Abstract: A lighting assembly may include a light source and a reflective polarizer overlapping the light source. A portion of light that is incident on the reflective polarizer may not pass through the reflective polarizer and may be reflected back to the light source. The light source may include at least one of a light emitting diode (LED), a micro-LED, an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a micro-OLED, a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS), or an fLCoS light source. The reflective polarizer may include a polymer birefringent multilayer structure of alternating first layers and second layers. The first layers may each include an isotropic polymer thin film the second layers each include an anisotropic polymer thin film. Various other devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: An optical device includes a first polarization selective reflector; and a second polarization selective reflector positioned relative to the first polarization selective reflector so that the first polarization selective reflector directs first light having a first polarization toward the second polarization selective reflector and the second polarization selective reflector directs second light having a second polarization toward the first polarization selective reflector. A first plane defined by the first polarization selective reflector intersects a second plane defined by the second polarization selective reflector at a first angle.

Abstract: The disclosed apparatus may include an optical modulator including a first layer with at an organic layer and/or an organometallic layer; and a second layer with an extrinsic semiconductor layer and/or an electrode layer. Various other apparatuses and systems are also disclosed.

Abstract: A pupil-replicating lightguide includes a slab of transparent material, a switchable out-coupling grating for out-coupling portions of image light to propagate towards an eyebox, and a switchable tracking grating for redirecting tracking light carrying an eye image towards an eye tracking camera. One of the two gratings may be turned ON while the other is turned OFF, in a time-sequential manner, allowing the combined use of the pupil-replicating lightguide for carrying image light and eye tracking light.

Abstract: A light-emitting device includes a light-emitting diode having an emissive surface, and a capping layer including an organic solid crystal overlying the emissive surface. The refractive index of the organic solid crystal may be tuned such as through the application of a voltage, current, or stress to improve the light extraction efficiency of the device.

Abstract: An optical element includes a substrate and a metasurface located over a surface of the substrate. The metasurface may include an organic solid crystal material. A related display includes a waveguide, and a light input coupling element disposed on a surface of the waveguide, where the light input coupling element includes an organic solid crystal metasurface.

Abstract: A multilayer reflective polarizer includes a layer of a birefringent organic solid crystal, where the birefringent organic solid crystal has a refractive index of at least approximately 1.5 and a birefringence of at least approximately 0.1. The multilayer reflective polarizer may be configured to include alternating layers of a birefringent organic solid crystal material and a secondary material layer selected from an amorphous polymer, an inorganic amorphous compound, a liquid crystal, and an OSC material. The refractive index of the birefringent organic solid crystal layer(s) may be modified through the application of an applied voltage, current, or stress.

Abstract: A device includes an active laser medium operative to emit spatially coherent light of a predetermined wavelength along an optical axis, first and second mirrors aligned with the optical axis and defining a resonant cavity enclosing the active laser medium, and a modulator including an organic solid crystal disposed along the optical axis between the first and second mirrors and configured to change a polarization state of the emitted light.

Abstract: A system includes a source configured to emit partially spatially coherent light and a metasurface located proximate to a light emitting surface of the source, where the metasurface is configured to modify at least one property of the emitted light. Modifiable properties include phase, amplitude, directionality, far field profile, and polarization. The metasurface may be passive or active. An active metasurface may be controlled using an input such as applied voltage, temperature, and mechanical force. The system may be configured to provide coherent illumination.

Abstract: An optical film includes a plurality of helically arranged liquid crystals and organic solid crystal structures at least partially surrounding the plurality of helically arranged liquid crystals. A method of making the optical film includes obtaining a substrate with an alignment layer and a film of a first solution on the alignment layer. The first solution includes liquid crystals and organic crystal molecules. The liquid crystals form a plurality of helically arranged liquid crystals on the alignment layer. The method also includes forming organic solid crystal structures by crystallizing the organic crystal molecules. The organic solid crystal structures at least partially surround the plurality of helically arranged liquid crystals.

Abstract: An optical film includes a block copolymer film defining a plurality of helically shaped cavities and a plurality of helically shaped organic solid crystals positioned within the plurality of helically shaped cavities. A method of making the optical film includes obtaining a film of a block copolymer solution including a chiral block copolymer and a non-chiral block copolymer on a substrate. The method includes annealing the film, thereby forming a plurality of helical structures from the chiral block copolymer defined within the non-chiral block copolymer and removing the plurality of helical structures, thereby creating a plurality of helically shaped cavities. The method further includes forming organic solid crystals inside the plurality of helically shaped cavities, thereby forming the optical film.

Abstract: A light-emitting diode includes a first semiconductor region of one of p- or n-conductivity types, a second semiconductor region of the other one of p- or n-conductivity types, forming a p-n junction with the first semiconductor region, and a quantum well layer at the p-n junction between the first and second semiconductor regions. A hyperbolic metamaterial structure is provided in the second semiconductor region. The hyperbolic metamaterial structure is coupled to the quantum well layer for extracting light from the quantum well layer. The hyperbolic metamaterial structure may be patterned to provide an array of nanoantennas to apodize the emitted beam, and to control the polarization state of the emitted beam.

Abstract: An organic field effect transistor includes a channel structure having a photoalignment layer and an organic semiconductor layer disposed directly over the photoalignment layer, where a charge carrier mobility varies along a thickness direction of the channel structure. The channel structure may define an active area between a source and a drain of the transistor and may include alternating layers of at least two photoalignment layers and at least two organic semiconductor layers. Each photoalignment layer is configured to influence an orientation of molecules within an overlying organic semiconductor layer and hence impact the mobility of charge carriers within the device active area while also advantageously decreasing the OFF current of the device.

Abstract: An optical modulator includes an active layer of an organic solid crystalline phase, a primary electrode disposed over a first portion of the active layer, and a secondary electrode disposed over a second portion of the active layer, where an optical property of the active layer is configured to have a first value along a chosen direction in a first biased state and a second value along the chosen direction in a second biased state.

Abstract: A film stack includes a plurality of first films and a plurality of second films alternately stacked. At least one second film of the plurality of second films includes a solid crystal including crystal molecules aligned in a predetermined alignment direction. At least one first film of the plurality of first films includes an alignment structure configured to at least partially align the crystal molecules of the solid crystal in the predetermined alignment direction.

Abstract: An illuminator for a display panel includes a slab of transparent material for propagating illuminating light between outer surfaces of the slab, an out-coupler supported by the slab for out-coupling portions of the illuminating light along one of the outer surfaces of the slab, and a tunable microlens array for forming an array of light spots from the out-coupled illuminating light portions downstream of the focusing element for illuminating pixels of the display panel. The array of light spots may be repeated at a distance from the tunable microlens array due to Talbot effect. The display panel may be illuminated in a color-sequential manner, and the tunable microlens array may be used to adjust the focal plane position for each color channel individually.

Abstract: A field of view of an imaging or ranging device may be increased multiple times by providing a switchable diffraction grating structure upstream of an imaging camera or ranging light source. The switchable diffraction grating changes the angle of propagating of incoming light by a fixed step, enabling the device to switch between several portions of a compound field of view. The switchable diffraction grating structure may be supported by a lightguide that guides the image light or ranging light by a series of reflections from opposed surfaces of the lightguide.

Abstract: A switchable grating may be used to redirect illuminating light for illuminating a user’s eye in an eye tracking system, to facilitate the determination of eye position and/or orientation. The eye tracking system may be used in a near-eye display. An eye tracking camera obtains an eye image, and a controller performs an initial determination of the eye position. The controller may switch the switchable grating to direct the illuminating light beam onto the eye, for a better position and/or eye orientation determination.

Abstract: A directional illuminator for a display apparatus includes a switchable diffuser for tuning a divergence of a light beam illuminating a display panel of the display apparatus. The tunable divergence of the illuminating light beam translates into a tunable exit pupil size at the eyebox of the display apparatus, which may be matched to a pupil size of a user’s eye, thus providing a configurable illumination of the eye pupil. A tiltable reflector in an optical path of the illuminating light beam may be used to shift the location of the exit pupil at the eyebox of the display apparatus.

Abstract: A pupil-replicating lightguide includes a slab of transparent material, a switchable out-coupling grating for out-coupling portions of image light to propagate towards an eyebox, and a switchable tracking grating for redirecting tracking light carrying an eye image towards an eye tracking camera. One of the two gratings may be turned ON while the other is turned OFF, in a time-sequential manner, allowing the combined use of the pupil-replicating lightguide for carrying image light and eye tracking light.