METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DOCUMENT SECURITY BY GENERATING MULTIPLE REFLECTIVE AND TRANSMISSIVE LATENT IMAGES

Abstract

The present invention relates to a production method and to a device for document security applications including various latent images on each side. The invention comprises: depositing, according to an established pattern, at least one layer of metallized material, forming a holographic element on at least one part of one of the surfaces of a confinement substrate; defining different regions on the surface of the substrate; inducing different alignment directions for orienting a liquid crystal according to the previously defined regions; doping the liquid crystal with at least one dichroic dye; placing the liquid crystal over at least one confinement substrate, covering the holographic element; adding a second confinement substrate, forming a sandwich-type structure; and polymerizing the liquid crystal, forming a sheet.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for producing devices for document security including various latent images, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: a) depositing, according to at least one established pattern, at least one layer of at least partially metallized material, forming a holographic element on at least one part of one of the sides of at least one confinement substrate; b) defining different regions on the surface of the at least one substrate; c) inducing different alignment directions for orienting a liquid crystal according to the previously defined regions; d) doping the liquid crystal with at least one dichroic dye; e) placing the doped liquid crystal on at least one confinement substrate, covering the holographic element; f) adding a second confinement substrate, forming a sandwich-type structure; g) polymerizing the liquid crystal, forming a sheet.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step b) further comprises defining the different regions according to the holographic element deposited on the at least one part of the surface of the substrate.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein defining the different regions according to the holographic element comprises using micrometric or submicrometric grooves, resulting from the material deposition of step a), for aligning the liquid crystal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein it further comprises removing at least one of the confinement substrates once the liquid crystal has been polymerized.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein defining different regions on the inner face of the confinement substrate comprises at least one of the following techniques: photolithography; masks; physical barriers; selective deposition; thermal evaporation; inkjet; micrometric or submicrometric pattern generation; partial (semireflective) metallization which reflects part of the incident light and transmits the rest; selective reflective or semireflective metallization which covers a specific area of the device; or a combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating different alignment directions is carried out in any direction parallel to the plane of the confinement substrates, wherein the alignment directions induced on one of the sides of a substrate are independent of those induced in a second substrate and comprise the use of at least one of the following techniques: mechanical rubbing of the alignment layer; photoalignment of a photosensitive material; oblique deposition of an aligner material; alignment by means of a micrometric or submicrometric pattern; generation of a pattern of interdigitated electrodes oriented in different directions on the surface of the confinement plates; or a combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignments induced in at least two regions are not linear with respect to one another.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least two of the induced alignments are orthogonal with respect to one another.

9. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises determining the relative angle existing between the induced alignment directions to generate different gray levels in the latent image.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises adding an RGB color matrix to generate the latent images, wherein the color matrix is arranged such that the regions defined in the sheet are made to coincide with the pixelation of the matrix on either the outer face of the already polymerized liquid crystal sheet or on the inner face of a protective polymer layer located on the sheet.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] To complement the description that is being made and for the purpose of aiding to better understand the features of the invention, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description in which the following has been depicted in an illustrative and non-limiting manner:

[0060] FIG. 1 shows a central vertical cross-section of a device according to one of the embodiments of the invention.

[0061] FIG. 2 shows the operating principle of the invention according to several steps corresponding to one of the possible embodiments.

[0062] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment similar to the preceding ones, but with the particularity that only one of the holographic elements has been metallized.

[0063] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the invention, where the holographic elements have been selectively metallized.

[0064] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment identical to that shown in FIG. 4, except in this case only one of the holographic elements has been metallized.

[0065] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention, where the liquid crystal sheet has been removed from the confinement substrates.

[0066] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention produced between two substrates, from which it is subsequently removed, where the holographic elements have been selectively metallized.

[0067] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment identical to that shown in FIG. 7, except for the particularity that only one surface has been metallized.

[0068] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the reflective images of the sheets adhered to the LCP layer are different from the images generated in transmission.

[0069] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 9, except in this case a single holographic element has been adhered to one of the surfaces.

[0070] FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of the invention where the LCP sheet is not removed from the confinement substrates but are left there, forming part of the final structure of the device.

[0071] FIG. 12 shows an embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 11, except in this case a single holographic element has been adhered to one of the surfaces.

[0072] FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of the invention where the reflective images obtained in the sheets adhered to the LCP sheet are different from the images generated in transmission on the LCP sheet itself.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0073] According to one of the embodiments, the device of the present invention is based on one transparent and colored thin sheet of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) or reactive mesogen (RM) doped with at least one dichroic dye, though it could be doped with more dichroic dyes. On the sides of the sheet there are holographic elements that are partially metallized or metallized in selected areas. Alternatively, these holographic elements can be completely metallized in part of the device, so part of the device is opaque (reflective) while another part is transparent or partially transparent.

[0074] The transparent sheet does not exhibit any image in transmission when it is illuminated with unpolarized light, but when the device is illuminated with polarized light (such as, for example, the outcoming light from a mobile phone LCD or OLED, computer or television display), and observed in transmission, it shows at least one image on each side (depending on the incidence angle of the light in the entrance surface and the position of the dye molecules with respect to the impinging polarized light), the images that are visible when illuminating one side or the other are completely different. The images provided can be B/W or grayscale, monochrome or full-color images. To visualize latent images in transmission in the transparent device, instead of a polarized light source, a linear polarizer can be placed in front of or behind the sheet.

[0075] The images that are visible in transmission can be completely independent of those that are visible in reflection, or in the simplest embodiment, each image that is seen in transmission corresponds with the image that is observed in reflection on the opposite side of the film.

[0076] This security device therefore comprises, in a single element, level 1 features (holographic security features) and level 1.5 features (transmissive features which require an additional element for its verification, but which is of common use). These transmissive features can be considered as level 1 when observed with partially polarized light coming from a reflection on any dielectric surface.

[0077] The devices according to one of the embodiments of the invention are created using two flexible substrates provided with a partially or selectively metallized holographic pattern. These substrates act as confinement plates and alignment surfaces. The dichroic dye-doped liquid crystal layer is therefore located between the substrates, although alternatively, a dichroic dye-doped LCP layer can be deposited on each substrate, attaching them together face to face at a later stage. The holographic pattern induces different alignments in selective areas, generating the desired motifs on both sides of the liquid crystal layer. These motifs become visible in transmission by illuminating them with polarized light. The motifs generated by the holograms themselves are visible in reflection by illuminating them with natural light.

[0078] FIGS. 1 to 13 show a variety of possible embodiments according to the present invention.

[0079] FIGS. 1 to 5 show examples in which the polymerizable dye-doped liquid crystal layer is confined between holographic surfaces forming part of the final device.

[0080] FIGS. 6 to 8 show examples in which the dye-doped LCP sheets are confined between holographic surfaces that are eliminated at a later stage, where the LCP sheet is removed and eventually metallized to configure the final device.

[0081] FIGS. 9 to 13 show examples in which the dye-doped LCP sheets are produced between two substrates. The LCP sheet is then removed and completely or partially metallized substrates with holographic surfaces are adhered thereto. The main difference in the operation of these devices and those described in FIGS. 1 to 8 is that, in the new series, the holographic reflective images and the latent transmissive images of the LCP sheet are independent of one another, where they can therefore be completely different.

[0082] FIG. 1 shows the central vertical cross-section of a device formed by a dichroic dye-doped LCP sheet located between two partially metallized holographic layers. The confinement substrates (1 and 2) may be rigid or flexible, made up of one or more layers of different materials, and have a holographic pattern on each inner surface. Partially metallized layers (3 and 4) are deposited on the inner surfaces of the substrates. These layers can have the same or a different color, reflectivity and surface coating. The dichroic dye-doped LCP material is placed between the metallized holographic substrates (5); the material will have twist configurations varying between 90 and 90, depending on the holographic pattern existing on each surface. For the sake of simplicity, all the drawings that have been included show patterns with two unique perpendicular orientations on each surface; said patterns would only generate black and white images, without grayscale. If all the possible combinations of grayscales or multiple images are to be generated on each surface, all the possible orientations of the alignments (directions of the holographic patterns) on each surface must be considered.

[0083] The device production process starts with the deposition of the dichroic dye-doped LCP mixture on one of the substrates. The sandwich is produced using the other substrate and cured with UV light. The curing process causes polymerization of the liquid crystal, as well as polymerization of the dye, when applicable. Another alternative process for producing the same device would be the deposition of the LCP layer on each of the substrates, subsequently attaching them to one another. In any case, before the polymerization process, the material must reach the liquid crystal phase for it to adopt the desired alignment.

[0084] FIG. 2 shows the operating principle of the device. FIGS. 2b, 2d, 2e and 2g correspond to the same central vertical cross-section according to the structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 2a shows the holographic image that would be seen in reflection if the device is observed from the left side. FIG. 2c shows the image that would be seen in transmission if it is observed from the left side, illuminating with polarized light from the right side (with a specific polarization angle). If the incident polarization angle (or the device) is rotated 90, the image shown will be a negative of the preceding one. FIG. 2h shows the holographic image that would be seen in reflection if it is observed from the right side. FIG. 2f shows the image that would be seen in transmission if it is observed from the right side, illuminating with polarized light from the left side.

[0085] FIG. 3 shows the operating principle of a device identical to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, except in this case only one of the holographic elements has been metallized. The other element is used exclusively for aligning the dichroic dye-doped LCP mixture.

[0086] FIG. 4 shows the operating principle of a device whose holographic elements have been selectively metallized (6 and 7); in this example, the selected regions of the device present complete metallization. FIGS. 4b, 4d, 4e and 4g correspond to the same central vertical cross-section. FIGS. 4a and 4h show the image that would be seen in reflection if it is observed from the left and right side respectively. FIGS. 4c and 4f show the image that would be seen in transmission if it is observed from the left and right side respectively, illuminating with polarized light from the opposite side in each case.

[0087] FIG. 5 shows the operating principle of a device identical to that of FIG. 4, except in this case only one of the holographic elements has been metallized. The other element is used exclusively for aligning the dichroic dye-doped LCP mixture.

[0088] FIG. 6 shows the operating principle of a device identical to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, except for the production process. These devices have a central structure (5) (LCP and dichroic dye) produced between two substrates, from which it is subsequently removed. The substrates can be rigid or flexible, for one or more uses. Partial metallization of the LCP structure can be performed before or after removing it from the substrates.

[0089] FIG. 7 shows the operating principle of a device identical to that of FIG. 4, except for the production process. These devices have a central structure (5) (LCP and dichroic dye) produced between two substrates, from which it is subsequently removed. The substrates can be rigid or flexible, for one or more uses. Partial metallization of the LCP structure can be performed before or after removing it from the substrates.

[0090] FIG. 8 shows the operating principle of a device similar to that of FIG. 7, except in this case only one surface has been metallized. It is also possible to create a structure such as the one shown in FIG. 6 with a single metallized surface.

[0091] FIGS. 9 to 13 show examples of devices whose production process is different. First, a polymerizable liquid crystal layer with various latent images on each face is produced. Confinement plates inducing an alignment pattern on the dichroic dye-doped polymerizable liquid crystal are used in this process. The resulting sheet shows two or more latent images when it is illuminated with polarized light on any of its sides, or when it is observed through a polarizer. The use of the polarizer is not actually required: the device works with partially polarized light, such as light originated from a grazing reflection of a dielectric surface (a shiny floor, table). Polarization component decompensation derived from the proximity of the Brewster angle is enough to show the effect. It can also be observed by placing the sheet in front of a liquid crystal display, for example, a computer display. The result is a thin and flexible sheet containing a set of images. The sheet appears colored, transparent and uniform when it is illuminated with natural light. However, when it is illuminated with completely or partially polarized light, a series of images emerges. The series is determined by the face of the device where the light impinges. If the sheet is slightly rotated, a second set of images appears. Different images also appear when the sheet is illuminated on the opposite side. The starting material is a mixture of polymerizable liquid crystal doped with at least one dichroic dye. Confinement plates are used. An alignment pattern with various orientations is induced on the inner face of each plate. The alignment directions are parallel to the plane of the confinement plates. The sheet containing the latent images is obtained in several steps that are summarized below: first, the dye-doped liquid crystal is introduced between the confinement plates. The plates orient the liquid crystal (and therefore the dye) according to the chosen pattern. Second, the liquid crystal is polymerized to permanently fix the orientation pattern. The polymerized liquid crystal sheet is removed from the confinement sandwich. The end result is a polymerized liquid crystal sheet containing alignment information, where the final transparent sheet will show one or more images when a polarized light source, a partially polarized light source, or a polarizer is used. If the alignment pattern of each confinement plate is different, a different set of images will appear depending on the face that is oriented towards the polarized light source or the polarizer.

[0092] The liquid crystal can be doped with one or more dyes. The orientation of the liquid crystal, and accordingly the dye, is determined by conditioning the inner surfaces of the confinement plates while producing the sheet.

[0093] Glass plates are normally used as substrates in the production of conventional liquid crystal displays; in this invention, those plates are replaced with confinement plates. The confinement plates can be produced in any opaque or transparent material, since they are used only during the production process and are subsequently removed.

[0094] Another advantageous characteristic of the present invention relates to variations in the liquid crystal orientation within the plane of the confinement plates. According to different embodiments of the invention, the orientations are achieved using several methods:

[0095] a) Using standard alignment techniques, such as those used in the production of liquid crystal displays, but restricting each orientation to specific areas of the plate, forming a pattern. A liquid crystal display usually seeks a uniform orientation over the entire surface. In these devices, however, different orientations are generated on the same surface. Once the liquid crystal has been polymerized, the outer confinement layers are then eliminated, obtaining a thin flexible sheet.

[0096] b) Using interdigitated electrodes oriented in different directions on the plane of the confinement plates. In this case, electric voltages are applied during the production process (although they are not required during ordinary use of the device). The electrodes are produced by photolithographic or micromechanical means, defining the required motif. A liquid crystal layer is subsequently deposited and voltage signals are applied to the electrodes to condition the orientation thereof. Therefore, an in-plane switching (IPS) effect is generated, forcing the liquid crystal to orient itself according to the predetermined pattern. A multiple alignment capable of reproducing the desired latent images is thereby obtained. Once it is aligned, the liquid crystal is polymerized in situ to create a permanent pattern oriented within the flexible sheet. Once it has been polymerized, the electric voltage becomes unnecessary, since the material maintains the orientation induced by the voltage distribution caused by the electrodes.

[0097] c) Using micrometric or submicrometric patterns as described above. Multiple images are obtained by applying several treatments to the confinement plates. The treatments are applied to different regions of each surface. The regions are isolated from one another using different techniques: masks, photolithography, isolation barriers, selective deposition, thermal evaporation, ink-jet, nano-patterning or any other standard microelectronic method.

[0098] Any of the described methods produces homogenous liquid crystal configurations. The liquid crystal molecules are always oriented parallel to the plane of the confinement plates, although their specific orientation within the plane varies in the different regions of the surface, such that some areas may become lighter or darker when they are illuminated with polarized light. Several independent images can be obtained on each side of the doped liquid crystal sheet. The variation of orientation in the alignment direction allows to define a grayscale or even color images. Liquid crystal polymerization allows the sheet, after being removed from the confinement plates, to be used independently in many applications: the latent images are already defined.

[0099] FIG. 9 shows a device whose operating principle is identical to that of the devices of FIGS. 1 and 2. In this case, the reflective images that are obtained on the sheets adhered to the dichroic dye-doped LCP layer are different from the images generated by transmission on the LCP sheet itself. This does not depend on the method used for creating the flexible sheet.

[0100] FIG. 10 shows the operating principle of a device similar to that of FIG. 9, except in this case a single holographic element has been adhered to one of the surfaces.

[0101] FIG. 11 shows a device whose operating principle is identical to that of FIG. 9, in which the LCP is confined between two substrates (7 and 8) covered with alignment layers (9 and 10). In this case, the LCP is not removed from between the confinement substrates but are left there, forming part of the final structure of the device.

[0102] FIG. 12 shows the operating principle of a device similar to that of FIG. 11, except in this case a single holographic element has been adhered to one of the surfaces.

[0103] FIG. 13 shows a device whose operating principle is identical to that of FIG. 4. In this case, the reflective images that are obtained on the sheets adhered to the dichroic dye-doped LCP layer are different from the images generated by transmission on the LCP sheet itself. This does not depend on the method used for creating the flexible sheet.

[0104] The present invention is directly applicable as a feature for document security against banknote counterfeiting, or in the authentication of documents, credit cards, checks, packages or any element whose intrinsic value makes its verification thereof advisable. The verification is performed in transmissive mode, observing with polarized light the pattern of dark and light regions that is formed, which depends exclusively on the orientation of the liquid crystal and the dichroic dye on the entrance surface. If the dichroic dye is aligned parallel to the polarization, light will be absorbed, obtaining a dark state. If the dye is located perpendicular to the polarization, light will not be absorbed, obtaining a clear state. If the faces of entry and exit are switched, the dark and light regions produced will depend on the orientation of the dye on the other side. Therefore, any image can be induced by forcing the alignment of the corresponding regions on one of the sides. The other side may contain a different image, independent of the preceding one. The effect is observed by keeping the polarization fixed and flipping over the device, placing the opposite side of the film in front of the polarized light. Alternatively, the effect can be observed by keeping the cell fixed and placing a polarizer in front of or behind the sheet.

[0105] The use of a polarized light source or a polarizer is not strictly necessary in order to see the effect. The effect is also seen when the sample is illuminated with partially polarized light, for example, the grazing reflection from a dielectric surface such as a polished floor or a table. This favors the massive implementation of the invention as a security element in labels or banknotes, for example.

[0106] The images are observed in reflection with natural light and without requiring any additional tool.