Provided is an augmented reality (AR) device based on a waveguide with a holographic diffractive grating structure and an apparatus for recording the holographic diffractive grating structure. The apparatus includes a light source, a beam splitter, a first amplitude filter and a first triangular prism that are arranged on a path of a first light beam, and a second amplitude filter and a second triangular prism that are arranged on a path of a second light beam, in which a first part of the first light beam passes through the first triangular prism without attenuation, a second part of the first light beam passes through the first triangular prism after being attenuated, and the second light beam passes through the second triangular prism after being attenuated, and the holographic diffractive grating structure is recorded between the first triangular prism and the second triangular prism.

A light projection apparatus is provided comprising: a source of light; a switchable grating on a first substrate; and a diffractive optical element. Light is diffracted at least once by the switchable grating and is diffracted at least once by the DOE.

A skew mirror is an optical reflective device whose reflective axis forms a non-zero angle with the surface normal. A spatially varying skew minor is a skew mirror whose reflective axes vary as a function of lateral position. If a spatially varying skew mirror was subdivided into many pieces, some or all of the many pieces could have a reflective axis that points in a different direction. In some variations, a spatially varying skew minor can act as a focusing mirror that focuses incident light. A spatially varying skew mirror can be made by recording interference patterns between a phase-modulated writing beam and another writing beam or by recording interference patterns between planar wavefronts in a curved holographic recording medium that is later bent or warped.

An optical reflective device referred to as a skew mirror, having a reflective axis that need not be constrained to surface normal, is described. Examples of skew mirrors are configured to reflect light about a constant reflective axis across a relatively wide range of wavelengths. In some examples, a skew mirror has a constant reflective axis across a relatively wide range of angles of incidence. Exemplary methods for making and using skew minors are also disclosed. Skew mirrors include a grating structure, which in some examples comprises a hologram.

A metamaterial optical filter including: a transparent substrate; and a photosensitive polymer layer provided to the transparent substrate, wherein the photosensitive polymer layer is treated using a laser to form a non-conformal holographically patterned subwavelength grating, the holographic grating configured to block a predetermined wavelength of electromagnetic radiation. A system and method for manufacturing holographically patterned subwavelength grating onto the photosensitive polymer layer including: applying a photosensitive polymer layer to a transparent substrate; placing the photosensitive polymer layer between a laser and a mirror; scanning the laser over the photosensitive polymer layer such that a holographic grating is created within the photosensitive polymer layer by interaction between the laser light and light reflected from the mirror; and stacking two or more holographically patterned subwavelength grating layers to form complex metamaterial optical filter stacks.

An optical device and an eye-tracking system to suppress a rainbow effect are provided. The optical device includes a grating. The grating includes at least one substrate and a grating structure coupled to the at least one substrate. The grating structure is configured to diffract an infrared light beam and transmit a visible light beam with a diffraction efficiency less than a predetermined threshold.

Systems, devices, and methods for side lobe control in holograms are described. The magnitude of the side lobes of a hologram depends on the distribution of refractive index modulation (Δn), therefore control of side lobe magnitude may be achieved by controlling the distribution of Δn. The distribution of Δn may be controlled by replicating a hologram from a master with two reference beams, where the wavelength and angle of each reference beam, the playback angle of the master hologram, and the thickness of the master hologram, the copy holographic recording medium (HRM), and the recording substrate are carefully chosen to achieve a pattern of meta-interference within the HRM that matches the desired distribution of Δn.

Systems, articles, and methods that integrate photopolymer film with eyeglass lenses are described. One or more hologram(s) may be recorded into/onto the photopolymer file to enable the lens to be used as a transparent holographic combiner in a wearable heads-up display employing an image source, such as a microdisplay or a scanning laser projector. The methods of integrating photopolymer film with eyeglass lenses include: positioning photopolymer film in a lens mold and casting the lends around the photopolymer film; sandwiching photopolymer film in between two portions of a lens' applying photopolymer film to a concave surface of a lens' and/or affixing a planar carrier (with photopolymer film thereon) to two points across a length of a concave surface of a lens. Respective lenses manufactured/adapted by each of these processes are also described.

Typical waveguides rely on total internal reflection between the outer surfaces of substrates, which can make them highly susceptible to beam misalignment caused by nonplanarity of the substrates. In the manufacturing of the glass sheets commonly used for substrates, ripples can occur during the stretching and drawing of glass as it emerges from a furnace. Although glass manufacturers try to minimize ripples using predictions from mathematical models, it is difficult to totally eradicate the problem from the glass manufacturing process. Typically, these beam misalignments manifest themselves as image distortions and non-uniformities in the output illumination from the waveguide. Many embodiments of the invention are directed toward optically efficient, low cost solutions to the problem of controlling output image quality in waveguides manufactured using commercially available substrate glass and to the problem of compensating the image distortions and non-uniformity of curved waveguides.

Provided are methods for replication (copying) of volume Holographic Optical Elements (HOE) using a master hologram in optical contact with a prism, wherein the master hologram comprises distinct object and reference beam coupling elements, and wherein in the replication process light is coupled from one face of the prism and transmitted through another face of the prism using the distinct object and reference beam coupling elements. Methods for making the master hologram by sequentially forming the distinct object and reference beam coupling elements therein are provided. Further methods for encoding aperture functions directly to the master hologram are provided. Yet further methods provide for forming a copy HOE in an array configuration using a step-and-repeat method wherein the copy HOE is translated laterally by a specified distance before the next exposure is made.