Diffralicht
| Project name: | Diffralicht – Diffractive optical elements for light guidance in transparent media |
| Department: | Engineering – Applied Physics |
| Project lead: | Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Kontermann |
| Project participants: | |
| Project partners: | |
| Duration: | 01.01.2020 – 31.12.2023 |
| Funding body or client: | Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), FHprofUnt 2018 |
Project description
When illuminated, diffractive optical elements (DOEs) use different optical path lengths to create phase modulations, which produce interference patterns. With a clever design of the modulation, almost any intensity pattern can be generated. In the DiffraLicht project, the phase modulation is created by femtosecond laser pulses, which change the refractive index inside transparent media. In contrast to lithographic fabrication, this allows almost continuous, arbitrary profiles to be realised.
Objective
DiffraLicht aims to produce a transparent light panel whose light-guiding structures do not restrict the transparency of the medium. In addition, the know-how gained will be used for manufacturing augmented reality systems, such as head-up displays in car windscreens.
Project partners and tasks
- Harz University of Applied Sciences, Wernigerode: evaluation of demonstrator luminaires
- LightTrans International UG, Jena: support with simulation, interface development
- LightFab GmbH, Aachen: technology development, process optimisation
Funding
DiffraLicht is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the programme “Forschung an Fachhochschulen” under the funding guideline “Research at universities of applied sciences with companies” (FHprofUnt 2018). It supports long-term research cooperation between science and industry with strong application relevance, high economic potential and scientific and technical challenges beyond the state of the art.
