Abstract: The disclosed device may include a waveguide; an output coupler that couples electromagnetic radiation from within the waveguide to outside of the waveguide; and a reflector positioned on an opposite side of the waveguide from the output coupler, where the reflector reflects electromagnetic radiation that leaks from the waveguide through the opposite side of the waveguide back toward the output coupler. Various other devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An optical element includes a waveguide body that is configured to guide light by total internal reflection from an input end to an output end, an input coupling element located at the input end for coupling light into the waveguide body, and an output coupling element located at the output end for coupling light out of the waveguide body, where the waveguide body includes an organic solid crystal. The organic solid crystal may be a single crystal having principal axes rotated with respect to the dimensions of the waveguide body. Such an optical element may have low weight and exhibit good color uniformity while providing polarization scrambling of the guided light.

Abstract: A system includes a display element configured to output an image light. The system also includes an image combiner configured to guide the image light toward an eye-box region of the system. The system also includes a dimming device disposed at a side of the image combiner. The dimming device includes a dimming material layer including a mixture of liquid crystal (“LC”) molecules and dye molecules, and pretilt angles of the LC molecules and the dye molecules are configured with a predetermined variation in at least two opposite in-plane directions from a center to two opposite peripheries of the dimming material layer.

Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes a light guide configured to guide a first light propagating therein. The device also includes an optical film coupled with the light guide, optically anisotropic molecules in the optical film being configured with an in-plane orientation pattern having an in-plane pitch along the predetermined in-plane direction. Within the in-plane pitch of the in-plane orientation pattern, azimuthal angles of the optically anisotropic molecules are configured to vary nonlinearly along the predetermined in-plane direction. The optical film is configured to diffract the first light as a plurality of second lights at a plurality of locations of the optical film, with a plurality of predetermined, different diffraction efficiencies.

Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes a light guide configured to guide a first light propagating therein. The device also includes an optical film coupled with the light guide, optically anisotropic molecules in the optical film being configured with an in-plane orientation pattern having an in-plane pitch along the predetermined in-plane direction. Within the in-plane pitch of the in-plane orientation pattern, azimuthal angles of the optically anisotropic molecules are configured to vary nonlinearly along the predetermined in-plane direction. The optical film is configured to diffract the first light as a plurality of second lights at a plurality of locations of the optical film, with a plurality of predetermined, different diffraction efficiencies.

Abstract: An achromatic wave plate using multiple twisted nematic liquid crystal polymer films or negative dispersion A-plate films is described. Each layer of twisted nematic liquid crystal polymer film aligns a next layer during forming achieving a monolithic structure. The achromatic wave plate with multiple layers of negative dispersion A-plate material has a non-continuous, easy to fabricate structure. Both types of films may be flexible and allow application to curved surfaces. The films of both examples also allow for high achromaticity in forward and backward propagation, thus, permitting the wave plate to operate as an optical isolator. A quarter wave of retardance across the entire visible spectrum and up to a 30-degree angle of incidence may be achieved.

Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes an optical film including optically anisotropic molecules configured to form a plurality of helical structures with a plurality of helical axes and a helical pitch. The helical pitch is a distance along a helical axis over which an azimuthal angle of an optically anisotropic molecule vary by a predetermined value. Over the helical pitch of a helical structure, the azimuthal angle of the optically anisotropic molecule is configured to vary nonlinearly with respect to a distance from a starting point of the helical pitch to a local point at which the optically anisotropic molecule is located along the helical axis.

Abstract: A multi-focal system includes a display pixel array, a pixelated polarization array, and a Pancharatnam-Berry phase (PBP) lens. The display pixel array includes a first display pixels generating first display light and a second display pixels generating second display light. The pixelated polarization array has first pixels and second pixels. The first pixels are aligned with the first display pixels to generate a first polarized light having a first polarization orientation. The second pixels are aligned with the second display pixels to generate a second polarized light having a second polarization orientation different from the first polarization orientation. The PBP lens is configured to focus the first polarized light having the first polarization orientation to a first focal length and focus the second polarized light having the second polarization orientation to a second focal length that is greater than the first focal length.