Complementary cellophane optic gate and its use for a 3D iPad without glasses

A complementary cellophane optic gate was fabricated using a birefringent cellophane sheet. Previous versions of the optic gate required the retardance of the cellophane to be as close to 180° as possible throughout the entire visible wavelength range, which meant it was often difficult to find a cellophane sheet with the right thickness and dispersion characteristics to meet this requirement. The complementary optic gate reported in this paper has no restriction on the thickness, composition, or wavelength range of the cellophane sheet except that the cellophane must have some birefringence. Even with an arbitrary retardance, an extinction ratio of 5 × 10⁻³ was achieved at λ = 0.63 μm. The optic gate was used to convert an iPad into a 3D display without the need for the observer to wear glasses. The high extinction ratio of the optic gate resulted in a 3D display of supreme quality.