A method of manufacturing a thin film optical apparatus includes providing a substrate and applying an alignment layer over the substrate. The alignment layer ranges from about 50 to 100 nm in thickness. The method includes imprinting a hologram with a desired optic pattern onto the alignment layer and applying at least one layer of mesogen material over the alignment layer.

A device and a method for manufacturing holographic optical elements. The device includes at least two partial light beams and one interference light beam, one deformable mirror in each case per partial light beam, a control unit, which is configured to actuate the deformable mirrors to adapt a wavefront of the partial light beam, and a holographic film. The deformable mirrors are situated so as to each reflect precisely one partial light beam and to direct the reflected partial light beam on the holographic film, and the interference light beam being directed on the holographic film to interfere with the reflected partial light beams so as to simultaneously generate at least two holographic optical elements.

Exemplary arrangements relate to methods for recording and reproducing holograms. A method of recording a hologram in a thresholded opto-magnetic medium (7) includes producing a collimated recording beam (1) with a pulsed laser. The intensity of the recording beam is selectively modulated by passage through a modulator (2). The recording beam is spatially shaped by passage through a shaping element (15). The shaped modulated recording beam is made convergent by passage through an aspheric lens (4). The convergent beam is deflected bidirectionally with a MEMS mirror (6) that is in operative connection with the modulator, such that multiple disposed locations on a surface of the medium are exposed to a constriction of the convergent shaped recording beam, causing a change in the medium in the locations. Reconstructing the hologram is carried out by illuminating the medium with a collimated laser beam and focusing with a lens, light from the illuminated medium onto a detection matrix. Additional methods of recording and reproducing holograms utilize alternative steps.

In described examples, a system (e.g., a projection system) can include a diffractive optical element adapted to be illuminated by at least one coherent light beam. A lens array is coupled to receive a diffracted beam of light from the diffractive optical element. The lens array includes a first and a second array lens. The first array lens is coupled to receive a first sector of a pattern of illumination of the diffracted beam of light, and the second array lens is coupled to receive a second sector of the pattern of illumination of the diffracted beam of light. A spatial light modulator is coupled to receive overlapping diffracted beams of light from the first and second array lenses to form an image beam.

An augmented reality display device (such as a head mounted device) includes a partially transparent and partially reflective lens, a laser light source, a radio frequency source, a display controller, an acousto-optical modulator, and a microelectromechanical (MEMS) device. The laser light source generates light. The radio frequency (RF) source generates a RF signal. The display controller generates a synchronization signal. The acousto-optical modulator receives at least a portion of the light, modulates the light based on the RF signal, and provides modulated light. The MEMS device receives the synchronization signal from the display controller and reflects the modulated light towards the partially transparent and partially reflective lens. The MEMS device determines a direction in which the modulated light reflects based on the synchronization signal and the partially transparent and partially reflective lens reflecting the modulated laser light towards an eye of a user of the augmented realty display device.

A method forms an image with a reconfigurable array of mirrors. The method includes configuring the array by translating some of the mirrors such that distances of the mirrors of the array from a reference plane have a non-uniform spatial distribution. The method includes illuminating the configured array with a coherent light beam such that part of the light beam is reflected off the array and is projected on a planar viewing screen.

Embodiments are directed to an apparatus for creating a scene comprising: a plurality of micro-mirrors configured to rotate between an off position and at least two on positions to generate a plurality of holograms, and a processor configured to select positions for the micro-mirrors based on an input specification of the scene.

A spatial light modulator includes a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of micro-mirrors arranged on the semiconductor substrate to modulate light. Each of the micro-mirrors has a center and a perimeter. Each of the micro-mirrors includes a layer of a reflective material arranged on the semiconductor substrate. In in each of the micro-mirrors, the layer of the reflective material extends horizontally from the center towards the perimeter for a predetermined distance and slopes downwards towards the semiconductor substrate after the predetermined distance.

A direct-retina holographic projection system includes first and second spatial light modulators (SLMs) and a control module. The first SLM receives a beam of light and dithers the beam of light at a predetermined frequency to provide multiple instances of the beam of light. The second SLM receives the instances of the beam of light, displays an encoded phase hologram of a graphic image to be projected, and diffracts the instances of the beam of light to provide instances of the encoded phase hologram with the same graphic image but multiplied with dithered wavefronts. The control module: iteratively adjusts a parameter of the first SLM to generate the instances of the beam of light; and controls operation of the second SLM to, based on the instances of the beam of light, display multiple instances of the graphic image on a retina of an eye of a viewer.

An optical device (100) for forming a distribution of a three-dimensional light field comprises: an array (102) of unit cells (104), a unit cell (104) being individually addressable for switching the optical property of the unit cell (104) between a first and a second condition; wherein the unit cells (104) are configured to be selectively active or inactive and wherein the array (102) comprises at least a first and a second disjoint subset (110; 112; 114; 116), and wherein the unit cells (104) in a subset (110; 112; 114; 116) are configured to be jointly switched from inactive to active, wherein the active unit cells (104) are configured to interact with an incident light beam (106) for forming the distribution of the three-dimensional light field; and wherein the optical device (100) is configured to address inactive unit cells (104) for switching the optical property of unit cells (104).