Optical element

Abstract

A component has a substrate ( 1 ) made of a transparent material, for example glass. On this layer ( 1 ), there is a linear polarizer ( 2 ) on which there is a layer ( 3 ) of a photo-oriented polymer network (PPN)(=LPP) which is oriented in locally varying fashion via its surface which covers the substrate. The layer ( 3 ) is adjoined by an anisotropic layer ( 4 ) of cross-linked liquid-crystal monomers. This layer ( 4 ) then has a molecular arrangement whose orientation is defined by the underlying orientation layer ( 3 ). The layer ( 4 ) will have been photocross-linked by exposure to a suitable wavelength of light, with the result that the molecular orientation defined by the PPN layer ( 3 ) is fixed. The element denoted as a whole by 7, can then be used as an optical component which is protected against forgery, it being possible for the orientation pattern of the liquid-crystal layer or the optical information stored therein to be made visible by means of an external polarizer ( 5 ), for example.

1 - 31 . (Cancelled).  
     
     
         32 . An optical component comprising at least two layers, one layer being a structured retarder and the other layer being a polarizer, wherein the polarizer is a circular polarizer.  
     
     
         33 . An optical component according to  claim 32 , wherein the retarder is structured by a structure of the optical delay.  
     
     
         34 . An optical component according to  claim 32 , wherein the retarder is structured by having at least two regions with different optical axis.  
     
     
         35 . An optical component according to  claim 32 ,  33  or  34 , wherein the retarder comprises an anisotropie layer comprising cross-linked liquid crystal monomers.  
     
     
         36 . An optical component according to  claim 32 , wherein two circular polarizers are arranged one above the other, one of which rotates to the left and the other of which rotates to the right.  
     
     
         37 . An optical component according to  claim 32 , wherein for the circular polarizer a cholesteric layer is used.  
     
     
         38 . An optical component according to  claim 36 , wherein for the circular polarizers cholesteric layers are used.  
     
     
         39 . An optical component according to  claim 38 , wherein the two cholesteric layers, one of which rotates to the left and the other of which rotates to the right, have reflection bands with maxima which lie in different wavelength ranges.  
     
     
         40 . An optical component according to  claim 37 , further comprising a linear polarizer.  
     
     
         41 . An optical component according to  claim 38 , further comprising a linear polarizer.  
     
     
         42 . An optical component according to  claim 40 , characterized in that the cholesteric layer and the structured retarder are on the same side of the linear polarizer.  
     
     
         43 . An optical component according to  claim 41 , characterized in that the cholesteric layer and the structured retarder are on the same side of the linear polarizer.  
     
     
         44 . An optical component according to  claim 40 , wherein the linear polarizer is in contact with the cholesteric layer.  
     
     
         45 . An optical component according to  claim 40 , wherein the linear polarizer is in contact with the structured retarder.  
     
     
         46 . An optical component according to  claim 40 , wherein the linear polarizer is arranged on a substrate, the cholesteric layer is in contact with the linear polarizer, and an orientation layer is placed on the cholesteric layer, and further wherein an optically anisotropic layer of cross-linked liquid crystal monomers, which forms regions with different molecular orientations, is placed on the orientation layer.  
     
     
         47 . An element for protection against forgery or copying, including an optical component according to  claim 32  and an external linear or circular polarizer for analyzing encoded information.  
     
     
         48 . A device for protection against forgery or copying, characterized in that an element according to  claim 47  and a linear or circular polarizer are arranged on the same substrate.  
     
     
         49 . An optical component comprising an optically anisotropic layer which is formed by liquid-crystal molecules, wherein the optically anisotropic layer contains fluorescent molecules.  
     
     
         50 . An optical component according to  claim 49 , wherein the optically anisotropic layer has at least two regions with different optical axes.  
     
     
         51 . An element for protection against forgery or copying comprising an optical component comprising an optically anisotropic layer which is formed by liquid-crystal molecules, wherein the optically anisotropic layer contains fluorescent molecules.  
     
     
         52 . An optical component, containing a birefringent liquid-crystal layer which has at least two regions with different optical axes, wherein an optical delay of the liquid-crystal layer in the individual regions depends differently on an angle of observation.  
     
     
         53 . An optical component according to  claim 52 , wherein a color of the element on observation through a polarizer differs locally.  
     
     
         54 . An optical component according to  claim 52 , characterized in that it is biaxial.  
     
     
         55 . An optical component according to  claim 54 , wherein the bire-fringent liquid-crystal layer is biaxial.  
     
     
         56 . An element for protection against forgery or copying comprising an optical component comprising a birefringent liquid-crystal layer which has at least two regions with different optical axes, wherein an optical delay of the liquid-crystal layer in the individual regions depends differently on an angle of observation.  
     
     
         57 . An element for protection against forgery or copying, being arranged on a substrate and comprising an optical anisotropic layer which has at least two regions with different optical axes, wherein the substrate is a reflective polarizer.  
     
     
         58 . A device for protection against forgery or copying comprising an element and an analyzer, wherein the analyzer and the element are arranged on a single substrate.