Holographic Optical Elements (HOEs) are very appropriate for the construction of Helmet Mounted Displays (HilDs). The low weight and the compactness of HOEs allow for a design which meets the mechanical specifications of a helmet much better than a design with classical optical components. The weight of the optical system can be further reduced by using plastic instead of glass substrates as support material for the holograms. If however, the HOEs are recorded in dichromated gelatin, special precautions have to be taken to obtain humidity-resistant HOEs and to ensure tight adhesion of the gelatin to the plastic. Furthermore, the influence of deformations of the substrate material on the image quality has to be considered as well. In order to find solutions for the above mentioned problems, DCG holograms were recorded on the polycarbonate visor of holographic night vision goggles (HNVG). To study the influence of the optical quality of the plastics on the image quality of the HOEs, various recording configurations have been analyzed.

Date Published: 1 October 1990
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 1290, Helmet-Mounted Displays II, (1 October 1990);

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1290:
Helmet-Mounted Displays II
Ronald J. Lewandowski, Editor(s)