Scientists at Imec believe, as do other researchers, that holographic
images are the answer toward resolving the eye strain and headaches
that go along with present-day 3-D viewing.
At Imec, their work involves creating moving pixels. They are
constructing holographic displays by shining lasers on
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) platforms that can move up and
down like small, reflective pistons.
“Holographic visualization promises to offer a natural 3-D experience
for multiple viewers, without the undesirable side-effects of current
3D stereoscopic visualization (uncomfortable glasses, strained eyes,
fatiguing experience),” the company states.
In their nanoscale system, they work with chips made by growing a
layer of silicon oxide on to silicon wafer. They etch square patches of
the silicon oxide. The result is a checkerboard-like pattern where
etched-away pixels are nanometers lower than their neighbors. A
reflective aluminum coating tops the chip. When laser light shines on
the chip, it bounces off of the boundary between adjacent pixels at an
angle. Diffracted light interferes constructively and destructively to
create a 3-D picture where small mirrored platforms are moving up and
down, many times a second, to create a moving projection. The process
can also be described as the pixels closer to the light interfering with
it one way and those further off, in another. The small distances
between them generate the image that the eye sees.
Imec hopes to construct the first, proof-of-concept moving structures
by mid-2012. “Imec's vision is to design the ultimate 3D display: a
holographic display with a 60° diffraction angle and a high-definition
visual experience,” they state. As such, Imec will have lots of company elsewhere in the race to iron
out complexities of holographic imaging. According to reports throughout
2011, research teams aim to make the technology more of a reality than a
wish-list item for consumers.
The BBC's R&D department has identified
the work that broadcasters are doing across Europe, for example, in
holographic TV. Engineers are also focused on research into 3-D
holoscopy for the Internet and other 3-D applications.
Researchers at MIT this year said they were closing in on holographic TV
by building a system with a refresh rate of 15 frames per second. Also
earlier this year, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
completed a five-year project called “Urban Photonic Sandtable Display” that creates realtime, color, 360-degree 3-D holographic displays.
From physorg
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