negative .DELTA..epsilon.. Thus, it is possible
to use a LC which has a positive .DELTA..epsilon. at low
frequencies, but becomes negative at high frequencies. The
frequency (of the applied voltage) at which .DELTA..epsilon.
changes sign is called the cross-over frequency. The cross-over
frequency will vary with LC composition, and typical values range
from 1-10 kHz. Thus, by operating at the proper frequency, the
reflection grating may be switched. It is expected that low
crossover frequency materials can be prepared from a combination of
positive and negative dielectric anisotropy liquid crystals. A
suitable positive dielectric liquid crystal for use in such a
combination contains four ring esters as shown below: 2
[0085] A strongly negative dielectric liquid crystal suitable for
use in such a combination is made up of pyridazines as shown below:
3
[0086] Both liquid crystal materials are available from LaRoche
& Co., Switzerland. By varying the proportion of the positive
and negative liquid crystals in the combination, crossover
frequencies form 1.4-2.3 kHz are obtained at room temperature.
Another combination suitable for use in the present embodiment is a
combination of the following:
p-pentylphenyl-2-chloro-4-(p-pentylbenzoyloxy) benzoate and
benzoate. These materials are available from Kodak Company.
[0087] In still more detailed aspects, switchable reflection
gratings can be formed using positive .DELTA..epsilon. liquid
crystals. As shown in FIG. 10a, such gratings are formed by
exposing the PDLC starting material to a magnetic field during the
curing process. The magnetic field can be generated by the use of
Helmholtz coils (as shown in FIG. 10a), the use of a permanent
magnet, or other suitable means. Preferably, the magnetic field M
is oriented parallel to the front surface of the glass plates (not
shown) that are used to form the grating 140. As a result, the
symmetry axis 146 of the liquid crystals will orient along the
field while the mixture is fluid. When polymerization is complete,
the field may be removed and the alignment of the symmetry axis of
the liquid crystals will remain unchanged. (See FIG. 10b.) When an
electric field is applied, as shown in FIG. 10c the positive
.DELTA..epsilon. liquid crystal will reorient in the direction of
the field, which is perpendicular to the front surface of grating
and to the periodic channels of the grating.
[0088] FIG. 11a depicts a slanted transmission grating 148 and FIG.
11b depicts a slanted reflection grating 150. A holographic
transmission grating is considered slanted if the direction of the
grating vector G is not parallel to the grating surface. In a
holographic reflection grating, the grating is said to be slanted
if the grating vector G is not perpendicular to the grating
surface. Slanted gratings have many of the same uses as nonslanted
grating such as visual displays, mirrors, line filters, optical
switches, and the like.
[0089] Primarily, slanted holographic gratings are used to control
the direction of a diffracted beam. For example, in reflection
holograms a slanted grating is used to separate the specular
reflection of the film from the diffracted beam. In a PDLC
holographic grating, a slanted grating has an even more useful
advantage. The slant allows the modulation depth of the grating to
be controlled by an electric field when using either tangential or
homeotropic aligned liquid crystals. This is because the slant
provides components of the electric field in the directions both
tangent and perpendicular to the grating vector. In particular, for
the reflection grating, the LC domain symmetry axis will be
oriented along the grating vector G and can be switched to a
direction perpendicular to the film plane by a longitudinally
applied field E. This is the typical geometry for switching of the
diffraction efficiency of the slanted reflection grating.
[0090] When recording slanted reflection gratings, it is desirable
to place the sample between the hypotenuses of two right-angle
glass prisms. Neutral density filters can then be placed in optical
contact with the back faces of the prisms using index matching
fluids so as to frustrate back reflections which would cause
spurious gratings to also be recorded. The incident laser beam is
split by a conventional beam splitter into two beams which are then
directed to the front faces of the prisms, and then overlapped in
the sample at the desired angle. The beams thus enter the sample
from opposite sides. This prism coupling technique permits the
light to enter the sample at greater angles. The slant of the
resulting grating is determined by the angle which the prism
assembly is rotated (i.e., the angle between the direction of one
incident beam an the normal to the prism front face at which that
beam enters the prism).
[0091] As shown in FIG. 12, switchable reflection gratings may be
formed in the presence of an applied shear stress field. In this
method, a shear stress would be applied along the direction of a
magnetic field M. This could be accomplished, for example, by
applying equal and opposite tensions to the two ITO coated glass
plates which sandwich the prepolymer mixture while the polymer is
still soft. This shear stress would distort the LC domains in the
direction of the stress, and the resultant LC domain symmetry axis
will be preferentially along the direction of the stress, parallel
to the PDLC planes and perpendicular to the direction of the
applied electric field for switching.
[0092] Reflection grating prepared in accordance with this
description may find application in color reflective displays,
switchable wavelength filters for laser protection, reflective
optical elements and the like.
[0093] In one embodiment, PDLC materials can be made that exhibit a
property known as form birefringence whereby polarized light that
is transmitted through the grating will have its polarization
modified. Such gratings are known as subwavelength gratings, and
they behave like a negative uniaxial crystal, such as calcite,
potassium dihydrogen phosphate, or lithium niobate, with an optic
axis perpendicular to the PDLC planes. Referring now to FIG. 13,
there is shown an elevational view of a transmission grating 200
made in accordance with this description having periodic planes of
polymer planes 200a and PDLC planes 200b disposed perpendicular to
the front surface 204 of the grating 200. The optic axis 206 is
disposed perpendicular to polymer planes 200a and the PDLC planes
200b. Each polymer plane 200a has a thickness t.sub.p and
refractive index n.sub.p, and each PDLC plane 200b has a thickness
t.sub.PDLC and refractive index n.sub.PDLC.
[0094] Where the combined thickness of the PDLC plane and the
polymer plane is substantially less than an optical wavelength
(i.e. (t.sub.PDLC+t.sub.p)<<.lambda.), the grating will
exhibit form birefringence. As discussed below, the magnitude of
the shift in polarization is proportional to the length of the
grating. Thus, by carefully selecting the length, L, of the
subwavelength grating for a given wavelength of light, one can
rotate the plane of polarization or create circularly polarized
light. Consequently, such subwavelength gratings can be designed to
act as a half-wave or quarter-wave plate, respectively. Thus, an
advantage of this process is that the birefringence of the material
may be controlled by simple design parameters and optimized to a
particular wavelength, rather than relying on the given
birefringence of any material at that wavelength.
[0095] To form a half-wave plate, the retardance of the
subwavelength grating must be equal to one-half of a wavelength,
i.e. retardance=.lambda./2, and to form a quarter-wave plate, the
retardance must be equal to one-quarter of a wavelength, i.e.
retardance= .lambda./4. It is known that the retardance is related
to the net birefringence, .vertline..DELTA.n.vertline., which is
the difference between the ordinary index of refraction, n.sub.o,
and the extraordinary index of refraction n.sub.e, of the
sub-wavelength grating by the following relation:
Retardance=.vertline..DELTA.n.vertline.L=.vertline.n.sub.e-n.sub.o.vertlin-
e.L
[0096] Thus, for a half-wave plate, i.e. a retardation equal to
one-half of a wavelength, the length of the subwavelength grating
should be selected so that:
L=.lambda./(2.vertline..DELTA.n.vertline.)
[0097] Similarly, for a quarter-wave plate, i.e. a retardance equal
to one-quarter of a wavelength, the length of the subwavelength
grating should be selected so that:
L=.lambda./(4.vertline..DELTA.n.vertline.)
[0098] If, for example, the polarization of the incident light is
at an angle of 45.degree. with respect to the optic axis 210 of a
half-wave plate 212, as shown in FIG. 14a, the plane polarization
will be preserved, but the polarization of the wave exiting the
plate will be shifted by 90.degree.. Thus, referring now to FIGS.
14b and 14c, where the half-wave plate 212 is placed between cross
polarizers 214 and 216, the incident light will be transmitted. If
an appropriate switching voltage is applied, as shown in FIG. 14d,
the polarization of the light is not rotated and the light will be
blocked by the second polarizer.
[0099] For a quarter wave plate plane polarized light is converted
to circularly polarized light. Thus, referring now to FIG. 15a,
where quarter wave plate 217 is placed between a polarizing beam
splitter 218 and a mirror 219, the reflected light will be
reflected by the beam splitter 218. If an appropriate switching
voltage is applied, as shown in FIG. 15b, the reflected light will
pass through the beam splitter and be retroreflected on the
incident beam.
[0100] Referring now to FIG. 16a, there is shown an elevational
view of a subwavelength grating 230 recorded in accordance with the
above-described methods and having periodic planes of polymer
channels 230a and PDLC channels 230b disposed perpendicular to the
front surface 234 of grating 230. As shown in FIG. 16a, the
symmetry axis 232 of the liquid crystal domains is disposed in a
direction parallel to the front surface 234 of the grating and
perpendicular to the periodic channels 230a and 230b of the grating
230. Thus, when an electric field E is applied across the grating,
as shown in FIG. 15b, the symmetry axis 232 distorts and reorients
in a direction along the field E, which is perpendicular to the
front surface 234 of the grating and parallel to the periodic
channels 230a and 230b of the grating 230. As a result,
subwavelength grating 230 can be switched between a state where it
changes the polarization of the incident radiation and a state in
which it does not. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is
currently believed that the direction of the liquid crystal domain
symmetry 232 is due to a surface tension gradient which occurs as a
result of the anisotropic diffusion of monomer and liquid crystal
during recording of the grating and that this gradient causes the
liquid crystal domain symmetry to orient in a direction
perpendicular to the periodic planes.
[0101] As discussed in Born and Wolf, Principles of Optics,
5.sup.th Ed., New York (1975), incorporated herein by reference,
the birefringence of a subwavelength grating is given by the
following relation:
n.sub.e.sup.2-n.sub.o.sup.2=-[(f.sub.PDLC) (f.sub.p)
(n.sub.PDLC.sup.2-n.sub.p.sup.2)]/[f.sub.PDLCn.sub.PDLC.sup.2+f.sub.pn.su-
b.p.sup.2]
[0102] Where:
[0103] n.sub.o=the ordinary index of refraction of the
subwavelength grating;
[0104] n.sub.e=the extraordinary index of refraction;
[0105] n.sub.PDLC=the refractive index of the PDLC plane;
[0106] n.sub.P=the refractive index of the polymer plane
[0107] n.sub.LC=the effective refractive index of the liquid
crystal seen by an incident optical wave;
[0108] f.sub.PDLC=t.sub.PDLC/(t.sub.PDLC+t.sub.P)
[0109] f.sub.P=t.sub.P/(t.sub.PDLC+t.sub.P)
[0110] Thus, the net birefringence of the subwavelength grating
will be zero if n.sub.PDLC=n.sub.P.
[0111] It is known that the effective refractive index of the
liquid crystal, n.sub.LC, is a function of the applied electric
field, having a maximum when the field is zero and value equal to
that of the polymer, n.sub.P, at some value of the electric field,
E.sub.MAX. Thus, by application of an electric field, the
refractive index of the liquid crystal, n.sub.LC, and, hence, the
refractive index of the PDLC plane can be altered. Using the
relationship set forth above, the net birefringence of a
subwavelength grating will be a minimum when n.sub.PDLC is equal to
n.sub.P, i.e. when n.sub.LC.sub.n.sub.P. Therefore, if the
refractive index of the PDLC plane can be matched to the refractive
index of the polymer plane, i.e. n.sub.PDLC=n.sub.P, by the
application of an electric field, the birefringence of the
subwavelength grating can be switched off.
[0112] The following equation for net birefringence, i.e.
.vertline..DELTA.n.vertline.=.vertline.n.sub.e-n.sub.o.vertline.,
follows from the equation given in Born and Wolf (reproduced
above):
.DELTA.n=-[(f.sub.PDLC) (f.sub.p)
(n.sub.PDLC.sup.2-n.sub.P.sup.2)]/[2n.su- b.AVG (f.sub.PDLC
n.sub.PDLC.sup.2+f.sub.pn.sub.p.sup.2)]
[0113] where n.sub.AVG=(n.sub.e+n.sub.o)/2.
[0114] Furthermore, it is known that the refractive index of the
PDLC plane n.sub.PDLC is related to the effective refractive index
of the liquid crystal seen by an incident optical wave, n.sub.LC,
and the refractive index of the surrounding polymer plane, n.sub.P,
by the following relation:
N.sub.PDLC=n.sub.P+f.sub.LC[n.sub.LCn.sub.P]
[0115] Where f.sub.LC is the volume fraction of liquid crystal
dispersed in the polymer within the PDLC plane,
f.sub.LC=[V.sub.LC/(V.sub.LC+V.sub.- P)].
[0116] By way of example, a typical value for the effective
refractive index for the liquid crystal in the absence of an
electric field is n.sub.LC=1.7, and for the polymer layer
n.sub.P,=1.5. For the grating where the thickness of the PDLC
planes and the polymer planes are equal (i.e. t.sub.PDLC=t.sub.P,
f.sub.PDLC=0.5=f.sub.P) and f.sub.LC=0.35, the net birefringence,
.DELTA.n, of the subwavelength grating is approximately 0.008.
Thus, where the incident light has a wavelength of 0.8 .mu.m, the
length of the subwavelength grating should be 50 .mu.m for a
half-wave plate and a 25 .mu.m for a quarter-wave plate.
Furthermore, by application of an electric field of approximately
5V/.mu.m, the refractive index of the liquid crystal can be matched
to the refractive index of the polymer and the birefringence of the
subwavelength grating turned off. Thus, the switching voltage,
V.sub.n, for a half-wave plate is on the order of 250 volts, and
for a quarter-wave plate approximately 125 volts.
[0117] By applying such voltages, the plates can be switched
between the on and off (zero retardance) states on the order of
microseconds. As a means of comparison, current Pockels cell
technology can be switched in nanoseconds with voltages of
approximately 1000-2000 volts, and bulk nematic liquid crystals can
be switched on the order of milliseconds with voltages of
approximately 5 volts.
[0118] In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, the
switching voltage of the subwavelength grating can be reduced by
stacking several subwavelength gratings 220a-220e together, and
connecting them electrically in parallel. By way of example, it has
been found that a stack of five gratings each with a length of 10
.mu.m yields the thickness required for a half-wave plate. It
should be noted that the length of the sample is somewhat greater
than 50 .mu.m, because each grating includes an indium-tin-oxide
coating which acts as a transparent electrode. The switching
voltage for such a stack of plates, however, is only 50 volts.
[0119] Subwavelength gratings in accordance with the this
description are expected to find suitable application in the areas
of polarization optics and optical switches for displays and laser
optics, as well as tunable filters for telecommunications,
colorimetry, spectroscopy, laser protection, and the like.
Similarly, electrically switchable transmission gratings have many
applications for which beams of light must be deflected or
holographic images switched. Among these applications are: Fiber
optic switches, reprogrammable N.times.N optical interconnects for
optical computing, beam steering for laser surgery, beam steering
for laser radar, holographic image storage and retrieval, digital
zoom optics (switchable holographic lenses), graphic arts and
entertainment, and the like.
[0120] In a preferred embodiment, a switchable hologram is one for
which the diffraction efficiency of the hologram may be modulated
by the application of an electric field, and can be switched from a
fully on state (high diffraction efficiency) to a fully off state
(low or zero diffraction efficiency). A static hologram is one
whose properties remain fixed independent of an applied field. In
accordance with this description, a high contrast status hologram
can also be created. In this variation of this description, the
holograms are recorded as described previously. The cured polymer
film is then soaked in a suitable solvent at room temperature for a
short duration and finally dried. For the liquid crystal E7,
methanol has shown satisfactory application. Other potential
solvents include alcohols such as ethanol, hydrocarbons such as
hexane and heptane, and the like. When the material is dried, a
high contrast status hologram with high diffraction efficiency
results. The high diffraction efficiency is a consequence of the
large index modulation in the film (.DELTA.n.about.0.5) because the
second phase domains are replaced with empty (air) voids
(n.about.1).
[0121] Similarly, in accordance with this description a high
birefringence static sub-wavelength wave-plate can also be formed.
Due to the fact that the refractive index for air is significantly
lower than for most liquid crystals, the corresponding thickness of
the half-wave plate would be reduced accordingly. Synthesized
wave-plates in accordance with this description can be used in many
applications employing polarization optics, particularly where a
material of the appropriate birefringence at the appropriate
wavelength is unavailable, too costly, or too bulky.
[0122] The term polymer dispersed liquid crystals and polymer
dispersed liquid crystal material includes, as may be appropriate,
solutions in which none of the monomers have yet polymerized or
cured, solutions in which some polymerization has occurred, and
solutions which have undergone complete polymerization. Those of
skill in the art will clearly understand that the use herein of the
standard term used in the art, polymer dispersed liquid crystals
(which grammatically refers to liquid crystals dispersed in a fully
polymerized matrix) is meant to include all or part of a more
grammatically correct prepolymer dispersed liquid crystal material
or a more grammatically correct starting material for a polymer
dispersed liquid crystal material.
[0123] FIG. 18: Switchable holographic optical element.
[0124] FIG. 18 shows one embodiment of a switchable holographic
optical element (HOE) in operation. In this diagram, an electric
field is applied across a part of switchable HOE 1805 through
electrode plates 1807. The electric field renders the HOE
transparent by effectively erasing the grating structure from the
HOE. The portion of switchable HOE 1805 not exposed to the electric
field from electrodes 1807 still functions as a hologram since its
grating structure, indicated by the hash marks in the figure, is
intact. A ray of light 1820 of the appropriate color and at an
appropriate incidence angle is diffracted by this portion of HOE
1805. A ray of light 1810 that is incident upon the portion of
switchable HOE 1805 between electrodes 1807, however, is
transmitted through HOE 1805. Also, light such as ray 1830 is
transmitted through the diffractive portion of HOE 1805 if it is
either out of the bandwidth of switchable HOE 1805 or incident with
an angle that is not sufficiently close to the diffraction angle of
switchable HOE 1805 in the region where the ray intersects the HOE.
It can be seen that with the use of many electrode plates such as
1807, many different portions of switchable HOE 1805 may be
rendered diffractive, partially diffractive, or transparent by
applying the appropriate electric field to the relevant portions of
switchable HOE 1805. By adjusting the applied electric field, the
intensity of the diffracted light may be controlled over a dynamic
range. More particularly, when the applied electric field is
changed, the diffraction efficiency changes correspondingly. As the
field increases, the refractive index modulation is reduced and
hence the diffraction efficiency is also reduced with the result
that less light is transferred from the zero order direction (i.e.,
the input beam direction) into the diffracted beam direction. When
the electric field is reduced the refractive index modulation
increases, resulting in more light being transferred from the zero
order direction in the diffracted beam direction. In one
embodiment, the HOE is a thin-grating hologram. In another
embodiment, switchable HOE 1805 is a Bragg-type or volume hologram
with high diffraction efficiency.
[0125] One embodiment of this system uses a switchable HOE 1805
composed of photo-polymer/liquid-crystal composite materials onto
which holograms characterized by high diffraction efficiency and
fast switching rates can be recorded. Switchable HOE 1805 is
sandwiched between transparent electrodes, and can be switched from
a diffracting state to a passive state by adjusting an electric
field applied by the electrodes.
[0126] Switchable HOE 1805 may include an exposed PDLC material
such as, for example, the material presented in FIG. 1. The PDLC
material undergoes phase separation during the exposure process
(i.e., during the hologram recording process), creating regions
densely populated by liquid crystal droplets, interspersed by
regions of clear photopolymer. In the substantially transparent
state, an electric field is applied to the exposed PDLC and changes
the natural orientation of the liquid crystal droplets therein
which, in turn, causes the refractive index modulation of the
fringes to reduce and the hologram diffraction efficiency to drop
to very low levels, effectively erasing the hologram recorded
therein. No electric field is applied in the diffracting state, in
which the exposed PDLC material exhibits its very high diffraction
efficiency. The exposed PDLC switches between the diffracting state
and the substantially transparent state very quickly (e.g., the
exposed material can be switched in tens of microseconds, which is
very fast when compared with conventional liquid crystal display
materials).
[0127] FIGS. 19-20: Combining optical sources with holographic
optical elements.
[0128] FIG. 19 shows one embodiment of a system for combining
optical sources of different colors to generate polychromatic
light. In this system, three sources of light with different
colors, red 1910R, green 1910G, and blue 1910B, are incident upon
an HOE stack comprising three HOEs 1920R, 1920G, and 1920B. Each of
these HOEs is constructed to diffract light of one color. HOE 1920R
diffracts red light, HOE 1920G diffracts green light, and 1920B
diffracts blue light. Light from each of the three sources is
diffracted by the corresponding one of the three HOEs into a common
output direction, and is substantially transmitted through the HOEs
that do not have the corresponding color sensitivity. HOEs 1920R,
1920G, and 1920B are aligned so that the light diffracted from each
of them is substantially overlapping. This output light travels as
a beam of mixed light 1930W. In a preferred embodiment, the
relative intensities of the three light sources and the diffraction
efficiencies of the three HOEs are matched so that the output light
1930W is a substantially "white" light.
[0129] In one embodiment of the system, HOEs 1920R, 1920G, and
1920B are not switchable holograms. These HOEs have fixed
diffractive structures with predetermined diffraction efficiencies
and angular sensitivities. In another embodiment, one or more of
the three HOEs are switchable HOEs. By controlling an applied
electric field across one or more of the switchable HOEs, its
diffraction efficiency may be tuned. Having this tunability over
the diffraction efficiency of individual color components allows
color balancing in the output light 1930W. This tunability may be
used to compensate for variations in the brightness of the three
light sources, 1910R, 1910G, and 1910B. This controllability may
also be used to generate different variations of white light in the
output light 1930W. For example, in some applications, a white
source with a greater component of red light may be desired. By
applying an electric field to HOE 1920R so that its diffraction
efficiency is increased, the resulting output light 1930W would be
more red, as desired. Alternatively, all three light sources 1910R,
1910G, and 1910B could be run at maximum intensity during normal
operation, and the intensities of 1910G and 1910B could be reduced
to redden the output light 1930W.
[0130] It is noted simpler systems may involve fewer HOEs. For
example, a system for combining two single-color source can be made
of a reflection-type HOE placed in front of a mirror. In this
system, the HOE is configured and aligned to diffract one of the
colors into the output direction. Since the HOE's grating is
specific for the first color, the second color of light passes
through the HOE without substantial alteration. The second color is
reflected from the mirror, back through the HOE, into the output
direction.
[0131] FIG. 20a and FIG. 20b show another embodiment of the
holographic illumination system. The system includes a series of
LEDs 2002, a mirror 2004, a light guide 2020, a reflective HOE
stack 2010 and a diffuser 2030. Mirror 2004 reflects light from the
array of LEDs 2002 into light guide 2020. Light guide 2020 is
configured to illuminate HOE stack 2010 with the reflected light.
The HOEs in HOE stack 2010 collimate the light and direct the light
onto diffuser 2030, from where it could, for example, be coupled to
the surface of a reflective display by means of a beam splitter. In
the example illustrated in FIG. 20a and FIG. 20b, HOE stack 2010 is
mounted onto the back of light guide 2020. In this embodiment,
light guide 2020 receives three colors of light from LEDs 2002
through a back surface and reflects the light from a front surface
onto HOE stack 2010. This reflection may be a total internal
reflection or it may be achieved by silvering or partially
silvering a portion of the front surface of light guide 2020. In
the depicted embodiment, HOE stack 2010 includes three
reflection-type HOEs that are each configured to diffract one of
the three colors of light. The geometry of the fringes (i.e.,
refractive index modulation) in each HOE is such that that the
diffracted light emerges from each section of the HOEs on
substantially parallel paths. The diffracted light is thus
effectively collimated. The diffracted light from HOE stack 2010
propagates back through light guide 2020 onto diffuser 2030, which
is mounted on or adjacent to the front surface of light guide 2020.
In other embodiments, different optical path geometries may be used
by designing light guide 2020 accordingly.
[0132] LEDs 2002 are preferably bright light sources with high
output power concentrated into a narrow bandwidth. HOE stack 2010
is configured to combine different color components of light from
the different LEDs into a substantially uniform white light and to
provide this white light to diffuser 2030. The individual LEDs are
aligned so that their light is incident on HOE stack 2010 at the
appropriate angles of incidence.
[0133] In other embodiments, LEDs 2002 may be replaced by other
illumination sources, such as laser diodes, halogen lamps,
incandescent lamps, induction lamps, arc lamps, or others, or
combinations thereof. These sources may be monochromatic or broad
band. Also, it is noted that HOE stack 2010 may be comprised of
transmissive HOE elements instead of reflective HOE elements. One
example of an alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 21.
[0134] FIG. 21: Illumination system with transmissive HOEs.
[0135] Another embodiment of an illumination system 2100 using
holographic optical elements is shown in FIG. 21a. The illumination
system comprises a light source 2110, a collimating lens 2120, and
a transmissive HOE stack 2130 used in illuminating a reflective
type image display 2140. The combination of the HOE stack 2130 and
display 2140 may be used, for example, in an image projection
device with limited space.
[0136] In one embodiment, stack 2130 includes at least three
transmissive type switchable HOEs. Each of the HOEs 2130 R-213B may
be individually switchable between the active state and inactive
state in accordance with a voltage provided thereto. In this
embodiment, each of the HOEs may include a polymer dispersed liquid
crystal material layer sandwiched between a pair of light
transparent and electrically conductive layers, the combination of
which is sandwiched between a pair of light transparent and
electrically nonconductive layers. Alternatively, the HOEs may be
switchable between the active and inactive state as a group. In
this embodiment, the HOEs 2130R-2130G may include three distinct
polymer dispersed liquid crystal material layers sandwiched between
a pair of light transparent and electrically conductive layers, the
combination of which is sandwiched between a pair of light
transparent and electrically nonconductive layers. Further
description of HOEs 2130R-2130G may be found in U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/478,150 entitled Optical Filter Employing
Holographic Optical Elements And Image Generating System
Incorporating The Optical Filter, filed Jan. 5, 2000, U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/533,120 entitled Method And Apparatus For
Illuminating A Display, filed Mar. 23, 2000, or U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/675,431 entitled Inspection Device, filed
Sep. 29, 2000, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
In another embodiment, HOE stack 2130 may contain nonswitchable
HOEs.
[0137] In this embodiment, light source 2110 is a substantially
broad band white-light source, such as an incandescent lamp, an
induction lamp, a fluorescent lamp, or an arc lamp, among others.
In other embodiments, light source 2110 may be a set of
single-color sources with different colors, such as red, green, and
blue. These sources may be LEDs, laser diodes, or other
monochromatic sources.
[0138] Display 2140 is mounted on the opposite side of HOE stack
2130 from light source 2110. Display 2140 may take form in one or
many embodiments. The image display may take form in a reflective
microdisplay such as a reflective micro LCD on silicon with active
TFT (thin-film transistor) control elements that maintain the
intensity status of the pixels between each refresh of the screen.
The image display may take form in a light reflective micro-mirror
or a MEMS device that repositions miniature reflective elements to
control the intensity of a pixel. Exemplary micro-mirror devices
are marketed under the name Digital Light Processor by Texas
Instruments, Inc. The image display may also take form in one of
the emerging range of diffractive devices, an exemplary one of
which is marketed under the name Grating Light Valve by Silicon
Light Machines, Inc. In other embodiments, display 2140 is a
transmissive display, and the optical arrangement of the
illumination system may be configured to include two stacks of
switchable transmissive HOEs with a polarization rotator positioned
between or several stacks of reflective type HOEs.
[0139] In system 2100, HOE stack 2130 is positioned directly in
front of the image display. Illumination light from source 2110 is
collimated by lens 2120 and received by HOE stack 2130 at an
appropriate incidence angle. One or more components of the
collimated illumination light are subsequently diffracted toward
display 2140 by one or more of the HOEs in HOE stack 2130. As noted
above, HOE stack 2130 contains transmissive type HOEs. Transmissive
type HOEs are configured to diffract the p-polarized component of
illumination light when active while transmitting the s-polarized
component of illumination light with no or substantially no
alteration. Alternatively, it may be possible to employ
transmissive HOEs which are configured to diffract the s-polarized
component of the illumination light when active while transmitting
the p-polarized component of the illumination light with no or
substantially no alteration. The present invention will be
described with reference to transmissive type HOEs which diffract
p-polarized light when active while transmitting s-polarized light
with no or substantially no alteration. "Without alteration" is
defined to mean but is not limited to mean without diffraction,
intensity modulation, and/or phase modulation.
[0140] FIGS. 21b through 21d illustrate operational aspects of the
illumination system 2100 shown in FIG. 21a. FIGS. 21b and 21c show
the illumination system 2100 in which display 2140 takes form in a
reflective microdisplay, such as the reflective micro-LCD described
above. FIG. 21d shows the illumination system 2100 in which display
2140 takes form in a reflective micro-mirror. The displays 2140 in
FIGS. 21b-21d reflect and modulate illumination light incident
therein to produce image light. This illumination light is
modulated in accordance with image information provided to display
2140. Stated differently, the illumination light is reflected by
display 2140 with an inscribed image. The microdisplays of FIGS.
21b and 21c rotate the polarization of light incident thereon. The
micro-mirror of FIG. 21d does not rotate the polarization of light
incident thereon.
[0141] FIGS. 21b-21d will be described with HOE stack 2130
comprising individually switchable transmissive type HOEs
2130R-2130B that, when active, diffract the p-polarized red, green,
and blue bandwidth components, respectively, of the collimated
illumination light while transmitting the s-polarized red, green,
and blue components of the collimated illumination light. In the
inactive state, each of the HOEs in stack 2130 transmits
substantially all of the collimated light without substantial
alteration. The percentage of p-polarized light diffracted by any
of the HOEs 2130R-2130B into first order diffracted light depends
on the magnitude of the voltage applied between the electrically
conductive and light transparent layers mentioned above.
Accordingly, by adjusting the magnitude of the voltage applied to
each of the HOEs 2103R-2130B, the system provides a means for color
balancing the illumination light obtained from light source 2110.
All three HOEs 2130R-2130B can be activated concurrently, or the
HOEs 2130R-2130B can be activated sequentially and cyclically. In
the latter embodiment, each of HOEs 2130R-2130B is activated one at
a time in sequence, and display 2140 cycles through blue, green,
and red components of an image to be displayed. HOE stack 2130 is
switched synchronously with the image on display 2140 at a rate
that is fast compared with the integration time of the human eye
(less than 100 microseconds). In this manner, the system thus uses
a single monochromatic display 2140 to provide a color image.
[0142] FIGS. 21b-21d will be described with reference to HOE 2130R
operating in the active state and HOEs 2130G and 2130B operating in
the inactive state. In FIG. 21b, the p-polarized red bandwidth
component 2152P of collimated illumination light 2150 is diffracted
by HOE 2130R while the s-polarized red bandwidth component 2152S is
transmitted without substantial alteration. Diffracted light 2152P
is reflected and polarization rotated into s-polarized red
bandwidth image light 2152S by display 2140. Since image light
2152S is s-polarized, image light 2152S passes through all HOEs
2130R-2130B with no or substantially no alteration. Image light
2152S transmitted through HOE stack 2130 may be projected by
standard projection optics (not shown) for viewing by a user. The
diffraction gratings within the polymer dispersed liquid crystal
layers of the HOEs and/or the angle U at which illumination light
is received by HOE stack 2130 can be arranged so that image and
illumination lights 2152S and 2152P, respectively, are normal to
the surfaces of the display device 2140 and HOEs 2130R-2130B. The
remaining components of illumination light 2150 which are not
diffracted, including 2154S, if reflected by display 2140 emerge
therefrom at an angle different from image light 2152S. Because
this zero order light (i.e., undiffracted light) has a different
emergence angle, it can be trapped or otherwise disposed of so that
it doesn't interfere with the image light 252S. As noted above, the
percentage of p-polarized illumination light diffracted by an
activated HOE depends on the magnitude of the voltage applied
thereto. The percentage of p-polarized light illumination
diffracted by an activated HOE also depends on the angle U at which
the HOE receives the illumination light. If angle U is between
50-60 degrees or below this range of angles, than substantially all
of the p-polarized illumination light is diffracted. However, the
percentage of the p-polarized illumination light diffracted by the
HOE will decrease substantially as angle U is increased beyond the
50-60 degree range.
[0143] FIG. 21c is substantially similar to FIG. 21b. However,
unlike FIG. 21a, diffracted p-polarized illumination light 2152P is
received by display 2140 at a non-zero angle measured with respect
to the normal axis of the display surface. As such, the reflected
s-polarized image light 2154S emerges from the display 2140 at a
non-zero angle measured with respect to the normal axis of the
display surface. However, image light 2152S is s-polarized and
passes through HOE stack 2130 with no or substantially no
alteration. The remaining components of illumination light 2150
which are not diffracted, including 2154S, if reflected by display
2140 emerge therefrom at an angle greater than the emergence angle
of image light 2152S. Because this zero order light (i.e.,
undiffracted light) has a greater emergence angle, it can be
trapped or otherwise disposed of so that it doesn't interfere with
the image light 252S.
[0144] FIG. 21d is similar to FIG. 21c. However, the display device
2140, as noted above, does not rotate the polarization of the
illumination light incident thereon. Accordingly, p-polarized image
light 2156P emerges from display 2140. However, if the angle V
between p-polarized image light 2156P and p-polarized illumination
light 2152P is greater than the Bragg-diffraction angular bandwidth
of HOEs 2130R-2130B, than image light 2156P will pass through HOEs
2130R-2130B with no or substantially no alteration.
[0145] FIG. 22: Color separation and color balancing.
[0146] FIG. 22 shows a system for separating white light into
individual color components. The system comprises three HOE
elements 2210R, 2210G, and 2210B capable of diffracting red, green,
and blue light, respectively. The HOEs are illuminated with light
from a polychromatic or broad band light source 2205. Each of the
HOEs diffracts one of the color components from light source 2205
toward a display 2220. Light reflected from 2220 is then coupled
into a projection system 2230.
[0147] HOE elements 2210R, 2210G, and 2210B are switchable HOEs.
They are turned on one at a time in sequence so that display 2220
is sequentially illuminated by blue, green, and red light. Display
unit 2220 is also switched so that it sequentially displays one of
the three color components of a desired image. The switching of
HOEs 2210, 2210G, and 2210B is synchronous with the switching of
display 2220 and is done at a rate faster than an eye-integration
time. Thus, the projected image is a composite color image
generated by a single monochromatic display 2220.
[0148] It is noted that instead of using HOEs tuned for red, green,
and blue light (the nominal color bands of the three types of cones
in the human eye), other combinations may be used as appropriate
for the application. In general, any set of color components can be
used that spans the appropriate color space. One example is the
cyan, yellow, and magenta combination used in some printing
applications.
[0149] The switchable HOEs in the embodiments described above may
be Bragg-type elements in order to provide a high diffraction
efficiency. However, thin phase switchable HOEs may also be
employed, although thin phase HOEs may not provide a high level of
diffraction efficiency when compared to Bragg type HOEs. Moreover,
it is understood that with appropriate changes in the optical
arrangements, reflective-type switchable HOEs may be employed in
place of transmissive-type switchable HOEs, and vice-versa.
Similarly, reflective-type nonswitchable HOEs may be employed in
place of transmissive-type nonswitchable HOEs, and vice-versa.
[0150] In the examples illustrated above, some conventional optical
elements may be required to correct aberrations introduced by the
HOEs and other optical elements. Since these corrective elements do
not impact the basic functional description of the systems, they
have been omitted for simplicity. It is noted that HOEs may also be
used in some embodiments of these systems to correct optical
aberrations.
* * * * *