Encodable Optical Encryption Based on Multi‐Set Matching and Spatial Synergy

ABSTRACT

Cascaded liquid crystal (LC) devices have emerged as a promising platform for optical encryption by exploiting interlayer spatial degrees of freedom as physical keys. However, existing schemes remain constrained by flexibility in key management and insufficient synergy among multiplexing dimensions. Here, we propose an encodable optical encryption framework that integrates multi‐set matching with spatial synergy. By partitioning LC devices into master and slave sets and incorporating translation multiplexing, the encryption capacity is significantly expanded. As a proof of concept, a system employing 7 physical devices is demonstrated to support 19 independent encryption channels. Precise lateral translation serves as a spatial dynamic key. Moreover, the system exhibits high sensitivity to sub‐pixel misalignment, ensuring that deviations exceeding a few pixels degrade the reconstructed image into an unrecognizable noise pattern. This framework provides a high‐capacity, physically secure solution with flexible key management, paving the way for applications in multi‐user anti‐counterfeiting, hierarchical secure communication, and interactive encrypted displays.