Device and method for the industrial production of volume reflection holograms with substrate-guided reconstruction beams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10915066-B2
Application number	US-201616064845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 22, 2015
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus ( 200, 300, 400, 600 ) for producing volume reflection holograms with substrate-guided reconstruction beams, comprising:
at least one transparent, planar carrier element ( 210, 310, 410, 610 ) comprising a first flat side ( 210.1 ) and a further flat side ( 210.2 ), at least one master element ( 206, 306, 406, 606 ) arrangeable at the first flat side ( 210.1 ) of the carrier element ( 210, 310, 410, 610 ) and at least one optical input coupling element ( 102, 202, 302, 402, 602 ) configured to optically couple a light beam ( 214, 216 ), wherein provision is made of at least one coupling portion ( 104, 204, 304, 404, 604 ) configured to mechanically establish an optical contact between the input coupling element ( 102, 202, 302, 402 ) and at least one holographic recording medium ( 208, 308, 408 ) providable on the further flat side ( 210.2 ) of the carrier element ( 210, 310, 410 ) or configured to mechanically establish an optical contact between the further flat side of the carrier element ( 610 ) and at least one holographic recording medium ( 608 ) providable on a flat side ( 605 ) of the optical input coupling element ( 602 ), wherein at least the coupling portion ( 104, 204, 304, 404, 604 ) is formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa, preferably of between 30,000 Pa and 30 MPa.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An Apparatus for producing volume reflection holograms with substrate-guided reconstruction beams, comprising:
at least one transparent, planar carrier element comprising a first flat side and a further flat side,
at least one master element arrangeable at the first flat side of the carrier element and
at least one optical input coupling element configured to optically couple a light beam,

wherein
provision is made of at least one coupling portion configured to mechanically establish an optical contact between the input coupling element and at least one holographic recording medium providable on the further flat side of the carrier element or configured to mechanically establish an optical contact between the further flat side of the carrier element and at least one holographic recording medium providable on a flat side of the optical input coupling element,
provision is made of at least one handling element, at least mechanically connectable to the input coupling element, configured to move the input coupling element, or
provision is made of at least one handling element, at least mechanically connectable to the carrier element, configured to move the carrier element,
wherein at least the coupling portion is formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the input coupling element and the coupling portion are homogeneously formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa, or
the coupling portion and the carrier element are homogeneously formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa, or
the input coupling element or the carrier element, as a coupling portion, has a coating formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa, or
the input coupling element and the coupling portion are formed as separate elements, wherein the coupling portion, is formed as a transportable film from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa, or
the carrier element and the coupling portion are formed as separate elements, wherein the coupling portion, is formed as a transportable film from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
provision is made of at least one controller for controlling the handling element,
the controller being configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a coupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from an initial position into a coupling position and/or
the controller being configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a decoupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from the coupling position into the initial position.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the controller is configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a first partial step of the coupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from the initial position into an intermediate position,
at least one edge of the coupling portion contacting the holographic recording medium in the intermediate position.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the controller is configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a further partial step of the coupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from the intermediate position into the coupling position by way of a tilting movement and/or
the controller is configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a further partial step of the coupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from the intermediate position into the coupling position by way of a translational movement.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the controller is configured to actuate the handling element in such a way that, in a further partial step of the coupling step, the input coupling element or the carrier element is moved from the intermediate position into the coupling position by way of a translational movement,
there is an angle β between a flat side of the coupling portion and a flat side of the holographic recording medium in the intermediate position,
the angle β satisfying the condition β<arctan(d/l),
where d is the layer thickness of the coupling portion in an uncompressed state and l is the length of the coupling portion.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the master element is configured to diffract an incident light beam in an at least partly reflective manner.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the holographic recording medium is formed from a material selected from the group comprising photoresistive materials, photopolymers, silver halide film, dichromated gelatin, photochromic materials or photorefractive materials.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein provision is made of a conveying device configured to transport the holographic recording medium.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least the coupling portion is formed from a material selected from the group comprising polyurethane, silicone, natural rubber, polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, polyacrylate and/or epoxy resin.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
provision is made of at least one laser source and
wherein the laser source is configured to expose the holographic recording medium in a static manner or with a scanning laser beam.

12. A method for producing volume reflection holograms with substrate-guided reconstruction beams, comprising:
providing at least one transparent, planar carrier element with a first flat side and a further flat side, a master element being arranged at the first flat side of the carrier element,
providing at least one optical input coupling element with a flat side,
providing a holographic recording medium on the further flat side of the carrier element or the flat side of the optical input coupling element,
optically coupling the holographic recording medium with a flat side of a coupling portion in a coupling step in such a way that a light beam is coupled into the holographic recording medium by way of the input coupling element and reflected by the master element,
providing at least one handling element, at least mechanically connectable to the input coupling element, configured to move the input coupling element, or
providing at least one handling element, at least mechanically connectable to the carrier element, configured to move the carrier element,
at least the coupling portion being formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa.

13. Input coupling element configured for the optical input coupling of a light beam for an apparatus for producing volume reflection holograms with substrate-guided reconstruction beams according to claim 1 ,
the input coupling element comprising at least one coupling portion configured to establish optical contact with at least one holographic recording medium providable on a further flat side of a carrier element and
at least the coupling portion being formed from a material with a shear modulus of between 1000 Pa and 50 MPa.

Assignees

• Covestro Deutschland Ag

Inventors

• Rewitz Christian
• Hagen Rainer
• Fäcke Thomas
• Walze Günther
• Bruder Friedrich-Karl

Classifications

• G03H2223/18

  Prism · CPC title

• G03H2227/04

  Production line for mass production · CPC title

• G03H2223/16

  Optical waveguide, e.g. optical fibre, rod · CPC title

• G02B6/34

  utilising prism or grating {(G02B6/293 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G03H2223/25

  Index matching material · CPC title