An optical device for illuminating one or more portions of a spatial light modulator includes a waveguide, an array of tunable retarders, and a polarization selective optical element. A respective tunable retarder is optically coupled to receive light from the waveguide. The respective tunable retarder has a first state, which causes the respective tunable retarder to direct light having a first polarization in a first direction, and a second state, which causes the respective tunable retarder to direct light having a second polarization distinct from the first polarization in the first direction. The polarization selective optical element is located adjacent to the array of tunable retarders so that the light having the first polarization propagates from the polarization selective optical element in a second direction and the light having the second polarization propagates from the polarization selective optical element in a third direction distinct from the second direction.

A switchable privacy display comprises a spatial light modulator (SLM), a first switchable liquid crystal (LC) retarder and first passive retarder arranged between a first pair of polarisers and a second switchable LC retarder and second passive retarder arranged between a second pair of polarisers. Each switchable LC retarder comprises a homeotropic alignment layer and a homogeneous alignment layer. In privacy mode, on-axis light from the SLM is directed without loss, whereas off-axis light has reduced luminance to reduce the visibility of the display to off-axis snoopers. The display may achieve privacy operation in landscape and portrait orientations. Further, display reflectivity may be reduced for on-axis reflections of ambient light, while reflectivity may be increased for off-axis light to achieve increased visual security. In public mode, the liquid crystal retardance is adjusted so that off-axis luminance and reflectivity are unmodified. The display may be switched between day-time and night-time operation.

A structured light projector includes a light source configured to emit light, a structured light pattern mask configured to receive the light emitted by the light source and including a first region configured to generate a first structured light having a first polarization and a second region configured to generate a second structured light having a second polarization that is different from the first polarization, and a polarization multiplexing deflector configured to deflect the first structured light and the second structured light generated by the structured light pattern mask, to different directions, respectively.

Apparatus are described herein related to augmenting human vision by means of adaptive polarization filter grids. A preferred embodiment is described as smart sunglasses, realized as see through head mountable device (HMD) configured to reduce glare originating from polarized light. Each eyeglass of the HMD is associated with a grid comprising a plurality of dynamically configurable polarization filters placed in the path of the light. A polarization analyzer module analyzes the polarization characteristics of a field of view and performs an optimization calculation. The polarization analyzer controls the said grid via a controller module in such a way that the filter state of each grid element can be addressed separately. The grid of polarization filters causes the polarization characteristics of the incident light to be adapted in such a way as to reduce glare and/or to provide a user of the said head mountable device with an enhanced visual perception of the field of view. The user of the described head mountable device has the option of selection between a plurality of polarization enhancement modes, such as horizontal or vertical polarization filtering only or a hybrid mode combining both horizontal and vertical polarization filtering on an individual basis for each grid element. Additionally smart window and smart mirror embodiments of the described adaptive polarization filter grids are introduced.

An optical element which can be utilized in various versions and implementations of switchable light filters having, in addition, polarization filters and/or other means for varying the polarization characteristics of light, for example, liquid crystal layers. A combination of switchable light filter and imaging display device makes possible a private viewing effect that can be switched on and off. The optical element comprises a first layer or a first layer and a plurality of further layers, each layer including a material with a plurality of light-absorbing transition dipole moments. At least in a first state, each transition dipole moment is oriented, with a tolerance of 10° at the maximum, parallel to a selectable preferential direction or fluctuates around it so that light which is incident in the optical element is transmitted or at least partially absorbed depending on its incident direction.

A structure for an optoelectronics platform and a method of fabricating a structure for an optoelectronics platform such as a Mach-Zehnder modulator or a waveguide. The method comprises the steps of providing a substrate, and depositing a BaTi03, BTO, film on a surface of the substrate and having a thickness suitable for single mode operation with one or more possible polarization configurations with optical confinement in the BTO film at a wavelength or wavelength range of operation; wherein the substrate is chosen to provide vertical refractive index confinement in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate for the single mode operation optical confinement in the BTO film at the wavelength or wavelength range of operation.

An optical sensor package includes an emitter die mounted to an upper surface of a package substrate. A sensor die is mounted to the upper surface of the package substrate using a film on die (FOD) adhesive layer that extends over the upper surface and encapsulates the emitter die. The sensor die is positioned in a stacked relationship with respect to the emitter die such that a light channel region which extends through the sensor die is optically aligned with the emitter die. Light emitted by the emitter die passes through the light channel region of the sensor die. The emitter die and the sensor die are each electrically coupled to the package substrate.

A rear-view mirror includes a body, wherein the body includes a first polarizer, a dimming layer, a transflective polarizer, and a display component which are sequentially laminated. The dimming layer is configured to adjust a polarization direction of light passing through the dimming layer. By adjusting the polarization direction of the light passing through the dimming layer via the dimming layer, the reflectivity and transmittance of the transflective polarizer to the light can be changed, such that both an anti-glare function and a display function of the rear-view mirror can be achieved.

A continuously electronically controlled linear polarization rotator includes a first liquid crystal cell having a first upper substrate, a first lower substrate, and a transparent liquid crystal layer disposed between the first upper substrate and the first lower substrate; and a second liquid crystal cell having a second upper substrate, a second lower substrate, and a transparent liquid crystal layer disposed between the second upper substrate and second lower substrate. The first and second liquid crystal cells satisfy a condition that dΔn/λ is in a range of 1.2 to 1.8, wherein λ is a wavelength of incident light traveling through the first and second liquid crystal cells, d is thickness of the transparent liquid crystal layer, Δn is birefringence of the transparent liquid crystal layer. The first and second liquid crystal cells are applied by voltage to make a linear polarization angle of outgoing light continuously rotate.

A modulation control method for a filter device for avoiding flicker appearing in streamed video images before acquiring images, includes setting the exposure time to be equal or longer than an oscillating light source's period duration or to be as long as possible between two frames in the image acquisition of streamed video images, polarizing of incoming light in a first polarizer to turn into polarized light with a first polarization, altering the polarization of the light with the first polarization in an electro- or magneto-optic modulator by an angle α to turn into light with a second polarization, and reducing an amount of light with the second polarization in a second polarizer.