Abstract: The optical hybrid device includes input optical fiber(s), output optical fiber(s), a lens, a broadband or passband filter, a movable mirror, and an actuator operative to move the mirror or the filter. Depending on a voltage applied to the actuator, the actuator selectively sets the mirror or filter to each of a plurality of positions, so that selected portion(s) of radiation from one or more input beams carried by the input optical fiber(s) are conveyed to the output optical fiber(s); whereby the device performs two or more of the functions of wavelength division multiplexing or demultiplexing, attenuation, switching, filtering and tapping functions.

Abstract: The present invention is an integrated optical switch, comprising a switching element and an optical detector in communication with the switching element. The integrated optical switch includes an optical detector of amorphous semiconductor material on a semiconductor waveguide. Optical header information is detected and interpreted, and the switch is operated according to the header information.

Abstract: A holographic stereogram printing system to print holographic stereograms with good efficiency and no drop in the operating rate of the imaging system and holographic printer. An imaging system control section of an imaging system comprises an operating section that along with controlling the operation of the camera according to the desired selection of the user such as imaging method, image size selection or image layout, also creates an information management file for the base image based on the control information. A holographic stereogram printer prints out a holographic stereogram according to the information management file provided along a transmission path.

Abstract: The present invention provides a different optical element having superior optical characteristics. A polycrystalline substrate having crystal grains whose sizes are not more than 1 &mgr;m or an amorphous phase at the dry-etched surface thereof, or an upper film layer 8 formed on a polycrystalline substrate 1 being the same materials as that of the polycrystalline substrate 1, which has finer crystal grains than-those of the substrate. The upper film layer 8 is dry etched, and AR coat 6 is formed thereon.

Abstract: A method and system for generating a hologram include a computer (104) connected to a printer (108). A mathematical description (102) of an object, including for example the physical dimensions of the object, is provided to the computer (104). The computer (104) computes a holographic interference pattern based on the mathematical description (102) of the object, and than transmits the computed holographic interference pattern data (106) to the printer (108). The printer (108) prints or otherwise fixes the holographic interference pattern to a print medium (107) to produce a holograph (110). A holographic (three-dimensional) image (114) of the object can then be produced by directing a light beam (118) from a light source (112) onto a surface of the hologram (110), so that the light will interfere with the pattern to generate the holographic image (114).

Abstract: A method of fabricating optical filter is disclosed. The method includes providing the substrate and selectively etching the substrate to form a plurality of freestanding layers. A plurality of dielectric layers is disposed over an outer surface of each of the freestanding layers. The resultant optical filters may be used in a variety of applications including etalon applications.

Abstract: An optical arrangement has a light source which emits coherent light of a specific wavelength. Further provided is an optical Littrow grating, arranged at a specific Littrow angle &thgr;L. It has a multiplicity of parallel diffraction structures following one another periodically at an interval in each case of one specific grating period and arranged on a substrate predetermining a base area. The light wavelength, the grating period and the Littrow angle &thgr;L are tuned to one another in such a way that the grating is used in one of the largest diffraction orders m for light reflected back at the Littrow angle &thgr;L, which still fulfils the condition: (2(m+1)/m−1) sin (&thgr;L)≧1 An optical arrangement of this kind has an increased reflection efficiency.

Abstract: New grating structures include a bonded transmission grating structure. The grating structure is encapsulated by two pieces that are bonded together. In addition, a new method of making grating structures includes forming wells with an aspect ratio (depth:width) of at least 3:1, 7:1 or greater. Such grating structures can be used to form gratings with high diffraction efficiencies for both TE and TM polarizations of light.

Abstract: A holographic display comprises a source of coherent light and an Electrically Addressable Spatial Light Modulator (EASLM) in the path of the light source. The EASLM is arranged in use to be driven successively by a set of sub-holograms which together correspond to a holographic image. Light guiding means is arranged to guide light output from the EASLM such that the sub-holograms are displayed successively in respective tiled regions of an EASLM projection surface.

Abstract: An imaging system for motor vehicles has a holographic screen, which scatters incident narrow band light at a predetermined solid angle, and a modulator and a lens to project images on the holographic screen. A holographic, transparent ray uniter, which allows broad band ambient light to pass through essentially unimpeded, guides the narrow band light, coming from the holographic screen to the viewer, whereby a virtual image is produced at the viewing location by means of an imaging function. Images from the outside of the motor vehicle are shot by means of a camera system and are faded as virtual images into the windshield of the motor vehicle in order to enable there additionally a view to the rear or to the side.

Abstract: A diffraction grating includes a metallic base layer and layers of dielectric materials of varying refractive index, where a bottom interface of the layers is adherent to the metallic base layer. The dielectric layers are periodically spaced on top of the metallic base layer, leaving the metallic base layer exposed in regions. This grating allows for the polarization insensitive reflective properties of the base metallic layer to operate in conjunction with the polarization sensitive diffraction properties of the multilayer grating structure to provide near 100% diffraction efficiency over a reasonable wavelength bandwidth, independent of the polarization of the incident beam.

Abstract: A holographic display comprises a light source and an Electrically Addressable Spatial Light Modulator (EASLM) 1 in the path of the light source. A light guide is arranged to guide light from the EASLM to each of a set of tiled regions of a OASLM in turn. The Optically Addressable Spatial Light Modulator (OASLM) 8 has a monostable light modulation property which is changed from a first state to a second state by incident light.

Abstract: The present invention provides a scanning device with the following features: the system is capable of writing data to record carriers of a first format because it is corrected for chromatic aberration resulting from fast wavelength variations during write operation; it has a diffractive element with a generally sawtooth-like pattern, such that it may for example be manufactured in a single-step replication process; the system has high efficiency for scanning first optical record carriers (e.g. DVDs) and acceptable efficiency for scanning second optical record carriers (e.g. CDs); and the lens provides limited spherochromatism and the system is thus able to cope with wavelength variations.

Abstract: An information carrier includes information in the form of a hologram. In order to increase protection against copying and/or as a simple recognizable additional security feature of this information carrier, the hologram is the combination of a transmission hologram and a reflection hologram.

Abstract: An adapter or connection comprises a plurality of adapter or connector sections (14) having plugging cavities (18) to which optical cable plugs (25) are detachably plugged. The plugging cavities (18) are arranged in a plane of a panel (32) at an acute angle to the plane thereby preventing light from entering the operator's eye upon plugging.

Abstract: An optical modulating device capable of use as a light valve, display, or optical filter, which uses variation in incident angle to exploit color-selective absorption at a metal-dielectric interface by surface plasmons. The device includes a dielectric layer, at least one metallic layer through which electromagnetic radiation may be transmitted or reflected, and incident and exit layers which are both optically transmissive. A beam steering mechanism controls the incident angle of the electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, an external beam steering mechanism is used to set the incident light angle onto the filter. In another embodiment, the filter is formed as an integral part of, for example, a cantilever. The incident light angle is then controlled by the angle of the filter cantilever.

Abstract: The reflectivity of multilayered EUV mirrors tuned for 11-16 nm, for which the two-component Mo/Be and Mo/Si multilayered systems are commonly used, is enhanced by incorporating additional elements and their compounds mainly from period 5 of the periodic table. In addition, the reflectivity performance of the multilayer stacks is further enhanced by a numerical global optimization procedure by which the layer thicknesses are varied for optimum performance in, contradistinction to the constant layer thickness—i.e. constant partition ratio—multilayer stacks commonly designed and, fabricated hitherto. By incorporating additional materials with differing complex refractive indices in various regions of the stack, or by wholly replacing one of the components (typically Mo), we have observed peak reflectivity enhancements of up to 5% for a single reflector compared to a standard unoptimized stack.

Abstract: The linear dispersion of a dispersive optical system is increased by: (a) employing a transmissive diffraction grating (6) as a dispersive element; and (b) passing light through the grating twice. A reflector (7) is used to achieve the double passage through the grating. The system can be used to disperse light into its composite wavelengths (e g., the system can be a wavelength demultiplexer) or to combine dispersed light at different wavelengths into composite light (e.g., the system can be a wavelength multiplexer). The system can be employed in wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical communication systems.

Abstract: An image display apparatus comprises a hologram screen 2 formed by bonding a hologram element 20 to light-transmissible films 21 and an illumination device 11 for irradiating image light 10 onto the hologram screen and reproducing an image on the hologram screen 2. The light-transmissible film 21 positioned on the irradiation side of the image light 10 relative to the hologram element 20 has an angle deviation of not greater than 45 degrees between a direction of the light-transmissible film 21 that gives the highest thermal shrinkage ratio and an axial direction in the hologram screen 2. Therefore, the image display apparatus can provide high-quality images without the superposition of an interference pattern on the images on the hologram screen.

Abstract: Disclosed is a microbend fiber optic coupler and a method of forming same. The microbend fiber optic coupler includes two pairs of pigtail ends oriented one beside the other and having a bent fused biconically tapered coupling region interposed therebetween.