Beam Engineering for Advanced Measurements Co.

Johnson and Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.

Other

Beam Engineering for Advanced Materials Co.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (darpa)

Nelson V Tabirian

Olena Uskova

David E Roberts

Svetlana Serak

Randall Braxton Pugh

Frederick A Flitsch

Adam Toner

James Daniel Riall

Luciano De Sio

Praveen Pandojirao-S

Diane Steeves

Brian Kimball

Sarik R Nersisyan

Svetlan Serak

Anna Tabirian

Russell T Spaulding

Zhi J Liao

Stephen Robert Beaton

Justin L Sigley

Rafael Vergara Toloza

Leonid B Glebov

Vadim Smirnov

James Hunt

Theo Tschudi

Praveen Pandojirao

Robert Winsor

Rafael O Vergara

Vasile Rotar

Mark J Moran

Uladzimir Hrozhyk

Thomas Vogeler

Boris Zel'dovich

Paul Calhoun

Diffractive optical structures, lenses, waveplates, devices, systems, and methods, which have the same effect on light regardless of the polarization state of the light, utilizing systems of polarization discriminator diffractive waveplate optics and differential polarization converters with special arrangements that do not require introducing spatial separation between the layers.

Polarization-independent diffractive optical structures

Opto-mechanical assemblies, systems, devices and methods for pointing laser and other optical beams, and for directing the field of view of sensors are disclosed. The assemblies consist of thin rotating optical elements of a type that diffracts the optical beam over a wide field of regard in two dimensions, and the angle of incidence of the optical beam or line of sight impinging on the optical elements are dynamically controlled maximizing the diffraction efficiency of the optical elements.

Diffractive beam steering system with high efficiency

Methods, materials, systems, and devices for stabilizing photoalignment patterns in liquid crystal diffractive waveplates (LCDWs) against radiation, mechanical, and electrical influences by creating a polymer network within the bulk of LCDW such as the polymer network does not affect the LC orientation pattern in the bulk of the DW and does not result in residual retardation and light scattering while being able to fast switching and relaxation with no haze at application of electric fields.

Polymer networks stabilizing liquid crystal diffractive waveplates

Methods, systems and devices for diffractive waveplate lens and mirror systems allowing electronically pointing and focusing light at different focal planes. The system can be incorporated into a variety of optical schemes for providing electrical control of transmission. In another embodiment, the system comprises diffractive waveplates of different functionality to provide a system for controlling not only focusing but other propagation properties of light including direction, phase profile, and intensity distribution. The diffractive waveplate lens and mirror systems are applicable to optical communication systems.

Diffractive waveplate lenses and applications

Optical beam steering and focusing systems, devices, and methods that utilize diffractive waveplates are improved to produce high efficiency at large beam deflection angles, particularly around normal incidence, by diffractive waveplate architectures comprising a special combination of liquid crystal polymer diffractive waveplate both layers with internal twisted structure and at a layer with uniform structure.

High-efficiency wide-angle beam steering system

Diffractive optical structures, lenses, waveplates, devices, systems and methods, which have the same effect on light regardless of temperature within an operating temperature range. Temperature-compensated switchable diffractive waveplate systems, in which the diffraction efficiency can be maximized for the operating wavelength and temperature by means of adjustment of the electric potential across the liquid crystal or other anisotropic material in the diffracting state of the diffractive state, based on prior measurements of diffraction efficiency as a function of wavelength and temperature. The switchable diffractive waveplates can be a switchable diffractive waveplate diffuser, a switchable cycloidal diffractive waveplate, and a switchable diffractive waveplate lens. An electronic controller can apply an electric potential to the switchable diffractive waveplate. Amplitudes of the electric potential can be determined from lookup tables such that diffraction efficiency at an operating wavelength and measured temperature is maximized. A communications channel can transfer the measured temperature from temperature measurement means to the electronic controller.

Diffractive waveplate devices that operate over a wide temperature range

Diffractive optical structures, lens, waveplates, systems and methods of combinations of CDWs (cycloidal diffractive waveplates) and PVGs (polarization volume gratings) that result in high efficiency polarization-insensitive diffraction. Although our modelling and experiments were performed for structures with optical axis orientation periodic along one of the Cartesian coordinates parallel to the plane of the structure, the results are applicable to more complex structures such as diffractive waveplate lenses. The focusing performance of such structures can be predicted by considering the structure to be locally periodic along one axis.

Methods of fabricating optical lenses and mirrors, systems and composite structures based on diffractive waveplates, and fields of application of said lenses and mirrors that include imaging systems, astronomy, displays, polarizers, optical communication and other areas of laser and photonics technology. Diffractive lenses and mirrors of shorter focal length and larger size, with more closely spaced grating lines, and with more exacting tolerances on the optical characteristics, can be fabricated than could be fabricated by previous methods.

Methods of diffractive lens and mirror fabrication

The invention provides for lenses fabricated as planar thin film coatings with continuous structure. The lensing action is due to optical axis orientation modulation in the plane of the lens. The lenses of the current invention are fabricated using photoalignment of a liquid crystal polymer wherein the polarization pattern of radiation used for photoalignment is obtained by propagating the light through an optical system comprising a shape-variant nonlinear spatial light polarization modulators.

Waveplate lenses and methods for their fabrication

Modulated circular polarization viewing systems and methods that cause temporal modulation of color, brightness, or both, of objects treated with materials having differential polarization reflectance.

Modulated circular polarization viewing system

Methods, systems and devices for diffractive waveplate lens and mirror systems allowing electronically focusing light at different focal planes. The system can be incorporated into a variety of optical schemes for providing electrical control of transmission. In another embodiment, the system comprises diffractive waveplates of different functionality to provide a system for controlling not only focusing but other propagation properties of light including direction, phase profile, and intensity distribution.

Diffractive waveplate lenses, mirrors, devices, systems and methods for performing imaging over a broad spectral band in imaging systems, such as but not limited to astronomical imaging, surveillance imaging, and in communication systems, such as laser communication systems. Corrector mirrors are used with a flat diffractive wave diffractive waveplate lens so that chromatic aberrations of the diffractive waveplate lens are reduced with the imaging system.

Broadband imaging with diffractive waveplate coated mirrors and diffractive waveplate objective lens

Optical beam shaping systems and methods can include an illumination source and a diffractive waveplate diffuser. The diffractive waveplate diffuser includes a layer of patterned optically anisotropic material. In one embodiment, the layer of patterned optically anisotropic material is fabricated in the form of patterned, optically anisotropic liquid crystal polymer. In another embodiment, the layer of patterned optically anisotropic material is a layer of liquid crystal, the diffractive waveplate diffuser also includes two alignment layers and two transparent conductive coatings, and the properties of the liquid crystal layer are controlled by the application of an electric potential between the two transparent conductive coatings. A method is provided for designing the alignment pattern of the layer of optically anisotropic material.

Electro-optical diffractive waveplate beam shaping system

Methods and apparatuses for providing a variable optic insert into an ophthalmic lens as set forth. An energy source is capable of powering the variable optic insert included within the ophthalmic lens. In some embodiments, an ophthalmic lens is cast-molded from a silicone hydrogel. The various ophthalmic lens entities may include electroactive liquid crystal layers to electrically control refractive characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

Winter Park, FL, United States of America

Nelson V Tabirian