Reflective structure, device, and method for producing reflective structure

1. A reflective structure comprising:

a plurality of helical structures each extending in a specific direction, the specific direction indicating a direction of helix axes of the helical structures;

a first light incidence surface on which light is incident, the first light incidence surface being substantially perpendicular to the specific direction; and

a reflective surface configured to reflect the light coming through the first light incidence surface, the reflective surface intersecting with the specific direction, wherein

the first light incidence surface includes one end of two ends of each of the helical structures,

each of the helical structures includes a plurality of structure units successive in the specific direction,

each of the structure units includes a plurality of elements stacked in a twisted manner to form a helix,

each of the structure units has a first end and a second end,

the second end of one structure unit of structure units, among the plurality of structure units, adjacent to one another in the specific direction serves as the first end of the other structure unit,

directions of orientation of the elements at the first ends included in the helical structures are identical,

the reflective surface includes at least one of the first ends included in each of the helical structures, and

the reflective surface is non-parallel to the first light incidence surface due to the helical structures including two or more helical structures that have spatial phases different from each other.

2. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflective surface is inclined with respect to the first light incidence surface in a given direction.

3. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflective surface includes a curved surface.

4. The reflective structure according to claim 3 , wherein

the reflective surface is symmetrical with respect to a symmetry axis.

5. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflective surface includes irregularities.

6. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflective surface includes a helical surface.

7. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

in each of the helical structures, a helical half pitch varies or a helical pitch varies,

the helical half pitch is a distance from the first end to the second end of the structure unit, and

the helical pitch is a distance from the first end of the one structure unit of the structure units adjacent to one another to the second end of the other structure unit.

8. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the helical structures form a cholesteric phase, a cholesteric blue phase, a chiral smectic C phase, a twist grain boundary phase, a helicoidal cholesteric phase, a chiral liquid crystal phase, a helical inorganic material, a helical metal, a helical crystal, or a chiral structure.

9. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , comprising

a plurality of the reflective surfaces; and

a second light incidence surface on which light is incident, the second light incidence surface intersecting with the specific direction, wherein

the second light incidence surface includes an opposite end of the two ends of each of the helical structures,

among the reflective surfaces, a reflective surface toward the first light incidence surface has a different structure from a reflective surface toward the second light incidence surface,

the reflective surface toward the first light incidence surface reflects the light coming through the first light incidence surface, and

the reflective surface toward the second light incidence surface reflects the light coming through the second light incidence surface.

10. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

among the helical structures, adjacent helical structures are bonded to each other.

11. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the reflective surface reflects the light coming through the first light incidence surface to form an image of an object corresponding to the light.

12. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

one, or two or more of the helical structures form a helical structure unit,

the reflective structure further comprises:

a plurality of support members disposed one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of the helical structure units; and

a plurality of rotary members disposed one-to-one correspondence with the support members,

each of the support members supports the corresponding helical structure unit, and

each of the rotary members rotates the corresponding support member.

13. A device comprising:

the reflective structure according to claim 1 ; and

a stimulation section configured to give a stimulus to the reflective structure, wherein

the stimulus is an electrical stimulus, a light stimulus, a mechanical stimulus, or a chemical stimulus, and

the reflective structure responds to the stimulus.

14. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the spatial phases of the helical structures indicate directions of orientation of the elements included in the helical structures on the first incidence surface or directions of orientation of the elements located at the one ends of the respective two ends of the helical structures.

15. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , wherein

the helical structures does not function as a negative C-plate.

16. The reflective structure according to claim 1 , comprising

as the reflective surface, a plurality of reflective surfaces, wherein

the reflective surfaces are substantially parallel to one another.

17. A production method for producing a reflective structure, the reflective structure comprising:

a plurality of helical structures each extending in a specific direction, the specific direction indicating a direction of helix axes of the helical structures;

a first light incidence surface on which light is incident, the first light incidence surface being substantially perpendicular to the specific direction; and

a reflective surface configured to reflect the light coming through the first light incidence surface, the reflective surface intersecting with the specific direction, wherein

the first light incidence surface includes one end of two ends of each of the helical structures,

each of the helical structures includes a plurality of structure units successive in the specific direction,

each of the structure units includes a plurality of elements stacked in a twisted manner to form a helix,

each of the structure units has a first end and a second end,

the second end of one structure unit of structure units, among the plurality of structure units, adjacent to one another in the specific direction serves as the first end of the other structure unit,

directions of orientation of the elements at the first ends included in the helical structures are identical,

the reflective surface includes at least one of the first ends included in each of the helical structures, and

the reflective surface is non-parallel to the first light incidence surface due to the helical structures including two or more helical structures that have spatial phases different from each other,

the production method comprising:

calculating a direction of orientation of an element at the one end of the two ends of each of the helical structures to create first orientation data; and

creating second orientation data based on the first orientation data, wherein

the first orientation data indicates directions of orientation of the elements at the respective one ends,

the second orientation data specifies either or both of a surface structure and a surface property of an alignment layer configured to be in contact with the elements and orient the elements, and

the creating the first orientation data includes creating the first orientation data such that some of the elements at the respective one ends each have a different direction of orientation.

18. The reflective structure production method according to claim 17 , further comprising

creating object data representing an object, wherein

the creating the first orientation data includes calculating the direction of orientation of the element at the one end of the two ends of each of the helical structures based on the object data.