Wide angle laser eye protector using 3D anisotropic metal-dielectric nanostructures

The primary objective of this proposed research effort is to develop a novel laser eye protector (LEP) for visors, which can not only offer a high transmittance (over 85%) in the visible spectral range and a high blocking rate (OD 4) in the near IR spectral range but also be angular insensitive so that it can be applied to the highly curved or complex-shaped visors.   The key innovation of the proposed system is harnessing an unconventional, anisotropic metal and dielectric integrated nanostructured coating.  The major advantages of the proposed LEP technology include following aspects: (1) it is highly transparent in the visible spectral range, (2) it can totally block the IR spectrum, (3) it has an ultra sharp transition from the transmissive visible spectrum to the blocking IR spectrum, (4) it is angular insensitive, (5) it works for both the CW and the pulsed laser beam, (6) it is fully compatible with the avionics display on the inside surface of a visor, and (7) it will not generate any negative factors such as haze and distortion.   BENEFIT: The successful completion of the proposed research effort represents a major technology breakthrough in LEP because it can be applied to the highly curved and complex shaped surface without deteriorating its performance in terms of transmittance in the visible range and blocking rate in the near IR.  It will have a great impact on both the military applications (such as LEP for visors) and the civilian usages (such as medical/dental laser surgery, solar window, and improving the light bulb illumination efficiency).