Essilor International

Polyvalor, Limited Partnership

Corning Incorporated

Corporation De L'ecole Polytechnique De Montreal

La Corporation De I'ecole Polytechnique De Montreal

Corporation De L'ecole Polytechnique De Montf

Bill Baloukas

Ludvik Martinu

Shandon Dee Hart

Karl William Koch, Iii

James Joseph Price

Robert Alan Bellman

Charles Andrew Paulson

Carlo Anthony Kosik Williams

Oleg Zabeida

William Trottier-Lapointe

Bruce Faure

Jincheng Qian

Francis Blanchard

Julien Gagnon

Nicolas Desjardins-Lecavalier

Sasha Woodward

Richard Vernhes

An optical article includes a substrate with front and rear main faces, one main face coated with a columnar micro- or nano-structured coating. The substrate and optical article are transparent in at least a part of the visible region ranging from 380 to 780 nm, along at least one incidence angle. The columnar micro- or nano-structured coating includes an array of columns including each a core and an upper layer covering the core, the core and the upper layer being structurally and/or chemically different and have light absorbing properties with an extinction coefficient 'k' ≥10-2 in the spectrum 250-2500 nm and are able to cause a change in transmission or in reflection of incident light through the optical article as a function of the angle of incidence of light. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing an optical article including a columnar micro- or nano-structured coating.

Optical article having directional micro- or nanostructured thin film coating, and its process

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to electrochromic devices (), assemblies incorporating electrochromic devices, and methods of making the same. Highly-durable electrochromic devices include tungsten oxide (e.g., WOor other suitable stoichiometry) films () prepared using high-rate bias-enhanced sputter deposition. The sputtering is performed in a low-pressure (e.g., 1 mTorr) environment, and the biasing is very high (e.g., greater than &#x2212;400 V, more preferably greater than &#x2212;500 V), which causes high energy ion bombardment that in turn leads to partial nanocrystallization of the WOmatrix, while simultaneously generating the porous microstructure desirable for ionic diffusion.

Durable electrochromic device including tungsten oxide film prepared in high ion bombardment and low pressure deposition environment, and/or methods of making the same

An article includes: a transparent substrate having a primary surface; and a protective film disposed on the primary surface, such that each of the substrate and the protective film have an optical transmittance of 20% or more in the visible spectrum, and such that the protective film includes at least one of: (1) a hardness of greater than 13 GPa, as measured by a Berkovich nanoindenter, or (2) an effective fracture toughness (Kc) of greater than 2.5 MPa&#xb7;m, as measured by indentation fracture at a depth of greater than 1 &#x3bc;m.

Glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic articles with protective coatings having hardness and toughness

The interference filter structure has a filter with a top side and a bottom side, a partially reflecting/transmitting thin metal layer, dielectric spacers on each sides of the partially transparent layer and a semi-absorbing film on at least a portion of top side or bottom side of the dielectric spacers. The filter provides a reflection mode when observed from the top or bottom side and light transmission is side independent.

Interference security image structure

An integrated security structure is provided employing an external source of energy to change the appearance of the structure rendering the structure more challenging to duplicate due to its complexity. The security structure includes a substrate forming part of a bank note, identification document, or other security device; an active device within the substrate changing color between at least two colors wherein a color of the substrate surrounding the active device matches one of the at least two colors to form a metameric device. At least one Interference Security Image Structure (ISIS) is configured to be metameric with a bleached state of the active device and is therefore invisible at normal incidence. Another ISIS is metameric with the colored state of the electrochromic device and consequently becomes invisible during coloration. When the whole device is tilted, both ISIS's change color while the rest of the device essentially remains the same.

Metameric security devices using an active material

An interference filter having a plurality of layers and a spectrum as a function of angle of observation is combined with a metameric element adjacent the interference filter and appearing to have a same color as the interference filter at at least one angle of observation and a contrasting color as said interference filter at least one other angle of observation. A plurality of interference filter layers, including a metallic layer, can be provided on a support structure for the layers. The support structure is then adapted to allow the layers to be seen from a top and a bottom side, with the layers being adapted to have different spectra as a function of angle of observation in reflection and transmission.

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Montreal, Canada

Bill Baloukas