1. Hologram Industries (HI) announced
the launch of its latest holographic
innovation – called DID Wave™ – at the
High Security Printing™ Conference in
Lima in June.
This latest innovation by HI builds on the
DID®
(Diffractive Identification Device)
product family comprising zero order
diffraction devices. Since 2003, the
product family has evolved to include:
DID®
Optoseal™
to protect data on paper
documents, DID Note™
and DID Contour™
for banknote authentication, DID Inlay™
for
polycarbonate cards and recent concepts,
DID Full, DID Shape and DID Twin that
increase the diffractive optical variable
image device’s role in personal data
protection of polycarbonate documents.
HI have developed a new novel path in the
DID innovation road map that combines
DID nanostructures with ultra-thin reflective
Fresnel micro-optics.
Using zero order nano-gratings
technology and ‘mapping’ them onto the
ultra-thin Fresnel type lenses allows HI to
add animation / motion and / or virtual
surface relief 3D effects with the DID
colour permutation.
HologramIndustries
UnveilsDIDWave
www.holography-news.com
VOLUME 29 – NO 8 / AUGUST 2015
Continuedonpage2>
AnexampleofDIDWaveStripe.
IdvacDevelops
2-ColourCopper
Metallisation
Idvac, the UK-based specialist
vacuum metallising developer and
consultancy, has developed a new
innovative process that deposits
two distinct colours of copper
metalisation onto embossed and
unembossed films.
Idvac specialises in the development
of advanced metallising processes
for holographic, packaging and other
niche markets. Over the past 11 years,
it has been successful in developing
and introducing new vacuum
processes and technologies, including
high refractive index materials (HRI),
copper, chrome alloy, dry gold colour
finish, colour shift and other processes
to the security and packaging markets.
In May 2015, Holography News®
reported on the development of the
new generation of advanced narrow
web vacuum coaters (MiniMet 300).
Typically, holograms are metallised
fully or partially with aluminium or
copper, as a reflection-enhancing
layer, or coated with HRI materials
such as zinc sulphide to provide a
semi-transparent effect.
In this new innovation, copper can
have two distinct colours (standard
and rosy) on a film without the use
of any inks, dyes or wet coatings.
The copper deposition process
is dry and carried out in vacuum.
When combined with partial de-
metallisation, it provides two distinct
copper colours for images, logos, text
and alphanumerics.
Continuedonpage2>
DIDWavepatchandwindowedthread.
TruLife Optics
2. The new process can be used for both
laminated and hot stamping holograms.
The process provides a different approach
to bi-metallic coatings since – instead of
using combinations of aluminium, copper
or zinc sulphide to achieve a bi-metallic
effect – only copper is used to produce
two colours.
The other interesting feature of this
new development is that the two colour
metallised copper layers can have different
electrical and thermal conductivities,
which may be developed for future
authentication and new electro-thermal
element applications.
www.idvac.co.uk
Separatecoppermetallisedfilmsexhibitingthe
standardcoppercolourandrosycoppercolour.
The new DID optical products are called
DID Wave that incorporates the colour
permutation and animation motion effects,
and DID®
Virtual that incorporates colour
permutation and surface relief 3D effects.
Some of the key advantages of the DID
Wave feature are its exception brightness,
resistance to counterfeiting, ease of
authentication by the public, and ease of
integration into the secure document.
For example, in banknotes the DID Wave
thread can be integrated and linked to
the design of a DID Wave patch in the
same document, creating a unique colour
permutation between the patch and the
thread. DID Wave is designed for thread,
patch and stripe formats.
DID Virtual is available for banknotes in
either patch or stripe formats. The product
brings an instinctive and eye catching
additional security feature to the market that
is easy to authenticate and explain without
visual complexity, whilst being virtually
impossible to counterfeit.
www.hologram-industries.com
2 HOLOGRAPHY NEWS | IN THE NEWS
InsidethisIssue
1 Hologram Industries
Unveils DID Wave
1 Idvac Develops 2-Colour
Copper Metallisation
3 TruLife Optics Launches
New Holographic
Waveguide
3 Graphene Produces a
Working 3D Display
4 Security Foiling
6 Holoptica Launches
holoNFC
7 Professor Parameswaran
Hariharan
7 From the Archives
8 Nanoholes Could be Used
to Produce Holograms
DIDWave(Continued)
IdvacDevelops(Continued)
Singlecoppermetallisedfilmsexhibitingboth
standardcoppercolourandrosycoppercolour.
AnexampleofVirtualDIDshowingcolour
permutationeffectscombinedwithanembossing
effectfor‘93’tocreatevirtualvolumeinthedesign.
DIDNoteonthePhilippinesPiso 500.
ApictorialrepresentationofDIDmappedontoultra-thinmicrolenses.
1to10µ
400nm
60nm
150nm
StandardCopper
RosyCopper
RosyCopper
Copper
TruLife Optics
4. 4 HOLOGRAPHY NEWS | COMPANY PROFILE
SecurityFoiling–HologramsAppliedat
thePointofIssue
Security Foiling (SF), headquartered in
Ipswich, UK, has established itself as
a leading independent provider of foil
and hologram solutions for document
security to a wide spectrum of industries,
including financial, printing, transport,
government, education and multinational
organisations. To date SF’s foil and
hologram solutions are in numerous
installations across 94 countries.
The main offering of the business are
products (foil application equipment, dies
and holographic foils) and services that
provide security document producers
and issuers with the flexibility and
configurability to apply the security
hologram at the point of issue. This is
vital in applications where documents
need to be issued from distribution or
regional centres, and thereby reduces the
risks of transporting and storing finished
unpersonalised secure documents.
All of SF’s products are designed and built
in the UK by a team of specialist engineers
and designers.
Company history
Security Foiling was founded in July 1991
as the security division of the Blockfoil
group that has been involved in hot foiling
and commercial packaging since 1981.
In 2004 Blockfoil was acquired by Barry
Corbett (current Group Managing Director)
and Peter Starling (current Finance Director)
from Bridgepoint, a venture capitalist. The
company has facilities in Manchester and
Nottingham as well as Ipswich.
The Blockfoil group includes:
SF Services, which started in 1989, and is
Blockfoil’s specialist international sales and
aftersales support arm for new and used
hot stamping equipment, cutting, creasing
and folder gluing machines.
Profoil (Profoil System Limited), which
was set up to trade consumables to other
foiling and embossing organisations. Its
first products were die fixing toggles and
machine spare parts, but over recent
years has expanded into hot stamping
foil rolls, make-ready materials and many
other key consumables.
In addition, Blockfoil has its own in-house
die making facility (Dies Direct) that makes
brass, magnesium and copper dies and
also dies for applying holograms.
Products and markets
SF is able to supply everything needed to
provide a finished solution, from hologram
design and supply, to providing all of the
equipment and consumables (including
dies) needed to apply the hologram to a
security document or plastic card at the
point of issue.
MicroPOISE™
(POISE standing for Point of
Issue Security Embosser) is the company’s
‘on-demand’ hologram application
machine. (The machine is also known as
Checkpoint and Securogram). All machines
are designed and manufactured in-house.
MicroPOISEhologramapplicationhandfedmachine.
MicroPOISEhologramapplication
vacuumfedmachine.
The basic MicroPOISE (MP) machine
is desk-top size, with a family of feeder
options (ie. hand feed, auto feed, vacuum
feed and sprocket feed) depending
on production volume requirements
and document types. All machines are
designed to be secure and tamper proof,
to enable hologram applications to secure
document substrates in remote locations
by unskilled users.
The equipment can be made bespoke
to customer requirements and can also
be integrated with third party equipment
such as feeding systems, laser marking,
lamination and converting equipment.
So how does the MicroPOISE
machine work?
The basic MP machine consists of a
heated stamping head, a patented anti-
jam impression system, a foil transport
system, and a control system. The die
is mounted securely onto the stamping
head. The foil is routed underneath the
stamping die; the substrate is then placed
above a pressure absorbing element
known as the make-ready.
Once in position, the substrate and foil
are pressed together against the fixed hot
die by applying pressure to the underside
of the substrate, with the combination of
pressure and heat permanently bonding
the foil to the substrate. A foil separation
system ensures the foil and substrate are
reliably separated after the impression takes
place – improving the quality of impression
and promoting reliable automatic feeding of
documents and cards.
MicroPOISEhologramapplication.
The machines are very robust and
can handle many types of substrate
materials, including paper, composite
plastic card, Teslin, PET, polycarbonate
and polypropylene. Maximum substrate
thickness is 5mm. Machines are designed
to resist accidental or deliberate jamming
by stacking multiple substrates.
Foil is supplied on a continuous roll
which is pulled through the machine and
accurately positioned between the die and
the make-ready by the transport system.
A fixed knife separates the waste foil and
the substrate after each stamping strike
and the waste foil is then wound onto a
roller. The control system ensures that
the correct levels of heat and pressure
are applied and that the foil is correctly
positioned for each impression.
The machine is fitted with a fibre optic
sensor that accurately reads the position of
the hologram register marks. The machine
uses this information to precisely control
the foil transport mechanism, stopping the
foil in the exact position required for correct
hologram stamping.
TruLife Optics
5. 5COMPANY PROFILE | VOLUME 29 – NO 8 | AUGUST 2015
Quality of the impression and transfer
depends on three parameters –
temperature, pressure and dwell (or contact
time between foil and substrate). Typical
transfer would take place at 120°C and
pressure and dwell is adjusted to suit
the properties of the substrate. Once the
settings are correct then the machine
stores these settings and provides high
quality impressions time after time. The
machines can apply continuous image
holograms, registered images, conventional
hot stamping foils and signature panels, the
latter on plastic cards.
Typical throughput speeds vary depending
on the exact application requirements
but, for the basic hand fed machine, 500
impressions an hour is achievable. Further
speed improvements are possible using the
auto-card feeder and vacuum feeder with
speeds of 3,500 and 4,500 impressions
respectively. 8,000 impressions an hour are
possible with a full audit system machine.
Protecting the foiling process
In response to customer demands to protect
the MP foiling process, SF developed the
SENTRY system. This offers control over
how and when the MP machine can be
used and provides a complete audit trail of
machine use and operation. Sentry codes
are issued that allow a specific number
of impression credits. This prevents the
MP machine from being used to produce
additional documents.
A further enhancement has now been
developed that enables the system to
interface to a computer (SENTRY Access
PC Interface). This allows all operational
parameters to be saved, recalled and
uploaded to the MP machine in just a few
seconds, allowing rapid changeover of jobs.
MicroPOISESENTRYAccessPCInterface.
Up until now over 2,000 MP machines have
been sold, including for the following:
To produce 32 million Argentinian
ID cards;
To the Benin government to
authenticate documents from the
President’s office, senior ministers,
Customs and the Treasury.
To produce visitor ID badges for
President Obama’s inauguration event.
Security foils
As well as supplying MP machines,
SF also supplies security holograms
that includes its own Duogram®
and
Datafoil™
products.
Duogram is unique to SF and is a
combination of die technology and
holographic foil. The product is used to
protect plastic cards from being forged
and gives instant verification via an optical
switch with the word ‘OK’ repeated for
authentication.
ExamplesofDuogram.
The product is available in gold and silver
colours and can contain a variety of
both overt and covert security features,
including moving dot patterns, multiple
viewing angles, variable depth, fine line
detail, microtext, nanotext, image flips,
hidden information revealed with a reader,
deliberate errors and tactility. Further
customisation is also possible by the
addition of serialisation.
Duogram is unique in that some of the
secure images and features, such as
microtext, are ‘built into’ the stamping
dies and transferred to the foil at the point
of issue of the plastic card during the
stamping process using the MP machine.
This combination of custom die and secure
Duogram foil has the advantage of lowering
costs and lead times, particularly where
volumes are low.
Artwork for the security stamping die
imagery and text is supplied and approved
by the customer. SF then manufactures the
security dies using proprietary processes.
The die materials and unique process used
depend upon complexity of the design.
An example of Duogram’s use is at London
Heathrow airport. The product was used to
secure 40,000 airside driving permits that
were applied using the MP machine with an
auto-card feeder.
Further examples include the Kenyan State
Press that uses Duogram for over 1million
vehicle registration documents, and the
Presidential office of Benin that use the
product to secure official documents.
Datafoil
Datafoil, meanwhile, is a proven high
security transparent high refractive index
coated foil that protects variable information
from being altered. Its main application is
protecting data on certificates and cheques
against unauthorised alteration.
AnexampleofDatafoil.
It has been sold in over 70 countries,
including in the UK where it protects £200
billion of welfare payments and gun licence
certificates.
As for Duogram, Datafoil can incorporate
a variety of security features and uses a
combination of security die and holographic
foil technologies.
The high stamping pressure used in the
application of Datafoil meshes the foil with
the paper, making it virtually impossible
to alter the information being protected
without detection.
The future and other developments
SF is seeing an increasing trend towards
simple visual authentication, where the
untrained eye has to make verification
within a very short time. This has driven the
development of holographic products that
have simple optical switch features.
Other products that are increasingly being
used is the new SF covert ‘through-view’
feature where text and threads can only be
seen with rear illumination
Through-viewfeaturebackilluminated.
For national ID cards, a system has been
produced that ties the digital credentials of
the individual to the ID card. The machine
reads a barcode on the substrate which
then records the individual’s credentials
applied to the card, whether the hologram
has successfully transferred, when the
document was produced and who the
operator was who issued the card.
Work is in development with leading
hologram suppliers to identify the specific
hologram on a roll to confirm application to
the card substrate.
More information can be found at
www.securityfoiling.co.uk
TruLife Optics
6. 6 HOLOGRAPHY NEWS | COMPANY NEWS
Holoptica Launches holoNFC
Holoptica, the embossed hologram
producer based in Silicon Valley,
California has developed a new brand
protection and authentication product –
holoNFC™
.
The company was set up in February 2012
by Jiri (George) Perkous (see HN April 2013)
and is a spin off from (and shares part-
ownership with) Segment Security, itself a
company that only went into production
in 2011 (see HN November 2011) for the
production of micro-dots (holographic and
non-holographic).
The Holoptica business is set up for
hologram production and previously
developed HoloQR™
(a diffractive or plain
holographic QR code incorporated into
the design of the hologram). Now the
company has gone one step further with
the development of holoNFC. As the
word holoNFC suggests – it combines
high security holography with Near Field
Communication (NFC) technology.
HoloNFC:13mmx27mmlabel.
HoloNFC is a label product, 150 microns or
more in thickness and can be either 100%
full face holographic or a combination of
paper or plastic with the NFC hologram.
The smallest holoNFC device is 20mm
diameter or 22mm x 12mm.
HoloNFC:20mmdiameterlabel.
The product has multiple layers of
protection and authentication. The first
three layers of protection are holographic
visual, forensic and machine readable and
can contain all possible holographic security
elements and combinations thereof,
including microtext, nanotext, kinetic
effects, lens features, taggants, barcodes,
HoloQR, ultra-violet fluorescing features,
quantum dots and serial numbering.
The fourth layer of protection is a DNA
SmartMark – an effective deterrent to
counterfeiters made of synthetic DNA.
The DNA SmartMark can be detected
either in the field using a briefcase sized
authentication kit, or where a smaller
amount of DNA is used, detection is
carried out in a laboratory. Combined
with the holographic security layers,
these four layers of protection are virtually
impossible to copy.
The fifth and final layer is the NFC
technology, which adds to the holoNFC an
instant authentication, verification and track
and trace mobile app capability. Instant
verification is achieved by simply tapping
the holoNFC hologram with any NFC
enabled smartphone running Android, iOS
or Windows.
First applications of holoNFC include
anti-theft/track and trace asset marking
with Crowd GPS capability. Crowd GPS
enables items to be found after they have
been lost. When another user comes
nearby the lost item, that user’s phone
will anonymously ping the server to
update the owner of the item with new
GPS coordinates of when and where it
was last seen.
Typically for low volumes (up to 2,000),
indicative costs are $0.40 per holoNFC
device.
One of the first applications of holoNFC
is in the new SecureBike (SB) anti-theft
and track and trace system provided in
conjunction with Segment Security.
The SB system consists of a label
incorporating 500 microscopic PIN coded
microdots, holoNFC, patented HoloQR,
UV marking pen applicator kit and Apple’s
iBeacon with a Crowd GPS mobile app.
When a person passes within range of the
‘tagged’ bike with a smartphone enabled
Crowd GPS app, the location of the bike is
updated on the bike owner’s mobile phone
or tablet.
In addition to insurance companies
supporting the SB system, Segment
Security also highlights a number of other
benefits to bike users of this technology
including:
Anti-theft prevention (bikes are 70% less
likely to be stolen);
60% higher rate of recovery via
Crowd GPS;
Constant monitoring of your bike;
A payment of up to $300 if the bike is
not recovered.
For further information see
www.holoptica.com and
www.segmentsecurity.com
TestscreenshotsofholoNFC.
TruLife Optics
7. Professor
Parameswaran
Hariharan–
1926-2015
Prof P Hariharan –
renowned scientist,
holographer and author,
– passed away on 26 July,
aged 89. Prof Hariharan was
famous for the simplicity
and originality of his
scientific approach to complex principles of
both classical and modern optics.
During his lifetime he published over 200
papers and authored and contributed to books
on holography and interferometry that are
extensively referred to by the global holography
fraternity and optics students.
He started his career in 1949 at the National
Physical Laboratory (NPL), New Delhi, where he
stayed until 1951, before taking up a position at
the National Research Council, Ottawa (1951-
1954).
On returning to NPL he received his PhD for
his work on photographic resolving power
and subsequently became Director of the
laboratories at Hindustan Photo Films,
Ootacamund (1961-71) and Senior Professor at
the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
(1971-73). In 1973 he joined the Division of
Applied Physics of Commonwealth Scientific
and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)
in Sydney and retired as a Chief Research
Scientist (1991). He continued his research as
an Honorary Research Fellow at CSIRO and
was an Honorary Visiting Professor at Sydney
University where he was awarded the degree of
DSc (2001).
He was also a Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of
the Hyderabad Central University and a visiting
scholar, sponsored by the International Centre
for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), at the Raman
Research Institute, Bangalore (1996-98).
During his lifetime he developed multicolour
rainbow holograms and enriched multicolour
reflection holograms. His other contributions
were in interferometry and related
instrumentation.
He was the recipient of numerous prestigious
awards over his career including: the Joseph
Fraunhofer Medal of the Optical Society of
America, the Thomas Young Medal of the
Institute of Physics - London, the Dennis Gabor
Award of SPIE, the Henderson Medal of the
Royal Photographic Society, the Walter Boas
Medal of the Australian Institute of Physics and
Gold Medals of the Australian Optical Society
and SPIE. He was a Fellow of the Indian
Academy of Sciences, the Optical Society of
America, SPIE, Institute of Physics-London,
and the Royal Photographic Society.
His passing is not only a big loss to India, but
to the whole global scientific and holographic
Compiled by Dr PT Ajith Kumar
Embossed Hologram In-Line Inspection System
In 2005 Holography News®
reported Tecscan Electronics Ltd, a South Wales
company specialising in the design and production of print inspection equipment,
had developed two systems for in-line inspection and quality monitoring of
embossed holograms in production. The AVIS H (Advanced Vision Inspection
System – Hologram) was developed from the company’s AVIS print inspection
system, which utilised an operator controlled inspection method, whilst the AVIS
HPQ (print quality) was an automatic system.
AVIS required a high resolution (1392[h] x 1040[v] pixel) CCD digital colour imaging
system to be installed on an embosser downstream of the shim roller and chiller
unit. The camera unit used unique strobe technology to illuminate and capture up to
three images per second, which were displayed on a TFT touch screen monitor. The
standard area of view was 150mm x 112mm. The camera traversed the width of the
web and cycled down the shim area so that all of the embossed area was imaged
over several seconds. Different viewing areas were also available on request.
The more advanced HPQ allowed the operator to select an acceptable quality
image, which was then stored as a reference image. The print defect detection
software compared each image captured during production with this reference
and alerted the operator with an audible and visual signal if the quality fell outside
the parameters of the reference. Both systems detected defects such as shim
degradation or other shim defects, dust or insect holes, cleaning smears and the like
down to 10µ.
TecScan, which was founded in 1986 and rapidly built a good reputation for its print
inspection systems, developed its holographic inspection system at the request of a
UK producer. Development started in 1997 with the first system installed two years
later. David Brideaux, technical sales manager, told Holography News that they had
installed six AVIS H systems and three HPQ systems in Europe, Canada and China.
TecScan also offered its Web Ranger to monitor the pitch of holograms along the
web. The Web Ranger reads the eyemark to ensure that the repeat distance stays
accurate, or at least that variations are immediately noticed. It displays the pitch
on a histogram to a tolerance accuracy of less than 0.1mm, saving down time and
reducing waste. The price was around £8,000.
Today the AVIS/HPQ is still Tecscan’s flagship hologram system and is claimed to be
the only defect detection system available designed specifically to inspect embossed
hologram production.
7ARCHIVES | VOLUME 29 – NO 8 | AUGUST 2015
From the Archives
10 years ago...
20 years ago...
Microsoft Stays with Holograms for Windows 95
Holography News®
reported in 1995 that the August launch of the Windows 95
operating system, which was the most advertised and anticipated upgrade at
the time, was to carry a new authentication hologram supplied by CFC Applied
Holographics. The authentication hologram was a combined stereogram and dot-
matrix hologram.
In keeping with the Microsoft theme of Information at your fingertips, the full colour
holographic image portrayed a young boy seated in front of a computer monitor
playing with the Windows 95 logo. On tilting the hologram on the horizontal axis the
boy raised his right hand and touched the logo on the screen with his index finger;
the screen image then dissolved into a swirling colour pattern.
The oval hologram was used on the Windows 95 box and the certificate of
authenticity (COA) which also included a 3M security label. Christine Santucci,
Microsoft spokesperson, told Holography News that Microsoft chose the image in
part because replication would prove difficult for counterfeiters.
Today Microsoft still use holographic technology in some of their label COAs in the
form of windowed holographic threads and a small oval holographic label placed
inside an indentation on the Xbox.
In addition, many Microsoft products on CD and DVD also include holographic
security features integrated into the discs to help protect them against counterfeiting.
TruLife Optics
8. 8 HOLOGRAPHY NEWS | NANOHOLES
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or translated in any form or by any means –
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior permission of the publishers.
While every effort has been made to check the information given in this publication, the publishers cannot accept
any responsibility for any loss or damage arising out of, or caused by the use of, such information. Opinions
expressed in Holography News are those of the individual authors and not necessarily those of the publisher.
COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Events
12–15 OCTOBER 2015
HOLOEXPO-2015
Kazan City, Russia
www.holoexpo.ru
20–22 OCTOBER 2015
SECURE DOCUMENT SUMMIT
Beijing, China
www.cids.com.cn
11–13 NOVEMBER 2015
TAX STAMP FORUM
Miami, USA
www.taxstampforum.com
17–19 NOVEMBER 2015
CARTES
Paris, France
www.cartes.com
02–04 DECEMBER 2015
THE HOLOGRAPHY CONFERENCE
Shanghai, China
www.theholographyconference.com
Publisher: Reconnaissance International Ltd.
Editor: Mark Deakes (right)
Contributor: Astrid Mitchell
Annual subscription rate: £473 / €615 / $780
Subscribers to Authentication News, Tax Stamp News or
ID Secure Document News (20% discount): £378 / €492 / $624
Ask about multiple/corporate subscriptions and site licences.
The editorial team welcomes your news, contributions and comments.
Please send these to info@reconnaissance-intl.com
4 Windmill Business Village, Brooklands Close, Sunbury, TW16 7DY, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1932 785 680; Fax: +44 (0)1932 780 790
www.holography-news.com
Nanoholes Could be Used to
Produce Holograms
Scientists at the National University
of Singapore have found a way to
potentially prevent counterfeits in
currency, documents, credit cards, and
even identity documents.
This latest technology is a high level
security barrier to would-be street level
counterfeiters, say its developers, which
operates in the nanoscale range (on a scale
of 10-9
m).
The scientists designed an ‘ultra-
capacity nano-photon sieve’ – a unique
device with the capacity to incorporate
more than 34,000 nanoholes (around
300nm in diameter) randomly
distributed in its surface.
This feature enables the display of a high-
pixel and high-quality holographic image at
a controlled position.
According to Qiu Cheng-Wei, Assistant
Professor at the National University
of Singapore, highly secured virtual
information can be stored in the collection
of the nanoholes. This can only be retrieved
and read at a particular distance when a
type of polarised illumination is employed.
He said ‘Our device can be customised for
various applications as the dimensionality
(for example, two-dimensional or three-
dimensional), display distance, polarisation,
and wavelength dependence can be
tailored according to needs.’
The team’s new technology could open up a
new area for security at nanoscale precision.
‘We are looking into making our system
more robust, developing multiple
holographic images at multiple displaying
planes, wavelength-dependent, or
polarisation-dependent three-dimensional
images, higher pixels, and other emerging
applications enabled by the capability
of handling such a huge quantity of
nanoholes,’ says Qiu.
The findings appear in Nature
Communications. Further information can
be found at: Huang, K. et al. Ultrahigh-
capacity non-periodic photon sieves
operating in visible light. Nat. Commun.
6:7059 doi: 10.1038/ncomms8059 (2015).
Sketchofphotonsievehologram(149micronsx149microns)withatargetplanelocated500micronsaway
fromitssurface.Insets:scanningelectronmicroscopeimagesoftheleftandrightbottomofthephotonsieve.
Ultrahigh-capacitynon-periodicphotonsievesoperatinginvisiblelight.
TruLife Optics