Hologram and method of and apparatus for producing the same

• US 5,453,338 A
• Filed: 03/30/1993
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Ueda, Kenji, Suga, Kazuhiro, Nishimura, Hiroyuki, Sekiguchi, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowers, Jr., Charles L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Angebranndt, Martin J.
• Application Number:
  US08/039,854
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 430/1, 430/2, 430/290, 430/273, 430/5, 359/1, 359/3, 359/12
• US Class Current: 430/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0248 Volume holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0252 Laminate comprising a hologram layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0256 having specific functional layer
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/18 Particular processing of hologram record carriers, e.g. for obtaining blazed holograms photographic processing in general G03C, G03D
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/202 Contact copy when the reconstruction beam for the master H1 also serves as reference beam for the copy H2
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2223/25 Index matching material
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2227/04 Production line for mass production
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2240/55 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/10 arranged to be transferred onto a carrier body adhesive layer G03H2250/35
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/12 Special arrangement of layers
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2250/32 Antireflective layer

Abstract

A duplicating photosensitive material film is placed into close contact with a thin flexible ND glass or an ND glass coated with a cushioning layer through an optical contacting liquid containing a surface active agent. A spacer is interposed between a hologram original plate and the duplication photosensitive material, and the space defined by the spacer is filled with an optical contacting liquid, the spacer thereby regulating the thickness of the optical contacting liquid layer. In addition, a cushioning layer is provided on the inner side of an AR coated ND glass or on the upper side of the photosensitive material film, and another cushioning layer is provided on the side of an original plate protecting glass of the hologram original plate which is closer to the optical contacting liquid or on the lower side of the photosensitive material film. With this arrangement, even if dust enters, it can be effectively held inside the cushioning layers. Thus, it is possible to prevent undesirable flow of the optical contacting liquid and lifting of the film due to dust and hence possible to perform duplication effectively without any hindrance.

Claims

1. A hologram duplicating assembly for recording a duplicate hologram on a duplicating photosensitive material film by applying laser light to said hologram duplicating assembly which comprises:

an original plate unit, which includes an original plate hologram supported by a substrate and an original plate protecting glass bonded to a side of said original plate hologram opposite said substrate;

a duplicating unit comprising said duplicating photosensitive material film facing said original plate unit with the opposite side of said duplicating photosensitive material film being placed in close contact through an optical contacting liquid with a glass selected from the group consisting of an anti-reflection coated glass, an ND glass, an anti-reflection coated ND glass, and an ND glass placed in close contact with an anti-reflecting coated glass through an optical contacting liquid; and

a cushioning layer comprising a polymer of high elasticity sandwiched between said original plate protecting glass of the original plate unit and said duplicating photosensitive material film of the duplicating unit so that a foreign substance which may mingle between the original plate unit and the duplicating plate unit during duplication is buried in said cushioning layer, thereby reducing the incidence of depression-shaped defects.

2. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cushioning layer comprises as a principal component a high-elasticity polymer have a slope of not less than 0.003 μ

m/mgf in a stylus force-displacement measurement.

3. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning layer has a pencil scratch value of not less than 6H in a pencil scratch test.

4. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 1, wherein said cushioning layer is a polymer layer made of an ionizing radiation curing resin material.

5. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 4, wherein the curing resin material is a material selected from the group consisting of a radiation sensitive polymer or monomer.

6. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein the hologram at a portion where no depression-shaped defect is recognized contains a holographical record of a foreign substance observable using an optical microscope.

7. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 6, wherein the holographical record is due to said foreign substance itself.

8. A hologram duplicating assembly according to claim 6, wherein the holographical record is of a minute distortion of said cushioning layer due to said foreign substance.

9. A hologram producing method in which an image of an original plate hologram is recorded on a duplicating photosensitive material film by applying laser light to a duplicating system in which an original plate unit, which includes said original plate hologram supported by a substrate and an original plate protecting glass bonded to an upper side of said original plate hologram, is brought into close contact with a duplicating unit comprising said duplicating photosensitive material film facing said original plate unit with the opposite side of said duplicating photosensitive material film placed in close contact through an optical contacting liquid with a glass selected from the group consisting of an anti-reflection coated glass, an ND glass, an anti-reflection coated ND glass, and an ND glass placed in close contact with an anti-reflection coated glass through an optical contacting liquid, said method further comprising providing a cushioning layer made principally of a polymer of high elasticity between said original plate protecting glass and said duplicating photosensitive material film, so that a foreign substance which may mingle between the original plate unit and the duplicating plate unit during duplication is buried in said cushioning layer, thereby reducing the incidence of depression-shaped defects.

10. A hologram producing method according to claim 9, wherein the providing step provides a cushioning layer which comprises as its principal component a high-elasticity polymer having a slope of not less than 0.003 μ

m/mgf in a stylus force-displacement measurement.

11. A hologram producing method according to claim 9, wherein the providing step provides a cushioning layer having a pencil scratch value of not less than 6H in a pencil scratch test.

12. A hologram producing method according to claim 9, wherein the providing step provides said cushioning layer as a polymer layer made of an ionizing radiation curing resin material.

13. A hologram producing method according to claim 10, wherein the curing resin material provided by the providing step is a material selected from the group consisting of a binder polymer or monomer.

14. A method according to claims 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, wherein said method provides a hologram containing at a portion where no depression-shaped defect is recognized, a holographical record of a foreign substance observable using an optical microscope.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the holographical record provided is due to said foreign substance itself.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the holographical record provided is of a minute distortion of said cushioning layer due to said foreign substance.