Abstract: An optical device may include a waveguide having a front surface and a parallel rear surface; a first aperture expander configured to receive an input image beam and provide a first plurality of expanded image beams, the first plurality of expanded image beams configured to propagate and reflect between the front and rear surfaces; a leaky image pipe configured to receive a first portion of the first plurality of expanded image beams and provide a plurality of transmitted image beams, the first portion of the first plurality of expanded image beams configured to partially reflect within the leaky image pipe; and a second aperture expander within the waveguide and configured to receive a second portion of the first plurality of expanded image beams and the plurality of transmitted image beams, the second aperture expander configured to provide a second plurality of expanded image beams configured to exit through the rear surface.

Abstract: A method for generating an image in a near-eye display may include dividing an image into first and second sub-images, sequentially transmitting the first sub-image and the second sub-image through a channel, extracting light corresponding to the first sub-image in a first polarization and light corresponding to the second sub-image in a second polarization, deflecting a first order of the light in the first polarization in a first direction, and deflecting an opposite order of the light in the second polarization in a opposite direction different from the first direction. The resulting image width corresponding to a wider field of view.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method including: providing a light guiding arrangement (LGA) configured to redirect light, incident thereon in a direction perpendicular to an external surface of the sample, into or onto the sample, such that light impinges on an internal facet of the sample nominally normally thereto; generating a first incident light beam (LB), directed at the external surface normally thereto, and a second incident LB, parallel to the first incident LB and directed at the LGA; obtaining a first returned LB by reflection of the first incident LB off the external surface, and a second returned LB by redirection by the LGA of the second incident LB into or onto the sample, reflection thereof off the internal facet, and inverse redirection by the LGA; measuring an angular deviation between the returned LBs and deducing therefrom an actual inclination angle of the internal facet relative to the external surface.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide and one or more partially reflective surfaces embedded inside the waveguide, wherein each of the one or more partially reflective surfaces includes a multi-layer coating structure, wherein a first portion of the multi-layer coating structure induces an overall phase shift of light propagating through the first portion of the multi-layer coating structure and wherein a second portion of the multi-layer coating structure is selected to decrease the overall phase shift.

Abstract: An optical aperture multiplier includes a first optical waveguide (10) having a rectangular cross-section and including partially reflecting surfaces (40) at an oblique angle to a direction of elongation of the waveguide. A second optical waveguide (20), also including partially reflecting surfaces (45) at an oblique angle, is optically coupled with the first optical waveguide (10). An image coupled into the first optical waveguide with an initial direction of propagation at an oblique coupling angle advances by four-fold internal reflection along the first optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be coupled into the second optical waveguide, and then propagates through two-fold reflection within the second optical waveguide, with a proportion of intensity of the image reflected at the partially reflecting surfaces so as to be directed outwards from one of the parallel faces as a visible image.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing waveguides for head mount displays may include bonding a first set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives sensitive to thermal or chemical removal and a second set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives insensitive to thermal or chemical removal to form a waveguide stack, cutting the waveguide stack to form waveguide structures with embedded facets or diffractive elements, and removing portions corresponding to the first set of waveguide elements using a thermal or chemical removal while portions corresponding to the second set of waveguide elements remain bonded.

Abstract: In one method, a display source aligned with an illumination prism assembly is displaced along a displacement axis to adjust the distance between the display source and a collimating prism assembly. The display source, the illumination prism assembly, and an illumination module are translationally moved in unison in a plane normal to the displacement axis. In another method, a component of an optical device is coupled to a mechanical assembly at a known orientation. The mechanical assembly has a test pattern at a known orientation. An image sensor is aligned with the test pattern, and the image sensor captures an image of the test pattern. The captured image is analyzed to determine an estimated orientation of the test pattern. An orientation parameter of the image sensor is adjusted based on a comparison between the known orientation of the test pattern and the estimated orientation of the test pattern.

Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed that includes at least one processor configured to determine a target coupling-out facet, identify an optical path to the target coupling-out facet, identify an active wave plate corresponding to the optical path, determine a target state of the active wave plate that corresponds to the optical path, set the active wave plate to the identified target state and cause a projection device to project a light beam comprising an image field of view component along the identified optical path.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide and one or more partially reflective surfaces embedded inside the waveguide, wherein each of the one or more partially reflective surfaces includes a multi-layer coating structure, wherein a first portion of the multi-layer coating structure induces an overall phase shift of light propagating through the first portion of the multi-layer coating structure and wherein a second portion of the multi-layer coating structure is selected to decrease the overall phase shift.

Abstract: A method for generating an image in a near-eye display may include dividing an image into first and second sub-images, sequentially transmitting the first sub-image and the second sub-image through a channel, extracting light corresponding to the first sub-image in a first polarization and light corresponding to the second sub-image in a second polarization, deflecting a first order of the light in the first polarization in a first direction, and deflecting an opposite order of the light in the second polarization in a opposite direction different from the first direction. The resulting image width corresponding to a wider field of view.

Abstract: An optical device may include a first and second polarization-selective surfaces, each configured to reflect a first polarization of incident light and transmit a second polarization of incident light orthogonal to the first polarization, the first polarization-selective surface disposed between first and second optical input surfaces at a first angle ? relative to an optical axis of the device and the second polarization-selective surface disposed between the first and second optical input surfaces at a second angle ? relative to the optical axis.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide and one or more partially reflective surfaces embedded inside the waveguide, wherein each of the one or more partially reflective surfaces includes a multi-layer coating structure, wherein a first portion of the multi-layer coating structure induces an overall phase shift of light propagating through the first portion of the multi-layer coating structure and wherein a second portion of the multi-layer coating structure is selected to decrease the overall phase shift.

Abstract: An optical system includes (a) a light-guide optical element (LOE) and (b) an image projector. The LOE is formed from transparent material and has at least first and second mutually-parallel major external surfaces for supporting propagation of an image by internal reflection at the first and second major external surfaces. The LOE includes a coupling-out arrangement for coupling out the image towards an eye of the user and a coupling-in arrangement. The image projector includes an image generator for generating an image and an image conjugate generator for generating a conjugate image.

Abstract: An optical system has a hollow mechanical body having first and second ends. An optical assembly has a plurality of optical components arranged in a stack configuration. Each of the optical components has a set of engagement configurations. For each pair of adjacent optical components in the stack configuration, at least some of the engagement configurations of a first optical component in the pair engage with at least some of the engagement configurations of a second optical component in the pair. Some of the engagement configurations of the optical component at a first end of the stack configuration engage with corresponding engagement configurations of the hollow mechanical body at the first end of the hollow mechanical body to position the other optical components of the stack configuration within the hollow mechanical body. An emissive display device is deployed at the second end of the hollow mechanical body.

Abstract: An optical system for directing image illumination injected at a coupling-in region to an eye-motion box for viewing by an eye of a user, including a light-guide optical element (LOE) formed from transparent material that includes: a first region containing a first set of planar, mutually-parallel, partially-reflecting surfaces having a first orientation; a second region containing a second set of planar, mutually-parallel, partially-reflecting surfaces having a second orientation non-parallel to the first orientation; a set of mutually-parallel major external surfaces extending across the first and second regions, and an optical retarder deployed between the first region and the second region so as to rotate a polarization of light deflected by the first set of partially-reflecting surfaces prior to reaching the second set of partially-reflecting surfaces.

Abstract: The waveguide includes a pair of major surfaces that are parallel to one another and an aperture configured to receive a plurality of beams. The aperture includes a pair of sub-apertures that are co-planar and offset in one dimension. The waveguide also includes a first set of facets that are configured to receive the beams from the aperture and at least partially reflect the beams towards a second set of facets. The second set of facets are configured to receive the beams from the first set of facets and at least partially reflect the beams out of the lightguide. The sub-apertures are offset in the one dimension by an offset distance that corresponds to a projected distance along the one dimension that the beams travel while the beams traverse one trip between the major surfaces between the first set of facets and the second set of facets.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing waveguides for head mount displays may include bonding a first set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives sensitive to thermal or chemical removal and a second set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives insensitive to thermal or chemical removal to form a waveguide stack, cutting the waveguide stack to form waveguide structures with embedded facets or diffractive elements, and removing portions corresponding to the first set of waveguide elements using a thermal or chemical removal while portions corresponding to the second set of waveguide elements remain bonded.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing waveguides for head mount displays may include bonding a first set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives sensitive to thermal or chemical removal and a second set of waveguide elements with one or more adhesives insensitive to thermal or chemical removal to form a waveguide stack, cutting the waveguide stack to form waveguide structures with embedded facets or diffractive elements, and removing portions corresponding to the first set of waveguide elements using a thermal or chemical removal while portions corresponding to the second set of waveguide elements remain bonded.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a compound light-guide optical element (LOE) is provided. A bonded stack of a plurality of LOE precursors and a plurality of transparent spacer plates alternating therebetween is bonded to a first optical block having a plurality of mutually parallel obliquely angled internal surfaces. The block is joined to the stack such that first plurality of partially reflective internal surfaces of the block is non-parallel to the internal surfaces of the LOE precursor. After bonding, a second optical is thereby formed. At least one compound LOE is sliced-out of the second optical block by cutting the second block through at least two consecutive spacer plates having a LOE precursor sandwiched therebetween.

Abstract: A display (10) includes a flat light-guide optical element (LOE) (100) having first and second progressive deflection arrangements associated with first and second regions (110, 120) of the LOE. A support arrangement (106), such as a glasses frame, supports the LOE in facing relation to the eye of the user. An image projector (200) injects a collimated image into the LOE via a reflective coupling-in surface (131). The reflective coupling-in surface is preferably obliquely oriented to both the major horizontal and vertical axes of the LOE. A multi-component wedge (132) is preferably used to compensate for chromatic aberration.