Systems and methods for recording holographic gratings in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a holographic recording system including a first movable platform configured to support a first plurality of waveguide cells for exposure, at least one master grating, and at least one laser source configured to provide a set of recording beams by directing light towards the at least one master grating, wherein the first movable platform is translatable in predefined steps along at least one of two orthogonal directions, and wherein at each the predefined step at least one waveguide cell is positioned to be illuminated by at least one recording beam within the set of recording beams.

Systems and methods for waveguide displays with angularly varying optical power in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a waveguide display including a source of image modulated light projected over a field of view, and a waveguide including at least one output grating with an optical prescription providing angularly varying optical power for focusing the field of view onto an external surface. In another embodiment, the at least one output grating includes at least one grating prescription providing a first focal length for focusing a first FOV portion onto a first area of the surface and a second focal length for focusing a second FOV portion onto a second area of the surface. In still another embodiment, the at least one output grating includes at least one grating prescription providing a continuously varying focal length across at least a portion of the FOV.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide: elements, in particular, a display element and an optical element, which are obtained by controlling orientation of liquid crystals in a liquid crystal bulk without using a liquid crystal orientation film; and/or a photoreactive liquid crystal composition for manufacturing the elements. The present invention provides: a photoreactive liquid crystal composition comprising (A) a photoreactive polymer liquid crystal which includes a photoreactive side chain in which at least one type of reaction selected from the group consisting of (A-1) photocrosslinking and (A-2) photoisomerization occurs, and (B) a low molecular weight liquid crystal; and an optical element or display element which is formed having a liquid crystal cell including the composition.

Holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal material systems in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal formulation, including monomers, photoinitiators, and a liquid crystal mixture including terphenyl compounds and non-terphenyl compounds, the liquid crystal mixture having a ratio of at least 1:10 by weight percentage of the terphenyl compounds to the non-terphenyl compounds, wherein the photoinitiators are configured to facilitate a photopolymerization induced phase separation process of the monomers and the liquid crystal mixture. In another embodiment, the liquid crystal mixture further includes pyrimidine compounds, and wherein the liquid crystal mixture has a ratio of at least 1:10 by weight percentage of the terphenyl compounds and pyrimidine compounds to the non-terphenyl compounds. In a further embodiment, the ratio of the terphenyl compounds to the non-terphenyl compounds is at least 1.5:10.

A photoreactive liquid crystal composition containing (A) a photoreactive polymer liquid crystal which includes a photoreactive side chain in which at least one type of reaction selected from (A-1) photocrosslinking and (A-2) photoisomerization occurs, and (B) a low molecular weight liquid crystal. An optical element or display element is formed having a liquid crystal cell including the photoreactive liquid crystal composition.

The invention relates to a sealed holographic medium comprising a layer construction containing a photopolymer layer and a sealing layer, to a process for producing the sealed holographic medium, to a kit of parts, to a layer construction for sealing and to the use thereof.

Disclosed are a holographic writing method and apparatus capable of re-writing (updating) holographic information and quickly writing the holographic information with high efficiency. In an embodiment, a holographic writing method for writing holographic information by emitting a beam at a holographic recording medium containing a photo-responsable polymer material having photoisomerization characteristics that change a molecular structure thereof by absorbing light energy, writes the holographic information by using a writing wavelength different from a maximum absorption wavelength in a light absorption spectrum of photoisomer molecule structures of the holographic recording medium. The maximum absorption wavelength is a wavelength at which light absorption rate is maximum in the light absorption spectrum. A difference between the light absorption rates of the photoisomer molecule structures at the writing wavelength is less than a difference between the light absorption rates of the photoisomer molecule structures at the maximum absorption wavelength.

A method for producing holograms with a multiplicity of holographic prescriptions from a single master is provided. A multiplicity of holographic substrates each containing a first hologram is stacked on a second holographic recording medium substrate. The first hologram is designed to diffract light from a first direction into a second direction. When expose to illumination from the first direction zero order and diffracted light from each first hologram interfere in the second holographic recording medium substrate forming a second hologram. The second hologram is then copied into a third holographic recording medium substrate to provide the final copy hologram.

Systems and methods for fabricating optical elements in accordance with various embodiments of the invention are illustrated. One embodiment includes a method for fabricating an optical element, the method including providing a first optical substrate, depositing a first layer of a first optical recording material onto the first optical substrate, applying an optical exposure process to the first layer to form a first optical structure, temporarily erasing the first optical structure, depositing a second layer of a second optical recording material, and applying an optical exposure process to the second layer to form a second optical structure, wherein the optical exposure process includes using at least one light beam traversing the first layer.

A camera system includes an image sensor assembly and a tunable optical element. The tunable optical element is a gradient index (GRIN) lens created from a polymer dispersed liquid crystal and a coupled control element. The GRIN lens is tunable by applying an electric field to the optical element via a control element. The control element applies a voltage differential to the optical element inducing an electric field which changes the polarization of the PDLC within the optical element. The electrodes of the control element can include sheet resistors with a radially dependent voltage drop. The refractive index of the GRIN lens is dependent on the polarization of the liquid crystals within the optical element. Applying the electric field to the tunable element changes the optical properties of the grating.