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US 2026/0153660 A1Published application
Thin film optics
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorJoseph Robert BUCK
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of manufacturing a thin film optical apparatus includes providing a substrate and applying an alignment layer over the substrate. The alignment layer ranges from about 50 to 100 nm in thickness. The method includes imprinting a hologram with a desired optic pattern onto the alignment layer and applying at least one layer of mesogen material over the alignment layer.
Claims20
A method of manufacturing an optical apparatus, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate;
- applying at least one alignment layer above the substrate;
- writing a polarization phase hologram into the at least one alignment layer to impart a phase transform comprising an optical pattern;
- and
- applying at least one layer of birefringent material over the alignment layer.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing an optical apparatus, the method comprising:
- providing a transmissive substrate;
- depositing a first alignment layer over the transmissive substrate;
- writing, into the first alignment layer, a first polarization phase hologram that imparts a first phase transform corresponding to a first optical pattern;
- depositing a first birefringent layer over the first alignment layer;
- depositing a buffer layer over the first birefringent layer;
- depositing a second alignment layer over the buffer layer;
- writing, into the second alignment layer, a second polarization phase hologram that imparts a second phase transform corresponding to a second optical pattern different from the first optical pattern;
- and
- depositing a second birefringent layer over the second alignment layer, the second birefringent layer having an optic-axis orientation orthogonal to that of the first birefringent layer, wherein the first phase transform and second phase transform and the buffer layer combine to provide an achromatic output over a wavelength band, and the optic-axis orientation render the optical apparatus polarization-independent.
6 more elements
A method of manufacturing an optical apparatus, the method comprising:
- providing a substrate and forming or providing a reflective layer on or as part of the substrate;
- positioning a quarter-wave retarder over the reflective layer;
- depositing an alignment layer over the quarter-wave retarder;
- writing a polarization phase hologram into the alignment layer to impart a phase transform corresponding to an optical pattern;
- and
- depositing a birefringent layer over the alignment layer, wherein during operation light incident on the birefringent layer is acted upon in a first polarization state on a first pass, and after reflection by the reflective layer and retardation by the quarter-wave retarder is returned in an orthogonal polarization state for a second pass through the birefringent layer, thereby rendering the optical apparatus polarization-independent.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.