Jds Uniphase Corporation

Other

3m Innovative Properties Company

Thomas Swan & Co. Limited

Rolic Ltd.

Viavi Solutions Inc.

Kim Leong Tan

Karen Denise Hendrix

David M Shemo

Andrew John Ouderkirk

Philip Edwin Watson

Curtis Ross Hruska

Thomas A Mayer

Stephen J Willett

Charles Andrew Hulse

Xiaohui Cheng

Nigel Copner

Markus Duelli

Yarn Chee Poon

Christopher John Abraham

Thomas Ducellier

William Alden Crossland

Nada A O'Brien

Klaus Schmitt

Brian Robertson

Melanie Holmes

Brett Joseph Bryars

Andrew Thomas Taylor

Jerry Zieba

Timothy David Wilkinson

Robert E Klinger

Adam D Cohen

Robert B Sargent

Scott C McEldowney

Charles Andy Hulse

Apurba Pradhan

Ilias Manolis

Maura Redmond

Feliks Lapinski

Anthony James Mache, Jr

Steven Warr

Marie Josee Picard

Sargent Robert B,

Anthony James Mache Jr

Scott Mceldowney

The disclosure generally relates to beamsplitters useful in color combiners, and in particular color combiners useful in small size format projectors such as pocket projectors. The disclosed beamsplitters and color combiners include a tilted dichroic reflective polarizer plate having at least two dichroic reflective polarizers tilted at different angles relative to incident light beams, with light collection optics to combine at least two colors of light.

Tilted dichroic polarizing beamsplitter

Titled dichroic polarizing beamsplitter

A method of fabricating an optical element including a liquid crystal layer having a spatially-varying tilt angle includes coating a substrate with a linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer, irradiating the linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer with linearly polarized ultra-violet light at a oblique angle, and coating a layer of liquid crystal material on a surface of the irradiated linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer. The liquid crystal material has a predetermined relationship between its tilt angle and a total dose of the linearly polarized ultra-violet light. The linearly photopolymerizable polymer layer is irradiated with at least one dose of linearly polarized ultra-violet light that is sufficient to induce formation of a plurality of discrete regions within the liquid crystal layer having a larger in-plane birefringence than an adjacent or surrounding region.

Non-etched flat polarization-selective diffractive optical elements

A multi-segment optical retarder that can be used with or within a single projector for creating 3D images. The multi-segment optical retarder is coupled to an actuator used to effect some predetermined linear, rotary, or oscillating movement of the multi-segment optical retarder such that a fast axis orientation of each segment is substantially constant relative to itself over time and for a given area of incidence.

Multi-segment optical retarder for creating 3D images

A C-plate compensator is disclosed for compensating the residual A-plate and C-plate retardance of a reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display or a transmissive liquid crystal (LC) display in a projection display system. The C-plate incorporates a form-birefringent coating, whose retardance magnitude can be adjusted by tilting with respect to the display panel (X-Y) plane. The tilted plate is rotated about the Z-axis by a prescribed amount from the slow axis of the display panel. Criteria are described for choosing the tilt and rotation angles such that the contrast of the display system produced by the compensated panel is optimized.

Tilted C-plate retarder compensator and display systems incorporating the same

A grating trim retarder fabricated from a form-birefringent multi-layer dielectric stack including at least one anti-reflection coating and supported on a transparent substrate is provided. The form-birefringent dielectric stack includes an axially-inhomogeneous element in the form of a &#x2212;C-plate grating and a transversely-inhomogeneous element in the form of an A-plate grating. Each of the &#x2212;C-plate and the A-plate gratings are fabricated with dimensions to form a zeroth order sub-wavelength grating structure. Fabricating the grating trim retarder with anti-reflection coatings and/or a segment where the &#x2212;C-plate and A-plate grating overlap enables the in-plane and out-of-plane retardances to be tailored independently according to the desired application.

Grating trim retarders

An oblique angle deposition is used to provide an A-plate optical retarder having at least one dense, form-birefringent layer. According to one embodiment, the dense, form-birefringent layer(s) are deposited as part of an FBAR stack to provide an all-dielectric full-function A/&#x2212;C-plate trim retarder for LCD birefringence compensation. Advantageously, the dense structure of the full-function A/&#x2212;C-plate trim retarder offers high durability and/or stability, thus making it well suited for providing polarization compensation in high light flux polarization-based projection systems.

Thin-film optical retarders

Cartesian polarizers utilizing liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are provided for use as laser protection filters in optical pick-up units. The LCPs are photo-aligned and cross-linked into a polymer host to provide a durable filter. According to one embodiment, the LCP molecules exhibit a cholesteric phase and are coupled to one or more quarter-wave retarders. According to another embodiment, the LCP molecules are used to form a multi-layer stack using the giant-birefringence optics effect.

Cartesian polarizers utilizing photo-aligned liquid crystals

Contrast compensation for a liquid crystal display projection system including a light source, a first polarizer, a liquid crystal display panel, and a second polarizer is provided using a tilted compensating plate. The compensating plate includes a first birefringent element having an optic axis oriented at a first angle to the plate normal, where the first angle is greater than zero degrees (e.g., an A-plate or O-plate), and a second birefringent element having an optic axis oriented at a second angle to the plate normal, where the second angle is substantially equal to zero degrees (e.g., a C-plate). The compensating plate is tilted relative to a plane of the liquid crystal display panel. The tilted compensating plate has been shown to provide improved contrast compensation for twisted nematic liquid crystal displays.

Twisted nematic xLCD contrast compensation with tilted-plate retarders

A single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarder includes a birefringent crystal cut such that its optic axis is at a high oblique angle and such that it provides low in-plane retardance values even when the birefringent crystal is relatively thick. To compensate for the inherent high +C-plate retardance of this high-tilt O-plate, the single-layer birefringent crystal is coupled with a &#x2212;C-plate thin-film retarder to provide a trim retarder having an overall A/&#x2212;C-plate retarder functionality. This full-function trim retarder is practical to fabricate, is thickness and azimuthal angle tolerant, and is suitable for low sensitivity angular clocking requirements of LCoS panel compensation.

Single-layer birefringent crystal trim retarders

A contrast compensator for improving the panel contrast of liquid crystal (LC) microdisplays having a high-order waveplate configured as an O-plate and supporting a thin film transistor layer is provided. The contrast compensator includes a counter high-order waveplate configured as an O-plate, which has a birefringence opposite in sign to a birefringence of the thin film transistor substrate.

Contrast compensation of microdisplay panels including a high order waveplate

An optical pick-up including a fold mirror having an achromatic quarter-wave plate coating is provided. To allow the thin film coating to efficiently provide the quarter-wave retardation, the optical pick-up is configured such that the polarization of light incident on the fold mirror is at a predetermined angle. According to one embodiment, the predetermined angle is provided by rotating the light sources. According to another embodiment, the predetermined angle is provided by rotating a plane containing the light sources and the beam combiners. In each embodiment, the beam combiners and the fold mirror are arranged along the same axis to further improve efficiency.

Optical pick-up unit

Thin-film coatings, which for example have alternating layers of high and low refractive index materials, are shown to function as both positive and negative C-plates, in dependence upon the incident radiation. In particular, the shape of the retardance versus angle of incidence profile is found to be determined, at least in part, by the phase thickness of the thin film coating (i.e., the optical thickness in terms of the wavelength of the incident radiation, which may, for example, be expressed in degrees, radians, or as the number of quarter wavelengths). These thin film coatings are optionally integrated into anti-reflection coatings, thin film interference filters and/or other components to improve efficiency and/or functionality.

Thin-film design for positive and/or negative C-plate

A trim retarder for a liquid crystal display based projection system including a light source, a polarizer/analyzer, a liquid crystal display panel, and a projection lens, is clocked to an optimal azimuthal angle that provides a system contrast level substantially unaffected by the orientation of the slow axis of the liquid crystal display panel.

Optimally clocked trim retarders

A method and apparatus for reducing speckle in a laser illumination system uses a despeckle device including an optical retarder providing an odd integer multiple of substantially half-wave retardation for light emitted from a coherent laser in the laser illumination system. The near half-wave optical retarder has a substantially constant retardance and a spatially varied slow axis. The spatially varied slow axis imposes a phase mask on the beam of light, which provides sub-resolution optical phase modulation to a resolution spot on the detector. The near half-wave optical retarder is actuated mechanically or electrically to vary the sub-resolution optical phase modulation within an integration time of the detector.

Retarder-based despeckle device for laser illumination systems

Growing community of inventors

Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Kim Leong Tan