A static-image augmented privacy display, mode-switchable privacy display system, and method provide a private image to a first view zone and a static image to a second view zone. The static-image augmented privacy display includes a privacy backlight configured to provide directional emitted light to the first view zone and an array of light valves configured to modulate the directional emitted light to provide a private image within the first view zone. The static-image augmented privacy display also includes a static display layer configured to provide a static image in a second view zone. The mode-switchable privacy display includes a broad-angle backlight configured to provide broad-angle emitted light to both a first view zone and a second view zone during a shared mode, a shared image being provided by modulation of the broad-angle emitted light using the light valve array.

A method for forming an optical device and an optical device, wherein upon illumination, exhibits diffractive images dependent upon viewing angle, the device having a diffractive structure including grating regions, each region corresponding to a component of a respective diffractive image, wherein: each region of the diffractive structure includes grating elements along a first direction having a principal orientation component within the device plane that is substantially orthogonal to the first direction; wherein, the grating elements within each grating region have a constant pitch and the same orientation wherein each grating region, upon illumination, exhibits a diffractive color wherein the corresponding diffractive image is exhibited; wherein, the diffractive structure includes first and second grating regions elongated along a common first direction, the regions being adjacent along the first direction, and wherein the pitch and/or orientation of the grating elements of the first and second grating regions are different.

An optical identifier including a recording surface, a plurality of deflection cells each of which has recorded thereon a range in which light to be diffracted is deflected, at least one spatial phase modulator which fills a space between the deflection cells on the recording surface, and a deposition layer which covers part or all of the recording surface. The deflection cells has a spatial frequency expressed in a form of a relief structure and are discretely formed on the recording surface at regular intervals away from each other. A variable color image is recorded by pixels defined by the deflection cells. The spatial phase modulator has thereon a distribution of phase differences recorded in a form of heights of the relief structure. The spatial phase modulator modulates a phase of light outputted from a point light source and displays a reproduced image.

A method of fabricating a component (1) comprises the steps of providing precursor material in a working medium, creating acoustic forces and positioning the precursor material in the working medium under the effect of the acoustic forces, so that a material distribution is formed, which has a shape of the component to be fabricated, and subjecting at least one of the material distribution and the working medium to a fixation, so that the precursor material of the material distribution or the working medium surrounding the material distribution is bound, wherein the step of creating the acoustic forces includes generating an acoustic interference pattern (5), and the material distribution (4) is formed by moving the precursor material (2) towards energy extrema of the acoustic interference pattern (5). Furthermore, an apparatus (100) for fabricating a component (1) is described.

A phase modulation structure includes a recording surface including phase angle recording regions in a plurality of calculated element regions corresponding to reconstruction points of an image on a one-to-one basis, each phase angle recording region being formed of a plurality of unit blocks in each of which a phase angle is recorded, the phase angle being calculated based on a phase that is a sum of a plurality of phases of light from the corresponding reconstruction points; and a representative area that is one of divisions of the calculated element region, the representative area being obtained by radially dividing the calculated element region centered on a point on the calculated element region, the point being obtained by extending a normal line from the corresponding reconstruction point to the calculated element region on the recording surface.

An optical device is formed by hot stamping a demetallized hologram to an optically variable foil or to a coating of optically variable ink. In another embodiment a hologram is hot stamped to a banknote or document printed with a color-shifting ink.

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 hologram element for broadband shaping of electromagnetic waves and a related system are disclosed. The hologram element has a dispersive surface with a surface height profile that is configured to spatially modulate at least one of an amplitude or a phase of transmitted electromagnetic waves having a bandwidth defined by a start frequency f.sub.1 and a stop frequency f.sub.2. The surface height profile is further configured to maximize a rate of one of a phase shift or a delay variation at said bandwidth via steps comprised in the dispersive surface, each step having a step height the electrical length of which is a multiple of N+q wavelengths at the start frequency f.sub.1 and M multiple of wavelengths at the stop frequency f.sub.2.

A hologram that includes a formation layer and a reflection layer that are laminated. The formation layer has an optical phase modulation structure on a first interface in contact with the reflection layer. When reference light emitted from a point light source enters through a second interface different from the first interface of the formation layer, the entirety or part of an image to be reconstructed by the optical phase modulation structure is reconstructed as spatial information on the point light source side relative to the second interface.

An apparatus for producing an optically variable film includes a laser configured to emit a beam, a telescoping lens section having a first lens and a second lens spaced apart by a first distance and an interferometer configured to direct the beam toward a workpiece. The laser may be operated at a predetermined power level and the first and second lenses are sized and spaced relative to one another to direct the beam onto the workpiece at about 200-230 dots per inch. The workpiece may include a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) layer configured to be ablated by the beam, forming a microstructure in the surface of the layer. The microstructure may be randomized and used to present non-chroma visual effects.