Abstract: A device includes a plurality of electrode layers. The device also includes a birefringent medium layer disposed between the plurality of electrode layers. The device also includes at least one alignment structure disposed at a surface of the birefringent medium layer. The birefringent medium layer includes liquid crystal molecules arranged in a plurality of helical twist structures having a helical axis. The plurality of electrode layers are configured to generate an electric field within the birefringent medium layer, and the liquid crystal molecules are aligned via the electric field to be titled with respect to the helical axis.

Abstract: An optical element includes a display device and an angular occlusion filter disposed over at least one surface of the display device. The angular occlusion filter may be configured to modulate one or more of transmission, reflection, and polarization of image or ambient light incident upon the display device.

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 computer-implemented method may include (1) causing a radar component to emit one or more radar signals and (2) causing the radar component to analyze one or more return signals. Also disclosed is a method for forming a 3D liquid crystal polarization hologram optical element and a method for characterizing diffractive waveguides includes directing light onto a structure and measuring the diffracted light to capture at least one image of the structure. Lastly, disclosed is a method of pattering organic solid crystals and a method directing a beam of input light to a surface of an optical material to determine crystallographic and optical parameters of the optical material. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A system is provided. The system includes a light source configured to emit a infrared (“IR”) light for illuminating an object. The system also includes a waveguide imaging assembly including a waveguide, an in-coupling element disposed at a first portion of the waveguide, an out-coupling element disposed at a second portion of the waveguide, and an optical sensor disposed facing the out-coupling element. The in-coupling element is configured to couple the IR light reflected by the object into the waveguide, the waveguide is configured to guide the IR light to propagate toward the out-coupling element through total internal reflection, and the out-coupling element is configured to couple the IR light out of the waveguide toward the optical sensor. The optical sensor is configured to generate a tracking signal of the object based on the IR light output from the waveguide.

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 first layer of anisotropic material extends along a first plane and includes anisotropic components being parallel to a second plane non-parallel and non-perpendicular to the first plane. The anisotropic components are arranged in cycloidal or helical patterns. The cycloidal or helical patterns define one or more Bragg planes that are non-parallel and non-perpendicular to the first plane and either substantially parallel or substantially perpendicular to the second plane.

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 device is provided. The device includes a first Pancharatnam-Berry phase (“PBP”) lens, and a second PBP lens stacked with the first PBP lens. Each of the first PBP lens and the second PBP lens includes a liquid crystal (“LC”) layer. Each side of the LC layer is provided with a continuous electrode and a plurality of patterned electrodes. The patterned electrodes in the first PBP lens are arranged non-parallel to the patterned electrodes in the second PBP lens.

Abstract: A system is provided for generating a polarization interference pattern. The system includes a light source configured to output a first beam having a predetermined wavelength. The system includes a transmissive polarization volume hologram (“PVH”) mask configured to provide a predetermined diffraction efficiency to a second beam having the predetermined wavelength, a circular polarization, and a non-zero incident angle at the transmissive PVH mask. The system includes a light deflecting element disposed between the light source and the transmissive PVH mask, and configured to deflect the first beam as the second beam toward the transmissive PVH mask. The transmissive PVH mask is configured to forwardly diffract the second beam incident thereon as a third beam and a fourth beam having orthogonal circular polarizations, a substantially same light intensity, and symmetric propagation directions. The third beam and the fourth beam interfere with one another to generate the polarization interference pattern.

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 structure located at the input end for coupling light into the waveguide body, and an output coupling structure located at the output end for coupling light out of the waveguide body, where the waveguide body includes a layer of an organic solid crystal. Such an optical element may have low weight and exhibit good color uniformity.

Abstract: A waveguide assembly includes a waveguide having a first surface and a second surface; an input deflection grating; an output deflection grating; and a first compensator layer on the first surface of the waveguide. The first compensator layer includes a material selected from aligned liquid crystal reactive mesogens, birefringent polymers, and inorganic birefringent materials.

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: 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 structure located at the input end for coupling light into the waveguide body, and an output coupling structure located at the output end for coupling light out of the waveguide body, where the waveguide body includes a layer of an optically anisotropic organic solid crystal. Such an optical element may have low weight and exhibit good color uniformity while presenting a 2D diagonal field-of-view of at least approximately 10°.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes a lightguide for conveying images to an eyebox. The lightguide includes a substrate, a diffractive optical element (DOE) configured to couple the image light into the substrate. The DOE has a spatially variable pitch configured to provide the DOE with a positive optical power. The lightguide further includes a grating out-coupler supported by the substrate for out-coupling portions of the image light from the substrate toward the eyebox.

Abstract: A lightguide assembly includes a stack of optically separated lightguide plates for conveying image light to an eyebox. At least one lightguide plate of the stack includes an in-coupler configured for switchably in-coupling the image light into the lightguide plate. The switchable in-coupler(s) may be used to time-sequence through different lightguides of the stack, each lightguide carrying a portion of the image such as a field of view portion or a color channel of the image. The time-sequencing through the lightguides allows one to compensate for image offsets due to the lightguide being non-parallel to one another, by providing corresponding offsets in the image portions being carried by different lightguides.

Abstract: A near-eye display includes a first polarizer in a path of external light to an eyebox of the display for polarizing the external light to a first polarization state. A see-through lightguide is disposed in the path between the first polarizer and the eyebox for conveying image light to the eyebox in a second, orthogonal polarization state while transmitting the external light in the first polarization state. A second polarizer is disposed in the path downstream of the see-through lightguide for adjusting a power balance of the external light and the image light at the eyebox.

Abstract: An optical device includes an optical component (e.g., a polarization volume hologram, a geometric phase device, or a polarization-insensitive diffractive optical element) having a uniform thickness and configured to modify a wavefront of a light beam that includes light in two or more wavelengths visible to human eyes, where the optical component has a chromatic aberration between the two or more wavelengths. The optical device also includes a metasurface on the optical component. The metasurface includes a plurality of nanostructures configured to modify respective phases of incident light at a plurality of regions of the metasurface, where the plurality of nanostructures is configured to, at each region of the plurality of regions, add a respective phase delay for each of the two or more wavelengths to correct the chromatic aberration between the two or more wavelengths.

Abstract: A device is provided. The device includes a light guide having a curved surface. The device also includes an out-coupling element coupled with the light guide at an output portion of the light guide. The device further includes a reflective layer disposed at the output portion of the light guide. The out-coupling element is configured to couple a first ray propagating inside the light guide out of the light guide as a plurality of second rays propagating in non-parallel directions toward the reflective layer. The reflective layer is configured to reflect the plurality of second rays as a plurality of third rays propagating in parallel directions toward the out-coupling element and the light guide.

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.