A directive color filter and a naked-eye 3D display apparatus are provided. The directive color filter includes a color filter and a directive functional structure layer. The color filter includes multiple light filtering units, and each light filtering unit includes at least three light filtering sub-units with different colors. The directive functional structure layer includes multiple structure units, and each structure unit and one light filtering unit are arranged correspondingly. Each structure unit includes at least three structure sub-units. Each structure sub-unit and one light filtering sub-unit are arranged correspondingly. Each structure sub-unit includes multiple nano diffraction gratings.

Optical beam shaping systems and methods can include an illumination source and a diffractive waveplate diffuser. The diffractive waveplate diffuser includes a layer of patterned optically anisotropic material. In one embodiment, the layer of patterned optically anisotropic material is fabricated in the form of patterned, optically anisotropic liquid crystal polymer. In another embodiment, the layer of patterned optically anisotropic material is a layer of liquid crystal, the diffractive waveplate diffuser also includes two alignment layers and two transparent conductive coatings, and the properties of the liquid crystal layer are controlled by the application of an electric potential between the two transparent conductive coatings. A method is provided for designing the alignment pattern of the layer of optically anisotropic material.

Diffractive optical structures, lenses, waveplates, devices, systems, and methods, which have the same effect on light regardless of the polarization state of the light, utilizing systems of polarization discriminator diffractive waveplate optics and differential polarization converters with special arrangements that do not require introducing spatial separation between the layers.

A near-eye display system includes a display panel to present image frames to the eyes of a user for viewing. The system also includes a beam steering assembly facing the display panel that is configurable to displace a light beam incident on the beam steering assembly, thereby laterally shifting light relative to an optical path of the light beam incident on the beam steering assembly. A method of operation of the near-eye display system includes configuring the beam steering assembly in a first configuration state so that the beam steering assembly displaces a light beam incident on the beam steering assembly, such that the displaced light beam is laterally shifted relative to an optical path of the light beam.

A device for reducing laser speckle using a micro scanner and a holographic diffuser. The micro scanner includes a first transparent optical substrate with an input surface and an output surface and a second transparent optical substrate with an input surface and an output surface and a variable refractive index medium sandwiched between the output surface of the first substrate and the input surface of the second substrate. Transparent electrodes are applied to the output surface of the first substrate and the input surface of the second substrate. The electrodes are coupled to a voltage generator. The input surface of the first substrate is optically coupled to a laser source. The input surface of the second substrate is configured as an array of prismatic elements. At least one of the input surface of the first substrate or the output surfaces of the second substrate is planar.

A projector includes a beam homogenizer receiving light from a light source and creating a predetermined illumination, and a spatial light modulator including grating stages to receive the predetermined illumination. Each grating stage may include a plurality of pixels where corresponding pixels in the grating stages are aligned with one another. Each of the pixels may include a liquid crystal layer disposed between two substrates, where a pixel is switchable by applying a voltage thereto, with a grating period of the pixel selected such that, when the voltage is applied to the pixel and light is passed therethrough, optical energy from the light in plus and minus first orders is deflected toward sides of the pixel and optical energy from a zero order of the light is allowed to pass through the pixel, with a polarization state of the light maintained through the pixel.

Described herein is a spatial light modulator (15) for modulating the phase, retardation or polarization state of an incident optical signal propagating in a first dimension. The optical phase modulator (15) includes a liquid crystal material (17) and a pair of electrodes (19 and 21) for supplying an electric potential across the liquid crystal material (17) to drive liquid crystals in a predetermined configuration. Modulator (15) also includes a diffractive optical element (29) disposed adjacent a first electrode (19). Element (29) includes a first array of diffractive elements (31) formed of a first material having a first refractive index and extending in a second dimension substantially perpendicular to the first dimension. Elements (31) are at least partially surrounded by a second material (33) formed of a lower refractive index.

An electro-holographic light field generator device comprises surface acoustic wave (SAW) optical modulators arranged in different directions. Specifically, some embodiments have SAW modulators arranged in pairs, nose-to-nose with each other, and have output couplers that provide face-fire light emission. These SAW modulators also possibly include SAW sense transducers and/or viscoelastic surface material to reduce crosstalk.

A liquid crystal cell and a photographic system are described. The liquid crystal cell includes: a refractive index switching layer including a liquid crystal layer consisting of liquid crystals and a substrate on which a plurality of diffractive lenses are formed; a first transparent electrode layer; and a second transparent electrode layer. The liquid crystal layer has a first refractive index and a second refractive index when the first transparent electrode layer and the second transparent electrode layer are powered on and off, respectively. The first refractive index is greater than the second refractive index, and the first refractive index is the same as the refractive index of the diffractive lenses. By means of this solution, free and controllable switching between light field imaging and conventional photographic imaging can be realized in the same system.

A method is described in which a loss of spectrum in an optical signal having an optical signal spectrum is detected. The optical signal is transmitted from a first node to a second node. In response to detecting the loss of spectrum in the optical signal, at least one idler carrier without data imposed is supplied into the optical signal spectrum transmitted from the first node to the second node, the optical signal spectrum encompassing a frequency band including a plurality of optical channels, the idler carrier being amplified stimulated emission light having a frequency corresponding to a first optical channel of the plurality of optical channels.