The invention relates to a method of creation of three-dimensional alignment patterns that includes providing a layer of optically recordable and polarization sensitive material having a thickness that is greater than, or equal to, a predefined thickness, and concurrently illuminating the optically recordable medium with two coherent beam of same or different polarization with predetermined angle between the beams such that the said beams impinge from the same side or from the opposite sides upon the layer of the recordable material. The invention further relates to polarization volume holograms based on the said alignment patterns and polarization holographic element including a single layer or a stack of several layers of optically recordable materials containing single or multiple polarization volume holograms.

An optical device includes one or more volume phase holographic gratings each of which includes a photosensitive layer whose optical properties are spatially modulated. The spatial modulation of optical properties are recorded in the photosensitive layer by generating an optical interference pattern using a beam of light and one or more liquid crystal master gratings. The volume phase holograms may be configured to redirect light of visible or infrared wavelengths propagating in free space or through a waveguide. Advantageously, fabricating the volume phase holographic gratings using liquid crystal master grating allows independent control of the optical function and the selectivity of the volume phase holographic grating during the fabrication process.

A polarization diffraction element comprising including a film including a liquid crystalline material having photosensitivity, the film having at least one hologram recorded therein, and thereby having a property as a fork-shaped polarization grating having an anisotropic structure in which an optical axis continuously rotates toward a direction of a grating vector.

A first layer of anisotropic material extends along a first plane and includes anisotropic components being parallel to a second plane non-parallel and non-perpendicular to the first plane. The anisotropic components are arranged in cycloidal or helical patterns. The cycloidal or helical patterns define one or more Bragg planes that are non-parallel and non-perpendicular to the first plane and either substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the second plane.

Here discloses a method for duplicating a hologram and a hologram optical element. The method comprises: preparing a master with a master hologram; preparing a sample with coated photoalignment material layer above the master; and irradiating a recording light through the sample to the master, so that at least one portion of the recording light is reflected by the master as an object light carrying the master hologram information, and so that the object light and the recording light are interfered at the photoalignment material layer to produce a duplicated hologram in the photoalignment material layer.

The present invention relates to an inline scanning holography system for a phosphor and a transmitter. According to the present invention, the inline scanning holography system includes a polarization sensitive lens that receives a linearly polarized beam and generates a first spherical wave of right-handed circular polarized light having a negative focal length and a second spherical wave of left-handed circular polarized light having a positive focal length, a polarizer that passes only a beam component in a predetermined polarization direction therethrough among components of the generated first and second spherical waves, a scanning unit for scanning a phosphor by using an interference beam generated between the first and second spherical waves passing through the polarizer, and a first photodetector that detects a fluorescent beam diverged from the phosphor. According to the present invention, a high-efficiency and high-quality optical scanning holography for a phosphor or a transmitter may be implemented.

An optical component comprises a metasurface comprising nanoscale elements. The metasurface is configured to receive incident light and to generate optical outputs. The geometries and/or orientations of the nanoscale elements provide a first optical output upon receiving a polarized incident light with a first polarization, and provide a second optical output upon receiving a polarized incident light with a second polarization that is different from the first polarization.

A direct-write lithography apparatus includes a polarization selector stage configured to vary a polarization orientation angle of light from a light source, a focusing element configured to focus the light from the light source into a spot at a focal plane thereof, and a scanning stage configured to scan the spot in at least two dimensions along a surface of a polarization-sensitive recording medium that is arranged proximate to the focal plane such that neighboring scans substantially overlap. The polarization selector stage and the scanning stage are configured to be operated independently of one another. Related fabrication methods of and optical elements fabricated thereby are also discussed.

Provided are an optical element and an image display apparatus that display an aerial image, in which the total volume of the apparatus is small, a reduction in size can realized, and a scenery can be recognized. The optical element includes: a light guide element including a light guide plate, an incidence diffraction element, and an emission diffraction element, the incidence diffraction element being disposed on a main surface of the light guide plate and the emission diffraction element being disposed on the main surface of the light guide plate; and a positive lens that is disposed at a position overlapping the emission diffraction element in a view from a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the light guide plate, in which the incidence diffraction element diffracts incident light such that the diffracted light is incident into the light guide plate, the emission diffraction element emits light propagating in the light guide plate from the light guide plate, and the positive lens collects the light that is emitted from the light guide plate by the emission diffraction element.

A method of manufacturing a thin film optical apparatus includes providing a substrate and applying an alignment layer over the substrate. The alignment layer ranges from about 50 to 100 nm in thickness. The method includes imprinting a hologram with a desired optic pattern onto the alignment layer and applying at least one layer of mesogen material over the alignment layer.