In one aspect, a method for producing a diffractive optical element for beam shaping of a laser beam having a first wavelength of at least 100 nm includes providing a laser mirror, the laser mirror having a layered structure made of a substrate, a dielectric layer and optionally an absorption layer, the dielectric layer resting against the substrate or the absorption layer being located between the substrate and the dielectric layer. The method also includes creating a plurality of bulges of the dielectric layer by treating the laser mirror with a series of focused heating laser beams having a second wavelength (λ.sub.2), the plurality of bulges having a height perpendicular to the dielectric layer, and at least one bulge having a height of at least half the first wavelength (λ.sub.1).

A grating part includes a first transparent substrate having an optical grating on a surface thereof, a second transparent substrate having an optical grating on a surface thereof, and a spacer positioned between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate, the spacer bonding the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate.

The disclosure provides high refractive index ceramic material nanoimprint lithography (NIL) gratings having a relatively lower amount of carbon compared to traditional NIL gratings, and methods of making and using thereof, and devices including such gratings. The ceramic material includes one or more of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, tungsten oxide, zinc tellurium, gallium phosphide, or any combination or derivative thereof.

A method of producing a diffractive optical element (1) comprises the steps of providing at least one substrate (3) having a surface (4) and generating a relief structure (2) in the surface (4) of the substrate (3) using a processing device (5). The relief structure (2) is generated such that a distance (D) between a surface (8) of the relief structure (2) and the surface (4) of the substrate (3) along the third direction (z) varies essentially continuously. A diffractive optical element (1) comprises a relief structure (2), wherein at least in a portion of the relief structure (2) a distance (D) between the surface (8) of the relief structure (2) and the surface (4) of the substrate (3) varies essentially continuously. A virtual image display device comprises at least a first and a second of such diffractive optical elements (1).

A pupil replication waveguide for a projector display includes a slab of transparent material for propagating display light in the slab via total internal reflection. A diffraction grating is supported by the slab. The diffraction grating includes a plurality of tapered slanted fringes in a substrate for out-coupling the display light from the slab by diffraction into a blazed diffraction order. A greater portion of the display light is out-coupled into the blazed diffraction order, and a smaller portion of the display light is out-coupled into a non-blazed diffraction order. The tapered fringes result in the duty cycle of the diffraction grating varying along the thickness direction of the diffraction grating, to facilitate suppressing the portion of the display light out-coupled into the non-blazed diffraction order.

A multilayer optical film including a first layer having an index of refraction n1 at a wavelength λ in a range from about 580 nm to about 650 nm, and a second layer having an index of refraction n2 at λ is described. The first and second layers define an interface therebetween comprising a two-dimensional grating. The grating may have an average height H such that |n1−n2|*H is in a range from 0.24 micrometers to 0.3 micrometers. Optical systems including the multilayer optical film are described. A subpixel in a display surface of the optical system may be diffracted into a zero diffraction order and a plurality of first diffraction orders where the intensities of the zero and first diffraction orders are with 10% of each other at λ. The optical system may have a modulation transfer function greater than 0.4 at 10 line pairs per millimeter.

The invention relates to a method of fabricating a master plate for producing diffractive structures and a master plate obtainable therewith. The method comprises providing a substrate having a periodic surface profile, filling the surface profile uniformly at least partly with filling material, and partially removing the filling material in order to produce a master plate having a periodic height-modulated surface profile formed by said substrate and said filling material. The invention allows for producing master plates capable of further producing gratings with variable diffraction efficiency.

A vehicle applique includes a base structure and a polymeric coating disposed on the base structure. The polymeric coating at least partially covers an outer surface of the base structure. A diffraction grating is integrally defined by the polymeric coating. The diffraction grating has a thickness in a range of from about 100 nm to about 300 nm.

Easy and accurate mating of a groove interval of a groove pattern of a diffraction grating with a position on a convex fixing substrate is enabled. For this purpose, a concave diffraction grating is fabricated by: transferring a groove pattern formed on a plane diffraction grating and having unequal groove intervals onto a metal thin film; forming a first alignment mark on a convex surface of a fixing substrate having the convex surface to fix the metal thin film; mating a second alignment mark formed on an adhesive surface of the metal thin film with the first alignment mark to perform alignment; bonding the adhesive surface of the metal thin film and the convex surface of the fixing substrate to each other to fabricate a master; and transferring a groove pattern of a metal thin film of the master.

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.