SBIR-STTR Award

Mapping awareness of battlefield is increasingly valuable for many military mission planning and activities, particularly in complex urban and mountainous terrain. Currently available two-dimensional (2D) visualization techniques have limit capacity to achieve understanding of full dimensionality of the battlefield. Rewritable 3D holographic storage is promising for updatable 3D display applications. Based on our encouraging preliminary study on reversible nonvolatile holographic storage, New Span Opto-Technology Inc. proposes herein a novel large-area 3D updateable holographic display (UHD), capable of reversible recording and nonvolatile reading based on a novel bi-photonic holographic technique without using high-voltage electrical field across the polymer film. The proposed technique exploits one laser source for both coherent recording and reading processes. The Phase I research will focus on feasibility studies of the proposed UHD concept by recording reversible holograms and reading the stored information without volatility using azobenzene photorefractive polymer films. In Phase II, we will improve the system design and construct and characterize a 300 x 300 mm prototype true 3-D display system. We will study the functionality of the prototype system through demonstration of high diffraction efficiencies, wide viewing angles, fast writing times, long persistence of hours or more, controllable erasure with thousands write/rewrite cycle capability.

Keywords:
Holographic Display, 3d Mapping Visualization, Nonvolatile Updatable Recording.

Two-dimensional (2D) visualization techniques have limit capacity to achieve understanding of full dimensionality of the battlefield. Rewritable 3D holographic storage is promising for updatable 3D display applications. In Phase I, New Span Opto-Technology has demonstrated novel concepts of both holographic recording technique and recording material system without the use of high voltage. We have established the feasibility of updatable 3D holographic recording with high diffraction efficiency and relatively fast recording speed. The recorded holograms can be erased by either thermal or optical method. The thermal erasing process is only a few seconds and the film can record new holograms again at exactly the same location. The holographic storage is nonvolatile if no erasure process is applied. In addition, the reading beam has the same wavelength as coherent recording beams. Thus, no color distortion presents in the reconstructed image which will be the true copy of the object. In Phase II, we will improve our design based on our successful Phase I work, and develop a large area prototype of true 3-D display system to meet Phase II performance requirements, including high diffraction efficiency, wide viewing angle, fast writing time, long persistence, and controllable erasure with thousands write/rewrite cycle capability.

Benefit:
The successful development of the proposed UHD system will benefit 3D updatable holographic display for mission planning in a variety of military platforms. The proposed UHD technique offers several benefits over the conventional holographic solution, such as using the same wavelength for both reading and recording, and no high-voltage electrical field across the recording film. The proposed system may also be useful for geo-referenced navigation of aircrafts, precision-guided munitions. The applications of 3D mapping display in military are wide, including guidance, missile seekers and warning, wide area surveillance, landmark tracking for precision landing and hazard avoidance, as well as providing reliable location and status of friendly forces. Apart from the defense applications, the proposed UHD-based technique has potential non-military commercial applications, such as commercial airline navigation, intelligent guidance systems for civilian vehicles, as well as R&D for geology. The true updatable 3D holographic displays are ideal tools for medical and industrial applications that require situational awareness. In addition, demand on high-density data storage has been exploded in civilian sector. Technologies currently available for data storage have come to their physical limits and may not be able to meet future demands. The proposed project will benefit the development for next generation of data storage technology.

Keywords:
Holographic Display, 3d Mapping Visualization, Nonvolatile, Updatable Recording