A switchable diffuse reflective film with high color purity is demonstrated using holographic-polymer dispersed liquid crystals (HPDLC). By recording a diffuse hologram directly into the LC/polymer film, the diffuse mode HPDLC exhibit viewing angles an order of magnitude larger than the conventional mode. A simple phenomenological model based on coupled-wave theory is developed to describe our observations.

A novel device for separation of color image components in image capture systems is described. The device is based upon temporal switching of HPDLC elements with tunable spectral passbands. The device may be operated as either a reflective RGB color separation mirror or a transmissive CMY color separation filter. A breadboard color image capture system using this device for color separation has been developed and tested as a proof of concept.

Touch screens are in widespread use, due to the intuitive interfaces they enable, which can save time and increase productivity. Falling component prices have also spurred adoption, with consumer products increasingly being designed around touch screens. Touch‐screen devices are also widely perceived as cool and fun.

The ability to stack multiple HPDLC layers between one set of electrodes is an important milestone. This will enable increased reflection efficiency for HPDLC color display, color filter and other applications. We present the results of a novel stacking technology that yields switchable, highly reflective and multicolor HPDLC devices.