A display system includes a data provider, a spatial light modulator and a second cylindrical lens. The data provider is arranged to provide holographic data comprising first data corresponding to a first cylindrical lens having optical power in a first direction. The spatial light modulator is arranged to receive the holographic data, wherein the spatial light modulator is arranged to spatially-modulate received light in accordance with the holographic data. The second cylindrical lens is arranged to receive spatially-modulated light from the spatial light modulator and perform a one-dimensional Fourier transform of the received light in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

Techniques for modulating both amplitude and phase via a layer of liquid crystals are described. According to one aspect of the techniques, a voltage being applied or coupled across the layer of liquid crystals is controlled by gradually increasing the voltage from a low level to a high level to perform the AM in a first range and the PM in second range, where the characteristics of the liquid crystals is significant, for example, by increasing the thickness or optical birefringence of the layer of liquid crystals.

Architecture and designs of modulating both amplitude and phase at the same time in spatial light modulation are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, nano-imprinting lithograph (NIL) and E-beam are used to create micro structures (transparent) as alignment cells. A first group of the alignment cells are oriented in a first direction and a second group of the alignment cells are oriented in a second direction, light going through the first group of the alignment cells is modulated in amplitude thereof and the light going through the second group of the alignment cells is modulated in phase thereof, all via the liquid crystals and at the same time.

An optical device comprises a pixel array including one or more pixels. Two or more independently controllable electrodes are electrically coupled to each pixel. A common ground reference electrode is electrically coupled to all pixels of the pixel array. Each pixel includes a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules may be oriented in a first direction based on a first function of voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel, and oriented in a second direction based on a second function of the voltages applied by the two or more independently controllable electrodes for the pixel. In this way, both phase modulation and polarization modulation may be introduced to light illuminating the pixel array.

Disclosed herein are a method and apparatus for displaying a binocular hologram image. The method includes generating a light beam of an incident wave field having coherence, expanding the generated light beam to the size of the active area of a display, converging the expanded light beam on the respective positions of the eyes of a user, generating digital hologram content, and displaying a hologram image based on the converged light beam and on the digital hologram content.

A printing device (106) includes a dynamic holography printing application configured to generate a laser control signal and a LCOS-SLM (Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator) control signal based on a two-dimensional content corresponding to a lithography mask. A laser source (110) generates a plurality of incident laser beams based on the laser control signal. A LCOS-SLM (112) modulates the plurality of incident laser beams based on the LCOS-SLM control signal, generates a plurality of holographic wavefronts (214,216), each holographic wavefront forming at least one corresponding focal point. The LCOS-SLM generates a plurality of distinct focused light field regions (506,508,510) at interference points of focal points of the plurality of holographic wavefronts. The plurality of distinct focused light field regions correspond to the two-dimensional content.

There is provided a holographic projector comprising a spatial light modulator, a light source and an assembly. The spatial light modulator is arranged to display a hologram. The light source is arranged to illuminate at least one region of the spatial light modulator with an input beam such that the input beam is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator in accordance with the hologram to form a holographic reconstruction. The assembly is arranged to move at least one of the input beam and the spatial light modulator relative to the other.

There is provided a holographic image generation system comprising: a spatial light modulator (SLM) having pixels; a light source configured to illuminate the SLM; a temporal modulator; a light sensor associated with the SLM; and a demodulator. The temporal light modulator is arranged to modulate an output intensity of the light source over time to encode holographic data representing a hologram. The light sensor is configured to receive light from the light source and generate a signal representative of the output intensity of the light source. The demodulator is connected to the light sensor to receive the signal, and is arranged to decode the signal to obtain the holographic data. The demodulator is further connected to the SLM to set the pixels of the SLM in accordance with the holographic data to display the hologram ready for illumination by the light source to form a holographic reconstruction.

Systems, devices, and methods for holographic optical elements are described. A holographic optical element includes a first layer of holographic material and a second layer of holographic material. The first layer of holographic material includes a first hologram responsive to light in a first waveband and a second hologram responsive to light in a second waveband. The second layer of holographic material includes a third hologram responsive to light in a third waveband and may include a fourth hologram responsive to light in a fourth waveband. The first, second, third, and fourth wavebands are distinct and may comprise light of red, blue, green, and infrared wavelengths, respectively. Distribution of the three or four holograms on two layers of holographic material allows each hologram to have an index modulation of greater than 0.016, a diffraction efficiency of greater than 15%, and an angular bandwidth of greater than 12.

Augmented reality glasses include near eye displays the include sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light optical coupled to spatial phase modulators or active zone plate modulators and optically coupled to eye coupling optics. The sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light can include emissive 2D display panels or light sources coupled to imagewise amplitude modulators. The eye coupling optics can include volume holographic diffraction gratings.