Non-etched flat polarization-selective diffractive optical elements

• Main Authors: SHEMO DAVID M, TAN KIM LEONG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.02.2014
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; ELECTROGRAPHY; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; HOLOGRAPHIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS; HOLOGRAPHY; INFORMATION STORAGE; INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORDCARRIER AND TRANSDUCER; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A method of fabricating an optical element including a liquid crystal layer having a spatially-varying tilt angle includes coating a substrate with a linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer, irradiating the linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer with linearly polarized ultra-violet light at a oblique angle, and coating a layer of liquid crystal material on a surface of the irradiated linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer. The liquid crystal material has a predetermined relationship between its tilt angle and a total dose of the linearly polarized ultra-violet light. The linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer is irradiated with at least one dose of linearly polarized ultra-violet light that is sufficient to induce formation of a plurality of discrete regions within the liquid crystal layer having a larger in-plane birefringence than an adjacent or surrounding region.