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Solid static volume displays

Stereoscopic projection technique E. Luzy and C. Dupuis 1912

Stylus in gelatin material Chrysler 1960 Besides, early approaches from the beginning of the 1960s proposed the mechanical insertion, support, and translation of objects or particles in a volume. E.g. a stylus which can write in three colors was suspended in a tank of transparent gelatin. The servo-driven stylus moves through the gelatin, leaving a colored trace. This concept is limited to low data rates but provides history or track, since the unit itself handles integration and storage. Actual stereo-lithography processes for rapid prototyping purposes may be seen as a modern application of this technology.

Display system using rare-earth doped fluoride crystals M. R. Brown, G. Waters 1964 In 1964 M. R. Brown et al. filed the first patent for a 3D display based upon two photon upconversion processes (Figure 7). He proposes several fluoride crystals containing between 0.05 and 25% of trivalent thulium, erbium or holmium ions as useable. In his apparatus voxels appear in the region of intersection between a light beam (movable in X and Y direction) and a fan-shaped light plane (movable in Z direction). Thereby the angle stays nearly constant, so that the shape of voxels will be essentially invariant with position.

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Three-Dimensional Visual Display Systems Brown, Michael Richard; Waters, Geoffrey Sherwood; 1969

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Display system based on simultaneous absorption of two photons M.A. Dugay, J.A.Giordmaine, P.M. Rentzepis 1970 In 1967 Dugay et al. described a 3D display using the simultaneous absorption of two-photon. Especially their voxel activation strategy is notable. Two collinear lasers cross the display volume in different directions. The first laser encodes the voxel information, which means, whether a voxel is to be activated or not. The second laser interrogates this information and executes them. M.A. Dugay, J.A. Giordmaine, P.M. Rentzepis, ?Display system using two-photon fluorescent materials?, U.S. Patent 3,541,542, 1970.

Display System Using Two-Photon Fluorescent Materials Duguay, Michel A.; Heights, Berkeley; Giordmaine, Joseph A.; Rentzepis Peter M. 1970

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Voxel generation in Er3+ doped CaF2 crystals J.D. Lewis, C.M. Verber, R.B. McGhee 1971 In 1971 Lewis et al. developed a 3D display based upon two-frequency, two-step upconversion. The display volume is described by a 2-cm CaF2 crystal cube doped with the rare earth element erbium. Two orthogonally arranged filtered xenon lamps are the excitation source. By pumping the erbium with 1540 nm and 830 nm a green output (540 nm) is emitted. As the second beam is reflected through the crystal cube, it crosses the first beam twice and thereby two voxels appear. The spots have a size of 2 mm in diameter and a measured output of 2?10-8 W radiated isotropically, which means that they are clearly visible in a dimly lit room.

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Method and Apparatus for Generating Three-Dimensional Patterns Adamson, Arthur W. 1971

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Computer-Controlled Three-Dimensional Pattern Generator Lewis, Jordan D.; Veber, Carl M.; McGhee, Robert B. 1974

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Optical information processing system with color center crystal Carson, Arthur N. 1976 An optical information storage and retrieved system is presented wherein intersecting beams of coherent light at least one of which is information bearing are used to change the state of color centers in a crystal to effect information storage. Information is retrieved or read out by determining the state of color centers in the crystal.

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Three dimensional image generating apparatus having a phosphor chamber Downing, Elizabeth A.; Torres, Bernardo 1989 Three dimensional television viewing apparatus having an image chamber which produces images that can be viewed from a plurality of directions. An imaging phosphor is distributed in a three dimensional chamber. A pair of energy beams are directed by a pair of scanning systems inside the chamber to an intersection where visible light is released from the imaging phosphor. The point of intersection of the two beams is moved inside the chamber to produce a visible three dimensional image.

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Voxel addressed by optical fiber D. MacFarlane, G. R. Schultz, P. D. Higley, J. Meyer 1994 D. L. MacFarlane built a quite different true 3D display in 1994. The display has a volume of 300 cm³ and is able to emit 11*11*5 monochrome voxels. Transparent optical fibers address each single voxel within several layers of planar glass microsheets . The fibers are made of an UV-curved optical resin doped with an organic dye. In order to avoid Fresnel reflections, MacFarlane filled the gaps between the voxels with an index-matching liquid medium. Light excitation sources like nitrogen pumped dye lasers or Hg lamps were tested successfully. A mayor problem of this display is to find glasses, fibers and filling mediums with suiting indexes of reflections. However, a mayor advantage is its ability to switch all voxels at the same time, as the fibers are pumped via several flat arrays of liquid crystals outside the display.

Field-sequential projection on stacked polymer dispersed liquid crystal displays E. Paek 1996

One-beam pumping of Er3+-doped ZBLAN glasses T. Honda, T. Doumuki, A.Akella, L. Galambos, and L. Hesselink 1998 In 1998 Honda investigated the quantum efficiency for one frequency two step upconversion in 0.2 mol% Erbium doped ZBLAN glass. This alternative excitation method uses one focused laser beam at a wavelength of 979 nm, which matches both first and second energy level. Figure 11 shows the IR fluorescence, which is caused by one step excitation along the laser beam?s path, and the green emission, which appears only at the beam?s waist, the point with the largest intensity. TEST

Layered LC -based 3D display using one light source M. S. Leung, N. A. Ives, G. Eng 1998

Layered LC -based 3D display with several light sources R. S. Gold, J. E. Freeman 1998

Principle demonstration of 3D volumetric display achieved by PrYb co-doped materials X. Chen 2000

Principle demonstration of 3D volumetric display achieved by PrYb co-doped materials Xiaobo Chen, et. al. 2000

Dispersed crystallite up-conversion displays M. Bass, et.al. 2001 Dispersed crystallite up-conversion displays

Volumetric display based on upconversion phosphors Jianying Cao, et. al. 2005