LC Diffractive Optical Elements with High PB Phase Accuracy for Holographic Displays

LC Diffractive Optical Elements with High PB Phase Accuracy for Holographic Displays

Diffractive optical elements (DOE) are important light manipulating components in modern imaging and display scenarios. However, the weight of the bulk material of traditional DOEs becomes more and more critical in novel optical systems. Meanwhile, the fabrication of solid-state DOEs remains challenging due to its substantial resource, equipment, and time costs. To reduce the equipment and time investment required by DOE fabrication, here, high-performance LC PB-DOE is fabricated via photo-patterning LC using a phase flicker optimized LCOS device. We achieve stable and accurate PB phase diffraction according to the arbitrary LC in-plane photoalignment regulated by PAZO azobenzene upon the single exposure of the polarization pattern, which is specified by the phase hologram loaded on the LCOS device. With the removal of LCOS high phase flicker magnitude, the fabricated PB-DOE present superior and wide viewing angle holographic display with high contrast ratio and ambient high frequency detailed information. This fabrication technique, marked by its reliability and versatility, presents significant advancements in the production of lightweight, cost-effective DOEs with minimal thickness. The practicality of our method can be further validated through the creation of a bi-focal LC PB-lens for holographic display applications. The focal power of this lens, governed by the input circular polarization, underscores the potential of LC PB-DOEs to replace traditional bulky optical components across various applications. Our finding opens a new way for the integration of LC PB-DOEs into a wide range of optical systems, promising enhancements in functionality and portability.