Wavelength Independent Human Eye Laser Protection

Current technologies for eye protection address fixed wavelength threats as well as agile laser threats. Fixed wavelength solutions have advanced to the point where military eyewear with multiple protection (seven wavelength protection) is being implemented. Agile solutions are less developed, a major obstacle being the difficulty in obtaining the concurrent characteristics of safety blockage (required filter performance), very fast response times (less than nanoseconds) and implementability on current military eyewear. A novel approach is proposed in which a hybrid technology capitalizes on the advances already achieved with fixed wavelength filters and the fast response of optical switching. A fixed wavelength holographic filter is made tunable by doping it with materials which can vary the volumetric and/or index of refraction characteristics of the material. A composite holographic filter reduces the material variation requirements to less than 1%, thus facilitating optical switching. The result will be a tunable filter with a filter performance meeting military specifications and the fast response time required of an agile filter. Additionally, the filter architecture will be compatible with military eyewear.