Systems, devices, and methods for making, replicating, and using curved holographic optical elements (HOEs) are described. A hologram may be optically recorded into a planar layer of holographic film with various measures in place to compensate for changes (e.g., in optical power and/or playback wavelength and/or angular bandwidth) that may result when a curvature is subsequently applied thereto. A hologram may be optically recorded into a curved layer of holographic film with various measures in place to compensate for optical effects of a curved transparent substrate upon which the holographic film is mounted. A curved HOE may be returned to a planar configuration to undergo holographic replication or holographic replication may be performed using a curved master HOE and curved recipient film. The curved HOEs described herein are particularly well-suited for use when integrated with a curved eyeglass lens to form the transparent combiner of a virtual retina display.

A hologram manufacturing device includes a master hologram on which a diffraction grating is formed, a duplicate hologram disposed close to the master hologram, a first light source that emits, to the master hologram and the duplicate hologram, a first laser light that satisfies a Bragg diffraction condition in the diffraction grating, a second light source that emits, to the master hologram and the duplicate hologram, a second laser light that does not satisfy the Bragg diffraction condition in the diffraction grating, and a sensor that measures the second laser light. The hologram manufacturing device ends exposure of the duplicate hologram with the first laser light based on a measurement result of the sensor.

A system and method may utilize holography to facilitate fabrication techniques such as 3D printing and lithography. The system may include a light source, a hologram of an original object or lithographic pattern recorded in a holographic medium, and a target such as a reservoir of photosensitive material or a photosensitive material attached to a substrate. Illuminating the hologram with the appropriate light source may cause a holographic image of the original object or lithographic pattern to form on the photosensitive material within the reservoir or on the substrate. Formation of the holographic image may result in the formation of a new object from the photosensitive material, or may facilitate removal or retention of photosensitive material as part of a lithographic process.

A system and method may utilize holography to facilitate fabrication techniques such as 3D printing and lithography. The system may include a light source, a hologram of an original object or lithographic pattern recorded in a holographic medium, and a target such as a reservoir of photosensitive material or a photosensitive material attached to a substrate. Illuminating the hologram with the appropriate light source may cause a holographic image of the original object or lithographic pattern to form on the photosensitive material within the reservoir or on the substrate. Formation of the holographic image may result in the formation of a new object from the photosensitive material, or may facilitate removal or retention of photosensitive material as part of a lithographic process.

Systems, devices, and methods for making, replicating, and using curved holographic optical elements (HOEs) are described. A hologram may be optically recorded into a planar layer of holographic film with various measures in place to compensate for changes (e.g., in optical power and/or playback wavelength and/or angular bandwidth) that may result when a curvature is subsequently applied thereto. A hologram may be optically recorded into a curved layer of holographic film with various measures in place to compensate for optical effects of a curved transparent substrate upon which the holographic film is mounted. A curved HOE may be returned to a planar configuration to undergo holographic replication or holographic replication may be performed using a curved master HOE and curved recipient film. The curved HOEs described herein are particularly well-suited for use when integrated with a curved eyeglass lens to form the transparent combiner of a virtual retina display.

Hybrid white-light viewable holograms and methods for making them. The holograms are hybrid reflection holograms made using the diffractive structures or gratings of a holographic object such as a transmission hologram or holographic optical element (HOE). The wavefronts of the diffractive structures are converted into a reflection hologram by scanning them with a coherent light source having a profiled narrow beam. The hybrid reflection hologram can exhibit display parameters including the multiple colors, solidity, and color stability of white light reflection holograms, the diffractive color shifting of a white light transmission hologram, three dimensional imaging and a wide variety of dynamic changes. Different areas or images with each of these effects can be combined in a single hologram. These hybrid reflection holograms are ideal for security and forgery prevention applications.

A method for producing a hologram on a curved substrate plate includes providing a curved substrate plate having a substrate surface, the actual geometry of which is subject to a tolerance deviation with respect to a predetermined desired geometry; providing an inflatable cushion with a cushion surface that can be deformed under the effect of pressure and is preformed into the predetermined desired geometry or with a predetermined deviation therefrom; applying a holographic master in the form of a flexible thin layer to the deformable cushion surface and applying a hologram-recording layer to the substrate surface; pressing or placing the holographic master onto the hologram-recording layer by way of the cushion surface deformed to the actual geometry, thereby achieving full surface-area contact between them with a substantially constant predetermined layer thickness of the hologram-recording layer, and exposing the hologram-recording layer to form a hologram.

An apparatus for generating a hologram that may generate a three-dimensional (3D) hologram pattern at a high speed may include a pattern setting unit to set points for which hologram patterns are to be generated with respect to a one-eighth area of an entire area for which a hologram pattern is to be generated, a calculation unit to calculate pattern values for a plurality of reference points selected with respect to the one-eighth area of the entire area, and to generate a pattern for the one-eighth area using recurrent interpolation, and a pattern duplicating unit to complete a pattern for the entire area by duplicating the generated pattern for the one-eighth area.

An apparatus for generating a hologram that may generate a three-dimensional (3D) hologram pattern at a high speed may include a pattern setting unit to set points for which hologram patterns are to be generated with respect to a one-eighth area of an entire area for which a hologram pattern is to be generated, a calculation unit to calculate pattern values for a plurality of reference points selected with respect to the one-eighth area of the entire area, and to generate a pattern for the one-eighth area using recurrent interpolation, and a pattern duplicating unit to complete a pattern for the entire area by duplicating the generated pattern for the one-eighth area.

A holographic-stereogram-forming apparatus includes a laser beam source that generates a laser beam to be split into an object beam and a reference beam; a display that displays an original image corresponding to a substantially strip-shaped holographic element constituting a holographic stereogram containing parallax information in a horizontal direction; a diffusing unit provided on a light-emission side of the display and including optical elements having different thicknesses in a direction of light transmission, the optical elements being arranged in a matrix and each having a substantially rectangular shape with a vertical length being shorter than a horizontal length, the diffusing unit diffusing object beam more widely in the vertical direction than in the horizontal direction, the object beam to be diffused by the diffusing unit being generated by the display; and a condensing unit that condenses the object beam diffused by the diffusing unit on a hologram recording medium.