DuPont Holographics (Wilmington, DE) has entered two agreements—a partnership and an acquisition—that buttress its already strong presence in the area of mass-produced holographics. A unit of DuPont's Photopolymer and Electronic Materials business group, DuPont Holographics produces holographic polymer materials and holographic optical elements (HOEs) that are incorporated into imaging devices and consumer electronics.
The partnership is with DigiLens Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA), a company that recently received publicity for its October unveiling of holographic optics that can be electrically switched on and off. The DigiLens technology is based on a polymer containing a switchable liquid-crystal material that concentrates in Bragg planes when exposed and developed, resulting in a phase hologram. DuPont has also acquired Krystal Holographics International (KHI; New York, NY), a company with which it has been developing holographic components for four years. Made of DuPont polymers and manufactured by KHI, the components are used for product security and other purposes; the high level of security afforded results not only from the difficulty of counterfeiting the holograms, but also from the controlled supply of DuPont holographic film.
John Wallace | Senior Technical Editor (1998-2022)
John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years, retiring in late June 2022. He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester. Before becoming an editor, John worked as an engineer at RCA, Exxon, Eastman Kodak, and GCA Corporation.