US 3,965,299 A · Dynamic magnetic bubble display system

Abstract

A dynamic pattern display and optical data processing system is provided including magnetic bubble devices which may be operated in real-time to produce two and three dimensional patterns such as holograms, kinoform lenses and complex filters. Th display pattern is obtained by directing a linearly polarized light beam through a combination including a one-quarter waveplate, a plurality of two-dimensional magnetic bubble arrays and another one-quarter wave plate, all combined in a stack arrangement. In one embodiment a combination is provided which functions as a phase filter and in another embodiment including more bubble arrays, the combination functions as a phase and intensity filter. The display patterns are multi-phase or multi-tone (gray scale) and multi-phase in character. Each magnetic bubble array in the phase and phase and intensity filter embodiments constitutes a layer which differs in thickness from the other magnetic bubble layers. Each magnetic bubble array is also electronically driven by its own bubble propagating circuit which produces, in most embodiments, a different "local phase" or "local transmissivity" which is a function of whether a bubble or an empty space is propagated to the location. The number of levels of transmitted phase or intensity and phase is an exponential function of the number of magnetic bubble layers, thus n layers provides 2.sup.n steps of transmitted phase or intensity and phase modification and a four layer structure provides a sixteen level phase or phase and intensity display. The electronic portion of the structure may be driven by signals representing mathematical expressions, patterns, manual inputs and the like to generate holograms, kineform lenses, complex filters, three-dimensional television pictures, and other display and optical information processing applications.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An optical processing and display device for producing multi-level phase images comprising:

a plurality of separate magnetic bubble array layers arranged in a stack, said magnetic bubble array layers being each of a different thickness, each of said magnetic bubble array layers being composed of material that supports magnetic bubble domains which are movable in predetermined paths in said array,
electrical signal means connected to each of said magnetic bubble array layers for selectively propagating magnetic bubble domains through said predetermined paths of said layers,
said magnetic bubble domains selectively propagated through said paths of said layers having dimensions proportional to and determined by the thickness of the layers in which they are propagated such that the bubble domains in the separate layers of bubble arrays in said stack are of different predetermined sizes,
a one-quarter wave plate layer disposed on one side of said stack of said magnetic bubble array layers,
and means for directing linearly polarized light through said one-quarter wave plate and said stack of bubble array layers, phase of the linearly polarized light directed through said stack of bubble array layers being modified a different amount by each layer of the bubble domains in each layer in accordance with the thickness of the bubble domains in each layer to produce a phase modified multi-level circularly polarized light image corresponding to said selectively propagated magnetic bubble domains.

2 more elements

An optical processing and display system comprising:

a magnetic bubble array structure including a plurality of separate magnetic bubble array layers arranged in a stack, said magnetic bubble array layers being each of a different thickness, each of said magnetic bubble array layers being composed of material that supports magnetic bubble domains which are movable in predetermined paths in said array to produce a two-dimensional pattern of magnetic bubble domains in each array layer, said magnetic bubble domains selectively propagated through said paths of said layers having dimensions proportional to and determined by the thickness of the layers in which they are propagated such that the bubble domains in the separate layers of bubble arrays in said stack are of different predetermined sizes, and further including magnetic bubble generating means connected to each of said magnetic bubble array layers for selectively propagating magnetic bubble domains through said predetermined paths of said layers,
a one-quarter wave plate layer disposed on one side of said stack of magnetic bubble array layers,
means for directing linearly polarized light through said one-quarter wave plate and said stack of bubble array layers, the phase of the polarized light directed through said stack of bubble array layers being varied a different amount by the bubble domains in each layer of said stack in accordance with the thickness of each layer to produce an optical multi-level phase modified pattern representative of the two-dimensional pattern of said magnetic bubble domains in said layers,
logic circuit means having an output connected to said magnetic bubble generating means for providing electrical signals to said generating means connected to said magnetic bubble layers in said stack to produce patterns of magnetic bubble domains in each of said layers of said stack for varying said polarized light directed through said stack,
and a plurality of signal generating terminals selectively connected to the input of said logic circuit means for individually providing signals to said logic circuit means representative of two-dimensional patterns.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dynamic magnetic bubble display system

Life of this patent

Dynamic magnetic bubble display system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16