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 film 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 lens 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.

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 substantially constant reflective axes across a relatively wide range of wavelengths. In some examples, a skew mirror has substantially constant reflective axes across a relatively wide range of angles of incidence. Exemplary methods for making and using skew mirrors 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.

Disclosed herein are devices and methods to provide a holographic optical element (HOE) having a modified shape and a structural attribute. At least one wavefront may be used to cause a first structure change in a material, used for the HOE, in a first shape. The material used for the HOE may be changed from the first shape to the modified shape to cause a second structure change in the material. The structural attribute in the material may be provided from a combination of the first structure change and the second structure change.

Disclosed herein is a lens for a wearable projection system. The lens includes a holographic optical element embedded within the lens and covering a portion of the viewable area of the lens. The lens can be manufactured by providing a first lens blank, affixing the HOE to a portion of the first lens blank, and forming a second lens blank on the first lens blank to embed the HOE between the lens blanks.

Disclosed herein is a lens for a wearable projection system. The lens includes a holographic optical element embedded within the lens and covering a portion of the viewable area of the lens. The lens can be manufactured by filling a cavity in a lens blank with a photosensitive material and exposing the photosensitive material to a number of light beams to form the HOE.

Techniques disclosed herein relate to photo-patternable latent-chemistry inorganic materials. An example of the photo-patternable latent-chemistry inorganic materials includes a sol-gel material comprising a solution containing a tin dichloride salt, at least one alcohol containing solvent, and optionally a photo-acid generator or photo-acid. The sol-gel material, upon selective photo-excitation (which forms a latent pattern with latent chemistry in the sol-gel material) and blanket thermal annealing, can form a coating having a formula SnO(n)X(m), where the n:m ratio and/or n-m values of the coating vary across regions of the coating, such that a refractive index of the coating varies across regions of the coating, without affecting the coating's transparency for visible light.

A method for displaying an image viewable by an eye, the image being projected from a portable head worn display, comprises steps of: emitting a plurality of light beams of wavelengths that differ amongst the light beams; directing the plurality of light beams to a scanning mirror; modulating in intensity each one of the plurality of light beams in accordance with intensity information provided from the image, whereby the intensity is representative of a pixel value within the image; scanning the plurality of light beams in two distinct axes with the scanning mirror to form the image; and redirecting the plurality of light beams to the eye using a holographic optical element acting as a reflector of the light beams, whereby the redirecting is dependent on the wavelength of the light beam, to create for each light beam an exit pupil at the eye that is spatially separated from the exit pupils of the other light beams.

The subject matter described herein includes a curved VPH grating with tilted fringes and spectrographs, both retroreflective and transmissive, that use such gratings. A VPH grating according to the subject matter described herein includes a first curved surface for receiving light to be diffracted. The grating includes an interior region having tilted fringes to diffract light that passes through the first surface. The grating further includes a second curved surface bounding the interior region on a side opposite the first surface and for passing light diffracted by the fringes.

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 substantially constant reflective axes across a relatively wide range of wavelengths. In some examples, a skew mirror has substantially constant reflective axes across a relatively wide range of angles of incidence. Exemplary methods for making and using skew mirrors are also disclosed. Skew mirrors include a grating structure, which in some examples comprises a hologram.