Abstract: Various examples are provided related to composite lightguides which can be used for augmented reality and other augmented display applications. In one example, a composite lightguide includes a support substrate including a surface and a lightguide layer disposed on the surface of the support substrate. The lightguide layer can have a density that is greater than the density of the support substrate. For example, the density of the lightguide layer can be greater than twice the density of the support substrate. The lightguide layer can have a thickness that is about 25% or less than the thickness of the support substrate.

Abstract: An optical device includes a stack that includes a first curved optical element stacked with a second curved optical element. The second curved optical element propagates light by total internal reflection. The stack also includes an incoupling diffractive grating that incouples the light into the second optical element and an outcoupling diffractive grating optically coupled to the incoupling diffractive grating through the second curved optical element. The outcoupling diffractive grating directs the light. The first curved optical element has a first refractive index, the second curved optical element has a second refractive index, and the first refractive index is different from the second refractive index by approximately 0.15 to 1.2.

Abstract: An optical device includes a stack that includes a first curved optical element stacked with a second curved optical element. The second curved optical element propagates light by total internal reflection. The stack also includes an incoupling diffractive grating that incouples the light into the second optical element and an outcoupling diffractive grating optically coupled to the incoupling diffractive grating through the second curved optical element. The outcoupling diffractive grating directs the light. The first curved optical element has a first refractive index, the second curved optical element has a second refractive index, and the first refractive index is different from the second refractive index by approximately 0.15 to 1.2.

Abstract: An optical device includes a stack that includes a first curved optical element stacked with a second curved optical element. The second curved optical element propagates light by total internal reflection. The stack also includes an incoupling diffractive grating that incouples the light into the second optical element and an outcoupling diffractive grating optically coupled to the incoupling diffractive grating through the second curved optical element. The outcoupling diffractive grating directs the light. The first curved optical element has a first refractive index, the second curved optical element has a second refractive index, and the first refractive index is different from the second refractive index by approximately 0.15 to 1.2.

Abstract: Display devices are disclosed including tiled components. The tiled components can include any one or more of tiled light board assemblies, tiled diffusers, and tiles patterned light guides. In some embodiments, entire backlight units may be tiled.

Abstract: A method for forming a glass stack, comprising: obtaining a glass sheet; selecting a plurality of portions of the glass sheet having a matching glass characteristic, wherein the glass characteristic is at least one of warp, bow, total thickness variation (TTV), and wedge; cutting a plurality of glass wafers from the selected portions of the glass sheet, and stacking the plurality of glass wafers to form a glass stack.

Abstract: An augmented reality optical system comprises a waveguide structure that includes a waveguide layer supported by a substrate. An input grating and an output grating reside within the waveguide layer and are laterally spaced apart. Input light from a display is made incident upon the input grating. The input light is coupled into the waveguide layer and travels therein as multiple guided modes to the output grating. The input and output gratings provide phase matching so that the guided modes are coupled out of the waveguide layer by the output grating continuously along the output grating to form output light. Meantime, light from a scene is transmitted perpendicularly through the output grating so that the output light and the light from the scene are combined by the eye of a user to form an augmented reality image.

Abstract: An optical device includes a stack that includes a first curved optical element stacked with a second curved optical element. The second curved optical element propagates light by total internal reflection. The stack also includes an incoupling diffractive grating that incouples the light into the second optical element and an outcoupling diffractive grating optically coupled to the incoupling diffractive grating through the second curved optical element. The outcoupling diffractive grating directs the light. The first curved optical element has a first refractive index, the second curved optical element has a second refractive index, and the first refractive index is different from the second refractive index by approximately 0.15 to 1.2.

Abstract: A glass article, having SiO2 from about 61 wt. % to about 62 wt. %; Al2O3 from about 18 wt. % to about 18.4 wt. %; B2O3 from about 7.1 wt. % to about 8.3 wt. %; MgO from about 1.9 wt. % to about 2.2 wt. %; CaO from about 6.5 wt. % to about 6.9 wt. %; SrO from about 2.5 wt. % to about 3.6 wt. %; BaO from about 0.6 wt. % to about 1.0 wt. %; and SnO2 from about 0.1 wt. % to about 0.2 wt. %, a refractive index of about 1.515 to about 1.517 at an optical wavelength of about 589 nm; a VD of about 57 to about 67; less than or equal to about 5 ?m total thickness variation over a component diameter of about 200 mm, less than or equal to about 20 ?m warp over a component diameter of about 200 mm, and wedge less than or equal to about 0.1 arcmin.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a flat, polymer-coated electrostatic chuck platen involves imposing forces on the chuck to compensate for platen warpage induced during shrinkage of the polymer coating as it is cured.

Abstract: A silicon wafer-based photovoltaic module is described, which includes a first outer protective layer and a second outer protective layer, wherein both outer protective layers comprise a low- or no-sodium glass or low- or no-alkali compositions. The photovoltaic modules show resistance to water ingress, no or reduced potential-induced sodium ion drift, and reduced potential induced degradation.

Abstract: An augmented reality optical system comprises a waveguide structure that includes a waveguide layer supported by a substrate. An input grating and an output grating reside within the waveguide layer and are laterally spaced apart. Input light from a display is made incident upon the input grating. The input light is coupled into the waveguide layer and travels therein as multiple guided modes to the output grating. The input and output gratings provide phase matching so that the guided modes are coupled out of the waveguide layer by the output grating continuously along the output grating to form output light. Meantime, light from a scene is transmitted perpendicularly through the output grating so that the output light and the light from the scene are combined by the eye of a user to form an augmented reality image.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a flat, polymer-coated electrostatic chuck platen involves imposing forces on the chuck to compensate for platen warpage induced during shrinkage of the polymer coating as it is cured.

Abstract: A virtual or an augmented reality device comprising: (i) a display component comprising a display surface, (ii) a lens air spaced from the display component; wherein at least one of the display component or the lens comprises a stray light reducing nanostructured surface.

Abstract: A beam-shaping optical system suitable for use with optical coherence tomography including a sheath defining a central cavity, a beam-shaping insert defining a beam-shaping element positioned within the central cavity, and an optical fiber having a core and a cladding. The optical fiber defines an angularly prepared fiber end configured to emit an electromagnetic beam toward the beam-shaping element with the core of the optical fiber locally expanded at the fiber end.

Abstract: A beam-shaping optical system suitable for use with optical coherence tomography including a sheath defining a central cavity, a beam-shaping insert defining a beam-shaping element positioned within the central cavity, and an optical fiber having a core and a cladding. The optical fiber defines an angularly prepared fiber end configured to emit an electromagnetic beam toward the beam-shaping element with the core of the optical fiber locally expanded at the fiber end.

Abstract: Multi-junction photovoltaic modules are provided comprising a plurality of photovoltaic structures, a PV encapsulant, a plurality of encapsulating glass layers, and a structural glass layer. The photovoltaic structures define distinct absorption bands and are positioned with the encapsulating glass layers and the structural glass layer. The photovoltaic structures are at least partially surrounded by the PV encapsulant and are separated by respective flexible encapsulating glass layers to electrically isolate adjacent photovoltaic structures and permit the photovoltaic structures to be configured in a parallel or serial PV stacked cell circuit.

Abstract: A silicon wafer-based photovoltaic module is described, which includes a first outer protective layer and a second outer protective layer, wherein both outer protective layers comprise a low- or no-sodium glass or low- or no-alkali compositions. The photovoltaic modules show resistance to water ingress, no or reduced potential-induced sodium ion drift, and reduced potential induced degradation.

Abstract: The invention is a microplate mounting system for mounting a microplate relative to an optical reader to control an angle of incidence of an interrogation beam at the microplate and includes a reference plane with at least one set of mount features that engage one or both of the bottom of the microplate and the skirt of the and a first positioning mechanism that provides a reversible and predetermined separation in the z direction between a plane formed by the bottom of the microplate and the reader, to control the angle of incidence of the interrogation beam at the microplate by reversibly controlling the relative positioning of the microplate in the z direction through the engagement between the bottom and/or skirt of the microplate and the at least one set of mount features.

Abstract: Laminated packages and photovoltaic modules having a glass substrate layer or a plurality of glass substrate layers encapsulated between top and bottom glass protective layers. The glass substrate layers can have similar CTE. Likewise, the top and bottom glass protective layers can have similar CTEs, CTEs that may be different from the CTE of the glass substrate layer or layers.