Identification of a replicable optical security element using laser speckle

An optical security element containing an area of random rough relief is proposed. It combines the low cost of mass replication inherent in traditional security holograms with the impossibility of holographic copying, when the wave restored by the hologram is rewritten as a copy of this hologram. The proposed optical element is also protected from contact and photographic copying. Laboratory samples of optical elements were obtained by taking replicas of a rough surface. Identification of the authenticity of optical elements was demonstrated by calculating the cross-correlation of speckle patterns produced by coherent light scattered off different replicas. It is assumed that the proposed security elements can be mass-produced on standard equipment for embossing security holograms.