Abstract: Waveguide combiners having a pass-through in-coupler grating are described herein. The waveguide combiners include at least one microdisplay and a stack of at least two waveguide layers. In one configuration of a waveguide combiner described herein, the green FOV and the blue FOV only propagate in a first waveguide and the red FOV only propagates in a second waveguide. In another configuration of a waveguide combiner described herein, the blue FOV, the red FOV, and the green FOV only propagate in the first waveguide, the second waveguide, and a third waveguide respectively. The waveguide combiners including the stack of waveguide layers reduces luminance non-uniformity, color non-uniformity, double-images, and other non-uniformities of the overlayed images from a first microdisplay and, in some embodiments, a second microdisplay.

Abstract: A plurality of waveguide display substrates, each waveguide display substrate having a cylindrical portion having a diameter and a planar surface, a curved portion opposite the planar surface defining a nonlinear change in thickness across the substrate and having a maximum height D with respect to the cylindrical portion, and a wedge portion between the cylindrical portion and the curved portion defining a linear change in thickness across the substrate and having a maximum height W with respect to the cylindrical portion. A target maximum height Dt of the curved portion is 10?7 to 10?6 times the diameter, D is between about 70% and about 130% of Dt, and W is less than about 30% of Dt.

Abstract: Techniques for artifact mitigation in an optical system are disclosed. Light associated with a world object is received at the optical system, which is characterized by a world side and a user side. Light associated with a virtual image is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system, causing a portion of the light associated with the virtual image to propagate toward the user side and light associated with an artifact image to propagate toward the world side. A dimmer of the optical system positioned between the world side and the eyepiece is adjusted to reduce an intensity of the light associated with the artifact image impinging on the dimmer and an intensity of the light associated with the world object impinging on the dimmer.

Abstract: An augmented reality device includes a projector, projector optics optically coupled to the projector, and an eyepiece optically coupled to the projector optics. The eyepiece includes an eyepiece waveguide characterized by lateral dimensions and an optical path length difference as a function of one or more of the lateral dimensions.

Abstract: Techniques for artifact mitigation in an optical system are disclosed. Light associated with a world object is received at the optical system, which is characterized by a world side and a user side. Light associated with a virtual image is projected onto an eyepiece of the optical system, causing a portion of the light associated with the virtual image to propagate toward the user side and light associated with an artifact image to propagate toward the world side. A dimmer of the optical system positioned between the world side and the eyepiece is adjusted to reduce an intensity of the light associated with the artifact image impinging on the dimmer and an intensity of the light associated with the world object impinging on the dimmer.

Abstract: An optical system for an augmented reality head mounted display eyepiece that is configured to deliver images to the eye wherein the optical system includes optics. The optics are disposed so as to receive light output from the light source. The optics further arranged with respect to a spatial light modulator such that the light received from the light source passes through the optics and illuminates the spatial light modulator. The light illuminating the spatial light modulator is redirected back through the optics and is coupled into at least one waveguide through at least one in-coupling optical element. At least a portion of the coupled light is ejected from at least one waveguide by at least one out-coupling optical element and directed to the eye of the user.

Abstract: An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system may include an optically transmissive substrate, an input coupling grating (ICG) region, a multi-directional pupil expander (MPE) region, and an exit pupil expander (EPE) region. The ICG region may receive an input beam of light and couple the input beam into the substrate as a guided beam. The MPE region may include a plurality of diffractive features which exhibit periodicity along at least a first axis of periodicity and a second axis of periodicity. The MPE region may be positioned to receive the guided beam from the ICG region and to diffract it in a plurality of directions to create a plurality of diffracted beams. The EPE region may overlap the MPE region and may out couple one or more of the diffracted beams from the optically transmissive substrate as output beams.

Abstract: An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system. The eyepiece waveguide can include an input coupling grating (ICG) region. The ICG region can couple an input beam into the substrate of the eyepiece waveguide as a guided beam. A first combined pupil expander-extractor (CPE) grating region can be formed on or in a surface of the substrate. The first CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a first plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a first plurality of output beams. The eyepiece waveguide can also include a second CPE grating region formed on or in the opposite surface of the substrate. The second CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a second plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a second plurality of output beams.

Abstract: Waveguides comprising materials with refractive index greater than or equal to 1.8 and methods of patterning waveguides are disclosed. Patterned waveguides comprising materials with refractive index greater than or equal to 1.8 can be incorporated in display devices, such as, for example wearable display devices to project virtual images to a viewer.

Abstract: An eyepiece for an augmented reality display system. The eyepiece can include a waveguide substrate. The waveguide substrate can include an input coupler grating (ICG), an orthogonal pupil expander (OPE) grating, a spreader grating, and an exit pupil expander (EPE) grating. The ICG can couple at least one input light beam into at least a first guided light beam that propagates inside the waveguide substrate. The OPE grating can divide the first guided light beam into a plurality of parallel, spaced-apart light beams. The spreader grating can receive the light beams from the OPE grating and spread their distribution. The spreader grating can include diffractive features oriented at approximately 90° to diffractive features of the OPE grating. The EPE grating can re-direct the light beams from the first OPE grating and the first spreader grating such that they exit the waveguide substrate.

Abstract: An optical system for an augmented reality head mounted display eyepiece that is configured to deliver images to the eye wherein the optical system includes optics. The optics are disposed so as to receive light output from the light source. The optics further arranged with respect to a spatial light modulator such that the light received from the light source passes through the optics and illuminates the spatial light modulator. The light illuminating the spatial light modulator is redirected back through the optics and is coupled into at least one waveguide through at least one in-coupling optical element. At least a portion of the coupled light is ejected from at least one waveguide by at least one out-coupling optical element and directed to the eye of the user.

Abstract: An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system. The eyepiece waveguide can include an input coupling grating (ICG) region. The ICG region can couple an input beam into the substrate of the eyepiece waveguide as a guided beam. A first combined pupil expander-extractor (CPE) grating region can be formed on or in a surface of the substrate. The first CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a first plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a first plurality of output beams. The eyepiece waveguide can also include a second CPE grating region formed on or in the opposite surface of the substrate. The second CPE grating region can receive the guided beam, create a second plurality of diffracted beams at a plurality of distributed locations, and out-couple a second plurality of output beams.

Abstract: A method, includes providing a wafer including a first surface grating extending over a first area of a surface of the wafer and a second surface grating extending over a second area of the surface of the wafer; de-functionalizing a portion of the surface grating in at least one of the first surface grating area and the second surface grating area; and singulating an eyepiece from the wafer, the eyepiece including a portion of the first surface grating area and a portion of the second surface grating area. The first surface grating in the eyepiece corresponds to an input coupling grating for a head-mounted display and the second surface grating corresponds to a pupil expander grating for the head-mounted display.

Abstract: An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality. The eyepiece waveguide can include a transparent substrate with an input coupler region, a first orthogonal pupil expander (OPE) region, and an exit pupil expander (EPE) region. The input coupler region can couple an input light beam that is externally incident on the input coupler region into at least a first guided light beam that propagates inside the substrate. The first OPE region can divide the first guided beam into a plurality of replicated, spaced-apart beams. The EPE region can re-direct the replicated beams from the first OPE region such that they exit the substrate. The EPE region can have an amount of optical power.

Abstract: An eyepiece waveguide for an augmented reality display system includes a substrate having a first surface and a second surface and a diffractive input coupling element formed on or in the first surface or the second surface of the substrate. The diffractive input coupling element is configured to receive an input beam of light and to couple the input beam into the substrate as a guided beam. The eyepiece waveguide also includes a diffractive combined pupil expander-extractor (CPE) element formed on or in the first surface or the second surface of the substrate. The diffractive CPE element includes a first portion and a second portion divided by an axis. A first set of diffractive optical elements is disposed in the first portion and oriented at a positive angle with respect to the axis and a second set of diffractive optical elements is disposed in the second portion and oriented at a negative angle with respect to the axis.

Abstract: An eyepiece for a head-mounted display includes one or more first waveguides arranged to receive light from a spatial light modulator at a first edge, guide at least some of the received light to a second edge opposite the first edge, and extract at least some of the light through a face of the one or more first waveguides between the first and second edges. The eyepiece also includes a second waveguide positioned to receive light exiting the one or more first waveguides at the second edge and guide the received light to one or more light absorbers.

Abstract: Display devices include waveguides with in-coupling optical elements that mitigate re-bounce of in-coupled light to improve overall in-coupling efficiency and/or uniformity. A waveguide receives light from a light source and/or projection optics and includes an in-coupling optical element that in-couples the received light to propagate by total internal reflection in a propagation direction within the waveguide. Once in-coupled into the waveguide the light may undergo re-bounce, in which the light reflects off a waveguide surface and, after the reflection, strikes the in-coupling optical element. Upon striking the in-coupling optical element, the light may be partially absorbed and/or out-coupled by the optical element, thereby effectively reducing the amount of in-coupled light propagating through the waveguide.

Abstract: Very high refractive index (n>2.2) lightguide substrates enable the production of 70° field of view eyepieces with all three color primaries in a single eyepiece layer. Disclosed herein are viewing optics assembly architectures that make use of such eyepieces to reduce size and cost, simplifying manufacturing and assembly, and better-accommodating novel microdisplay designs.

Abstract: A plurality of waveguide display substrates, each waveguide display substrate having a cylindrical portion having a diameter and a planar surface, a curved portion opposite the planar surface defining a nonlinear change in thickness across the substrate and having a maximum height D with respect to the cylindrical portion, and a wedge portion between the cylindrical portion and the curved portion defining a linear change in thickness across the substrate and having a maximum height W with respect to the cylindrical portion. A target maximum height Dt of the curved portion is 10?7 to 10?6 times the diameter, D is between about 70% and about 130% of Dt, and W is less than about 30% of Dt.

Abstract: An eyepiece for a head-mounted display includes one or more first waveguides arranged to receive light from a spatial light modulator at a first edge, guide at least some of the received light to a second edge opposite the first edge, and extract at least some of the light through a face of the one or more first waveguides between the first and second edges. The eyepiece also includes a second waveguide positioned to receive light exiting the one or more first waveguides at the second edge and guide the received light to one or more light absorbers.