Abstract: A flexible light guide and a display system incorporating same are disclosed. The light guide includes a first flexible layer and a second flexible layer. Each flexible layer has a first major surface and a second major surface. The second major surface of the first flexible layer is in contact with the first major surface of the second flexible layer. The first major surface of the first flexible layer has a plurality of discrete light extractors capable of extracting light propagating in the light guide such that light is extracted uniformly over the entire first major surface of the first flexible layer.

Abstract: A device for compensating the birefringence normally associated with an integrated optical waveguide grating device has a polarization compensating slab waveguide region. This compensating region can be provided within the slab waveguide region normally present in the grating device by etching, doping, ion implanting a sub-region of a predetermined shape and dimension to change its birefringence. Alternatively, or in combination with changing the birefringence in this sub-region, electrodes can be provided for electro-optically changing the birefringence dynamically as required. This device can be applied to reflective and transmissive diffraction gratings and to phased array waveguide gratings.