Hologram Fabrication Process for 10 μm Microtext

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional volume holograms are limited in recording fine micropatterns, with a minimum size of about 100 μm, which is not visually unidentifiable and insufficient for security applications, whereas relief holograms can achieve finer patterns but are not recorded as holograms.

Innovation Solution

A hologram fabrication process involving a volume hologram recording material and a reflection type volume hologram master with a reflecting plate having a regular reflection zone, where copying illumination light and diffracted light interfere to record visually unidentifiable microtext patterns of up to 10 μm, allowing for multi-recorded interference fringes aligned parallel to the hologram surface, enabling color shifting and improved counterfeit resistance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a conventional volume hologram recording method is used with a transparent substrate between the hologram recording material and the pattern configuration, then the hologram can be recorded, but the micropattern size is limited to about 100 μm and cannot be visually unidentifiable

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemicropattern sizeVSAvoidhologram recording process

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and removes the transparent substrate from the hologram recording system. By eliminating the substrate that limited the micropattern size to 100 μm, the system can directly record much finer patterns of 10 μm or less while maintaining the volume hologram recording capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention introduces a reflecting plate as an intermediary element between the hologram recording material and the micropattern. This reflecting plate enables direct contact recording of the micropattern without requiring a transparent substrate, thereby achieving finer pattern resolution while simplifying the recording process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If relief holograms are used to form micropatterns of a few μm, then finer patterns can be achieved, but the pattern is recorded physically rather than as a hologram

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemicropattern sizeVSAvoidholographic recording authenticity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the advantages of relief hologram fine pattern formation with volume hologram authentic recording. By using a reflecting plate to enable direct contact recording, the system achieves both the fine micropattern resolution of relief holograms and the authentic holographic recording characteristics of volume holograms simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The process achieves direct holographic recording of visually unidentifiable microtext patterns of 10 μm without degrading resolving power, suitable for security applications, with color shifting features enhancing counterfeit resistance.

Implementation Method 1

the copying illumination light incident onto the volume hologram recording material and light diffracted through the reflection type volume hologram master interfere together in the volume hologram recording material thereby copying the reflection type volume hologram master

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectInterference: Interference

Implementation Method 2

a reflecting plate having a regular reflection zone is interleaved between said reflection type volume hologram master and said volume hologram recording material, and said copying illumination light incident onto said volume hologram recording material and regularly reflected light from the regular reflection zone of the said reflecting plate interfere together

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Implementation Method 3

light diffracted through the reflection type volume hologram master interfere together in the volume hologram recording material

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffraction: Diffraction

Data Source

PatentUS8227148B2Hologram fabrication process and fabricated hologram

Publication Date: 2012.07.24 DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO LTD

AI summary

The invention provides a hologram in which a visually unidentifiable microtext or other micropattern of the order of 10 μm is recorded, and a process for the fabrication of the same. A volume hologram recording material 2 is located on the side of a reflection type volume hologram master 1 onto which copying illumination light 11 is incident, and the copying illumination light 11 incident onto the recording material 2 and light 12 diffracted through the master 1 interfere together in the volume hologram recording material 2 thereby copying the reflection type volume hologram master. In this case, a reflecting plate 5 having a fine regular reflection pattern 3 is interleaved between the master 1 and the recording material 2, and the copying illumination light 11 incident onto the recording material 2 and regularly reflected light 32 from the reflecting plate having the regular reflection pattern 3 interfere together in the recording material 2 thereby allowing the regular reflection pattern 3 to be multi-recorded in a hologram having the reflection type volume hologram master 1 copied in it.