Abstract: Novel thin film optical filters have an integral air layer. The frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) phenomenon, combined with thin film interference, is used to effectively control the polarization properties of thin film coatings operating at oblique angles. The invention is applicable to high-performance thin film polarizing beam-splitters, non-polarizing beam-splitters, non-polarizing cut-off filters and non-polarizing band-pass filters, and any other thin film coatings that require the control of polarization effect. The low index layer offers an improvement in performance and the simplification of the thin film optical filter coating designs by reducing the total number of layers and the total layer thicknesses to minimize the angles of incidence and the size of the filter substrates, thereby minimizing the contact area and hence reducing the manufacturing costs.

Abstract: A light emitting device in the form of a layered structure has a passive bottom multilayer stack including a cathode layer, a cavity layer including a light emitting region, a passive top multilayer stack including a hole transport layer, and a transparent anode layer. The passive bottom and top multilayer stacks are devoid of a light emitting layer. A transparent substrate, through which light is emitted from the device, is located over the top multilayer stack. At least one functional additional layer group in the passive top multilayer stack controls the reflectance of the passive top multilayer stack and phase changes occurring upon reflection from the passive top multilayer stack in the cavity layer.

Abstract: An organic light emitting device consists of a layered structure including a top multilayer stack, a bottom multilayer stack, a cavity layer between the top multilayer stack and the bottom multilayer stack, and an organic light emitting region within the cavity layer. The layered structure is constructed such that the product of phase factors ?1 and ?2 is.

Abstract: An organic light emitting device consists of a layered structure including a top multilayer stack, a bottom multilayer stack, a cavity layer between the top multilayer stack and the bottom multilayer stack, and an organic light emitting region within the cavity layer. The layered structure is constructed such that the product of phase factors ?1 and ?2 is.

Abstract: A method is described for depositing a complex optical multilayer coating on a substrate. The coating consists of multiple layers of at least two material types. The layers are sequentially deposited in a deposition chamber by reactive deposition; preferably sputtering, and the thickness of the deposited layers is determined one or more times during the layer deposition by taking optical measurements of the deposited layer and fitting theoretical values derived from a model of the deposited layers to the corresponding actual values obtained from said measurements. A process variable is continually controlled to ensure homogeneity of the deposited layers so that a valid thickness determination can be made from said theoretical model.

Abstract: A projection display system includes a thin film polarizing beam splitter/combiner has first and second light transmissive substrates in the form of prisms and a plurality of thin film layers disposed between the prisms. The thin film layers and have predetermined thicknesses and refractive indices which allow unpolarized incident light to be separated into s-polarized and p-polarized light beams. Both frustrated total internal reflection and thin film interference are simultaneously employed to allow s-polarized light to be transmitted and p-polarized light to be reflected over a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The device further includes two spatial light modulators for encoding an image to be projected. By providing a different signal to each spatial light modulator, a three-dimensional display results.

Abstract: A thin film polarizing device has first and second light transmissive substrates in the form of prisms and a plurality of thin film layers disposed between the prisms. The thin film layers and have predetermined thicknesses and refractive indices which allow unpolarized incident light to be separated into s-polarized and p-polarized light beams. Both frustrated total internal reflection and thin film interference are simultaneously employed to allow s-polarized light to be transmitted and p-polarized light to be reflected over a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence. The polarizing device may be used as a polarizer or a polarizer beam splitter.

Abstract: A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of colored deformable mirrors controllable by electrical circuitry. Groups of mirrors, responsive to the electronic signals, are selectably operable to reflect incident light. The deformable mirrors are coated with an optical thin film interference color coating having at least a layer that is substantially transparent to the visible light. As well the optical thin film interference color coating includes at least one further layer that is partially absorbing with respect to the visible light. The spectral reflectance and absorptance of the deformable mirror is modified in order to obtain a desired reflected color by the process of optical interference enhanced absorption in the optical thin film interference color coating. The optical thin film interference color coating has predetermined layer thicknesses and materials; the substantially transparent layer substantially determines the desired reflected color.

Abstract: An authenticating system for verifying articles is provided. The articles to be verified have a thin film multilayer coating applied to them that serves or functions as a type of finger print. In a reflective mode of operation the coating is designed to reflect light radiation of predetermined wavelengths and substantially absorbing or transmitting light radiation of other predetermined wavelengths irradiating a same location on the coating surface; in operation a light source is provided for irradiating light onto said location on the coating surface; and a detector is used to determine the presence and absence within predetermined limits of each of said predetermined wavelengths of light at said location that are substantially reflected by the coating. The system may also be configured in a transmissive mode or an absorptive mode of operation when used with the compatible detection schemes as exemplified herein.

Abstract: An optical filter is provided for suppressing unwanted reflections of background light when used with a display device such as a cathode ray tube or an electroluminescent screen, or in optical communication or surveillance. The filter has multiple thin layers including a first series of layers for suppressing reflections from its outer surface and a second series of layers constituting a bandpass interference filter. The first series of layers is arranged to suppress reflections over a broad wavelength band while the second series of layers allows transmittance over a relatively narrow wavelength passband within the broad wavelength band, resulting in improved contrast when the display is used in situations of high background light.

Abstract: An optical recording medium for storing data is provided having a visible logo on a read side of the medium for providing some anticounterfeiting protection. A logo coating for producing the visible logo is carded by the read-side of the substrate; the coating has a sufficiently high transmittance at a read or write wavelength such that light at the read or write wavelength passing through the logo coating toward the other side of the substrate and reflected back through the logo is substantially transmitted and unchanged by the coating so that the data can be detected as well the coating is sufficiently light absorbing in the visible spectrum such that there is a visible contrast between the recording coating and the logo coating. In another embodiment, the logo coating forms a portion of a reflective recording layer on the other non-read side of the substrate. In this case, the logo coating is visually distinguishable from the rest of the recording layer and is made of a different material.

Abstract: An optical interference electroluminescent device having low reflectance comprises three layers forming an electroluminescent transparent front electrode, a counter electrode and an electroluminescent layer between the electrodes, with or without dielectric layers between them, and at least one optical interference film layer sandwiched between two of the layers or at the faces of the electrodes. The optical interference layer comprises at least one transparent optical interference film and is in interfacial contact with a layer so that the reflectance of ambient light by the device is reduced by optical interference at the interfaces between the layers and the film(s). The optical interference layer(s) may include at least one partially absorbing film. The device may have arrays of electrodes forming pixels.

Abstract: A hard to simulate, readily distinguishable from counterfeits, optical interference authenticating device comprises a substrate, and two optical interference coatings in interfacial contact on one side of the substrate, one of the optical interference coatings being a contrast coating, the other of the optical interference coatings being a form depicting coating for depicting a form relative to the contrast coating. The optical interference coatings each comprising at least one optical interference layer the material and thickness of which has been selected for the coatings to have different, particular, known spectral reflectance and spectral transmittance characteristics from one another when viewed at a particular angle, such that the form depicting coating is visible by reflected or transmitted light of particular coloration, when viewed at the particular angle, at least in part by optical interference of light partically reflected or transmitted at the interfacial contact.

Abstract: An optical mixing/demixing device is provided comprising a series of solid, light transmitting blocks, each having opposed, front and rear parallel, planar faces, coated with optical interference multilayer coatings, and first and second light transmitting faces arranged one on each side of the front planar face. The blocks are packed side by side with a precision, light expanding and collimating lens on the first light transmitting face and further, similar precision lenses on each of the second light transmitting faces. The first and second light transmitting faces may also be coated with optical interference multilayer coatings that are pass band filters.

Abstract: A viewing angle color sensitive lighting accessory comprising a sheet member capable of transmitting light, emitting from a visible light source, forwardly towards an area from which light is to be perceived, at least one optical interference multilayer coating on the sheet member and a reflector secured to the sheet member and extending around the light source. The coating has a transmittance which is a function of wavelength and angle of incidence, and in most instances, of state of polarization of the visible light thereto so that the light perceived from the light source has a particular coloration and, if desired, polarization at a particular viewing angle to the coating. The light source may be, for example, an incandescent light source or a light guide, or any other luminaire. The means securing the sheet member to the reflector preferably removably secures the sheet member thereto.

Abstract: Hard to simulate, readily distinguishable from counterfeits, optical interference authenticating devices are provided by depositing two coatings on a substrate, each coating comprising at least one optical interference layer, the material of each layer being selected so that the two coatings together and separately have different spectral reflectance and spectral transmittance characteristics at different angles of incidence of light thereon. The substrate may be, for example, a polyester film and a first one of the coatings is sufficiently radiation absorbing of, say, infrared radiation that at least one portion of that coating can be removed by an infrared laser beam through, for example, a mask to provide a readily distinguishable pattern on the substrate.

Abstract: A vapor deposition apparatus for continuously regulating the deposition thickness from vapor as it is being vacuum deposited across and progressively along one side of a substrate from one or more vapor sources spaced thereacross. The apparatus comprises a central shaft rotatably supporting hollow shafts in end-to-end relation, a series of profile discs on each of the hollow shafts and slidable radially thereon by a slot in each profile disc slidably locating on flats on the hollow shafts. The profile discs are placed between vapor sources, and the substrate moving through a vacuum coating chamber so that the profile discs form a mask controlling the vapor deposition across the substrate. The hollow shafts are coupled to electric motors which may rotate the hollow shafts in response to signals from deposition thickness sensing means.