Abstract: Optical films, such as reflective polarizer films, and optical systems including the optical films are described. An optical system includes one or more optical lenses having at least one curved major surface, a partial reflector, and a reflective polarizer. For a substantially normally incident light in a predetermined wavelength range extending at least from about 450 nm to about 600 nm: the partial reflector has an average optical reflectance of at least 30%, and the reflective polarizer has an average optical reflectance Rs for a first polarization state, an average optical transmittance Tp for an orthogonal second polarization state, and an average optical reflectance Rp for the second polarization state, where Tp?80%, Rp?1%, and 50%?Rs?95%.

Abstract: An optical lens includes a lens substrate including a cyclic olefin copolymer, an optical film including a plurality of alternating first and second polymeric layers, and a bonding film disposed on, and bonding the optical film to, a major surface of the lens substrate. The bonding film causes an average peel force to separate the optical film from the lens substrate to be greater than about 100 g/in while maintaining for at least one outermost major surface of the optical film, a mean displacement surface roughness Sa of less than about 10 nm and a slope magnitude error of less than about 100 ?rad, and/or lower and higher spatial frequency slope magnitude errors each less than about 100 ?rad.

Abstract: An optical assembly includes an integral lens assembly having one or more lenses bonded to each other with spaced apart major first and second lens surfaces. First and second optical films are bonded to respective major first and second lens surfaces. The first and second optical films includes a plurality of polymeric layers. Each of the polymeric layers have an average thickness of less than about 500 nm. For a substantially normally incident light and a visible wavelength range the plurality of polymeric layers in the first optical film has an average optical transmittance and an average optical reflectance of greater than about 70% for a first polarization state and an orthogonal second polarization state, respectively. The plurality of polymeric layers in the second optical film has an average optical transmittance of greater than about 70% for at least one of the first and second polarization states.

Abstract: Optical films and polarizing beam splitters including the optical films are described. In some cases, the optical film includes a first optical stack disposed on, and spaced apart by one or more spacer layers from, a second optical stack, each optical stack comprising a plurality of polymeric interference layers reflecting and transmitting light primarily by optical interference in a same predetermined wavelength range. Each optical stack has interference layers closer to the one or more spacer layers that reflect longer wavelengths and interference layers farther from the one or more spacer layers that reflect shorter wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical element includes an optical surface configured to receive light at a predetermined wavelength in a range from about 400 nm to about 1000 nm. The optical surface is defined by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis defining four Cartesian quadrants sequentially numbered in a counter-clockwise direction. A first longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the vertical axis and a second longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the horizontal axis. The first and second longitudinal section each extend across opposite edges of the optical surface and have a same substantially uniform retardance for substantially normally incident light. The optical element includes four discrete retarder sections. Each retarder section is disposed on a respective Cartesian quadrant of the optical surface and has a retardance difference from the substantially uniform retardance of the optical surface that is greater than zero.

Abstract: Optical films and polarizing beam splitters including the optical films are described. In some cases, the optical film includes a first optical stack disposed on, and spaced apart by one or more spacer layers from, a second optical stack, each optical stack comprising a plurality of polymeric interference layers reflecting and transmitting light primarily by optical interference in a same predetermined wavelength range. Each optical stack has interference layers closer to the one or more spacer layers that reflect longer wavelengths and interference layers farther from the one or more spacer layers that reflect shorter wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical system includes a display, at least one lens, and at least one of a partial reflector and a reflective polarizer. The optical system forms a virtual image of an image emitted by the display for viewing by an eye. The emitted image includes a plurality of cones of image light. Each cone of image light propagates from a different corresponding location on the emitted image and includes a central light ray propagating along a central axis, such that in each of orthogonal first and second planes that include the central axis, an intensity distribution of the cone of image light as a function of angle relative to the central axis includes a substantially flat peak having a full width of at least 15 degrees across which the peak changes by less than about 20%, and a corresponding fullwidth at half maximum that is less than about 60 degrees.

Abstract: A polymeric optical lens has an optical retardance. A same principal axis of the optical retardance can have an orientation within about 5 degrees of a same first direction for each location in at least 60% of a continuous first region of the polymeric optical lens. The first region includes at least 60% of a largest optically active region of the polymeric optical lens. The optical retardance is greater than 10 nm in at least a portion of the largest optically active region.

Abstract: An optical element includes an optical surface configured to receive light at a predetermined wavelength in a range from about 400 nm to about 1000 nm. The optical surface is defined by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis defining four Cartesian quadrants sequentially numbered in a counter-clockwise direction. A first longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the vertical axis and a second longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the horizontal axis. The first and second longitudinal section each extend across opposite edges of the optical surface and have a same substantially uniform retardance for substantially normally incident light. The optical element includes four discrete retarder sections. Each retarder section is disposed on a respective Cartesian quadrant of the optical surface and has a retardance difference from the substantially uniform retardance of the optical surface that is greater than zero.

Abstract: An optical system for displaying a magnified virtual image of an image emitted by a display to a viewer. The optical system includes first and second lenses facing each other and spaced apart by an air gap to define an optical cavity therebetween. The optical cavity includes a reflective polarizer disposed on a major surface of the first lens, and an optical stack disposed on a major surface of the second lens. The optical stack includes an absorbing polarizer, a first retarder layer, a partial reflector, and a second retarder layer disposed between the absorbing polarizer and the partial reflector. The first and/or second lenses is/are birefringent lens provided outside the optical cavity to control polarization.

Abstract: An optical stack including a first reflective polarizer adhered to a second reflective polarizer is described. For normally incident light and each wavelength in a same predetermined wavelength range, each reflective polarizer transmits at least 80% of light polarized along a pass axis of the reflective polarizer and reflects at least 90% of light polarized along an orthogonal block axis of the reflective polarizer. Each reflective polarizer includes a plurality of polymeric interference layers reflecting and transmitting light primarily by optical interference in the predetermined wavelength range. A separation between the two polymeric interference layers in the plurality of polymeric interference layers farthest from each other are d1 and d2 for the respective first and second reflective polarizers, d1 is at least 20% less than d2. Polarizing beam splitters including the optical stack and optical systems including the polarizing beam splitter are described.

Abstract: An optical assembly including a first optical substrate including a first major surface; a multilayer polymeric optical film disposed on the first major surface of the first optical substrate and including a plurality of polymeric layers numbering greater than about 50 in total; and a first optical bonding layer having an average thickness of less than about 0.5 microns and disposed between, and making physical contact to, the first major surface of the first optical substrate and the multilayer polymeric optical film, the first optical bonding layer bonding the first optical substrate to the multilayer polymeric optical film and including a silanated amine.

Abstract: An optical system for displaying first and second images to a viewer is provided. A reflective polarizer is disposed between the second display and the viewer and is oriented obliquely relative to the first display. An optical stack including a partial reflector and a retarder layer is disposed between the reflective polarizer and the second display. The reflective polarizer reflects at least 70% of the incident light having a first polarization state and transmits at least 60% of the incident light having an orthogonal second polarization state. The partial reflector reflects at least 70% of the incident light for each of the polarization states. For each of the first and second polarization states and for each of a blue-green wavelength and a green-red wavelength the reflective polarizer transmits at east 70% of the incident light and the partial reflector transmits at least 60% of the incident light.

Abstract: An optical element includes an optical surface configured to receive light at a predetermined wavelength in a range from about 400 nm to about 1000 nm. The optical surface is defined by a vertical axis and a horizontal axis defining four Cartesian quadrants sequentially numbered in a counter-clockwise direction. A first longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the vertical axis and a second longitudinal section of the optical surface is centered on the horizontal axis. The first and second longitudinal section each extend across opposite edges of the optical surface and have a same substantially uniform retardance for substantially normally incident light. The optical element includes four discrete retarder sections. Each retarder section is disposed on a respective Cartesian quadrant of the optical surface and has a retardance difference from the substantially uniform retardance of the optical surface that is greater than zero.

Abstract: An optical system for displaying a magnified virtual image of an image emitted by a display to a viewer. The optical system includes first and second lenses facing each other and spaced apart by an air gap to define an optical cavity therebetween. The optical cavity includes a reflective polarizer disposed on a major surface of the first lens, and an optical stack disposed on a major surface of the second lens. The optical stack includes an absorbing polarizer, a first retarder layer, a partial reflector, and a second retarder layer disposed between the absorbing polarizer and the partial reflector. The first and/or second lenses is/are birefringent lens provided outside the optical cavity to control polarization.

Abstract: Optical systems for displaying an image are described. The optical systems include a first and second optical lenses separated by air. A partial reflector is disposed on and conforms to a major surface of the first optical lens where the major surface can have a best-fit spherical radius of curvature in a range from 20 mm to 200 mm. A reflective polarizer is disposed on and conforms to a major surface of the first optical lens where the major surface can have a best-fit spherical radius of curvature greater than about 500 mm. A retarder layer is disposed between the reflective polarizer and the partial reflector. The first optical lens can have an optical birefringence of less than 15 nm/cm and the second optical lens can have an optical birefringence of greater than 15 nm/cm. A method of fabricating an optical assembly is described.

Abstract: A bi-focal prescription eyewear lens includes a substrate and a reflective polarizer, or a partial reflector, bonded to the substrate. A reflective polarizer substantially transmits light having a first polarization state and substantially reflects light having an orthogonal second polarization state. The bi-focal optical lens has a first focal length for light having the first polarization state and a second focal length for light having the second polarization state. The first focal length is longer than the second focal length. Without the reflective polarizer or partial reflector, the bi-focal optical lens would have a single focal length. Eyeglasses can include the bi-focal prescription eyewear lens.

Abstract: An optical lens including first and second polarizers, a partial reflector disposed between the first and second polarizers, a first phase retarder disposed between the first polarizer and the partial reflector, and a second phase retarder disposed between the partial reflector and the second polarizer is described. The optical lens is a single piece configured for use in an eyewear. Eyewear including at least one of the optical lenses is also described.

Abstract: An optical system including one or more optical lenses, at least one retarder layer, a reflective polarizer, and a partial reflector is provided. The at least one retarder layer may include first and second retarder layers having different wavelength dispersion curves. The at least one retarder layer may include a first retarder layer having a non-uniform fast axis orientation and/or a non-uniform retardance.

Abstract: An optical film and a polarizing beam splitter (PBS) including the optical film is described. The optical film includes a first optical stack disposed on, and spaced apart by one or more spacer layers from, a second optical stack. When the optical film is disposed between, and adhered to, hypotenuses of first and second prisms to form a PBS and a cone of light is incident on the PBS making an incident angle of about 40 to 50 degrees with the optical film, the PBS has: an average optical reflectance Rs greater than about 95% for a first polarization state; an average optical transmittance Ts less than about 0.012% for the first polarization state; an average optical transmittance Tp less than about 98.5% for a second polarization state; and an average optical reflectance Rp less than about 0.25% for the second polarization state.