A method of manufacturing an optical element including, a first step of, after affixing a hologram forming material to a glass substrate having a marking portion, performing interference exposure on the hologram forming material, thereby forming a hologram layer at the glass substrate, and a second step of affixing the hologram layer peeled off from the glass substrate to a plastic substrate having a first alignment mark, wherein in the second step, the first alignment mark on the plastic substrate, and a second alignment mark formed at a position corresponding to the marking portion in the hologram layer during the interference exposure are used to implement positioning of the plastic substrate and the hologram layer.

An optical element includes a hologram layer, a resin substrate to which the hologram layer is adhered, and a holder portion that supports the resin substrate and has a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of the resin substrate. One of the holder portion and the resin substrate includes a contact surface along an axis extending in a plate thickness direction of the resin substrate, and the other of the holder portion and the resin substrate includes a pressing surface that presses the contact surface.

A method for producing a hologram on a curved substrate plate includes providing a curved substrate plate having a substrate surface, the actual geometry of which is subject to a tolerance deviation with respect to a predetermined desired geometry; providing an inflatable cushion with a cushion surface that can be deformed under the effect of pressure and is preformed into the predetermined desired geometry or with a predetermined deviation therefrom; applying a holographic master in the form of a flexible thin layer to the deformable cushion surface and applying a hologram-recording layer to the substrate surface; pressing or placing the holographic master onto the hologram-recording layer by way of the cushion surface deformed to the actual geometry, thereby achieving full surface-area contact between them with a substantially constant predetermined layer thickness of the hologram-recording layer, and exposing the hologram-recording layer to form a hologram.

An interference structure having a nanovoided hologram material is described. The nanovoided hologram material may have an index of refraction difference of approximately 0.4. The interference structure may include about 10% to 90% nanovoids by volume. The interference structure may be formed using a mixture of a monomer, an initiator, and solvent. The mixture may be disposed on a substrate and irradiated with two sources of light spaced apart from each other and shining on the same region of the mixture to generate an interference pattern in the mixture, leading to the selective polymerization of regions of the mixture where there is constructive interference of light. Various other devices, methods, and systems are also disclosed.

A method for producing a curved substrate panel with a hologram includes producing a curved substrate panel from plastic by forming, injection moulding or injection-compression molding between a first mold half, which defines a predetermined desired geometry of a substrate surface, and a second mold half removing the first mold half from the second mold half and applying a holographic master to a surface of the first mold half, or of a further mold half fixing the first mold half or further mold half on the second mold half such that an empty gap of a predetermined constant thickness remains between the holographic master and the substrate surface, and filling this gap with a hologram-receiving material; and exposing the hologram-receiving layer formed between the substrate surface and the holographic master with a coherent light for forming a hologram defined by the holographic master.

A display panel (1) comprising a body of optical material, the body having at least one optical image recorded therein in an encoded manner, wherein the image is selectively reconstructable and viewable (5, 6, 7) by illuminating the panel (1) using at least one light source (3a, 3b, 3c) under selected illumination conditions, wherein the image is reconstructable and viewable (5, 6, 7) such that at least one first optical property or parameter of the reconstructed image (e.g. its geometry, position in space, colour, its dynamic appearance) is selectable in value from amongst variable values of the at least one first optical property or parameter, or whose value is actively modifiable over time, as a function of or in dependence on the value of at least one second optical property or parameter of the illumination conditions of the at least one light source (e.g. its/their position(s) or spacing(s) relative to the panel (1), its/their colour, brightness/optical intensity, polarisation, direction of light ray propagation, application of a scanning technique to illuminate the panel (1)) which is selectable from amongst variable values thereof or which is actively modifiable in value over time.

A method of preparing a glazing, comprising: stacking a first glass sheet, a first interlayer, a photopolymer film, a second interlayer, and a second glass sheet to provide a lamination stack; &airing the lamination stack; autoclaving the lamination stack to provide a laminated glazing; applying a reactive light to the photopolymer film in the laminated glazing, wherein reactive light is applied to the laminated glazing through a master holographic film; and bleaching the laminated glazing such that the photopolymer film is no longer reactive to light exposure.

A holographic security or identification device (10) comprises an object, or a flexible substrate (12) configured to be conformable to a desired, curved shape; and a plurality of structures (14) formed on or in the object to have a desired curved configuration, or formed in or associated with the substrate and arranged to adopt a desired curved configuration when the substrate is conformed to a desired shape, wherein the plurality of structures (14) are configured to receive light (20) of a selected at least one wavelength or range of wavelengths and to produce, using the received light, a desired holographic image (22) for security or identification purposes when in the desired configuration.

A method for producing a hologram (1), (1) for security elements (1a) and/or security documents (1b). One or more virtual hologram planes (10) are arranged in front of and/or behind one or more virtual models (20) and/or one or more virtual hologram planes (10) are arranged such that they intersect one or more virtual models (20). One or more virtual light sources (30) are arranged on one or more partial regions of the surface (21) of one or more of the virtual models (20). One or more virtual electromagnetic fields (40) are calculated starting from at least one of the virtual light sources (30) in one or more zones (11) of the one or more virtual hologram planes (10). In the one or more zones (11), in each case, a virtual total electromagnetic field (41) is calculated on the basis of the sum of two or more, of the virtual electromagnetic fields (40) in the respective zone (11). One or more phase images (50) are calculated from the virtual total electromagnetic fields (41) in the one or more zones (11). A height profile (60) of the hologram (1) is calculated from the one or more phase images (50) and the height profile (60) of the hologram (1) is incorporated into a substrate (2) to provide the hologram (1).

A process is provided for producing a hologram that can be applied in particular to a curved carrier, characterized by the process steps of bending a flat, photosensitive recording material and projecting the hologram into the curved recording material.