Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC

Facebook Technologies, LLC

Meta Platforms, Inc.

Changwon Jang

Afsoon Jamali

Sandro Hermann Pintz

Gang Li

Andrew Maimone

Lu Lu

Zhimin Shi

Adrian Travis

Yingfei Jiang

Sho Nakahara

Jacques Gollier

Ying Geng

Brian M Wheelwright

Fenglin Peng

Maxwell Parsons

Mengfei Wang

Weichuan Gao

Spencer Allan Wells

Arman Boromand

Gregory Olegovic Andreev

Yang Zhao

Hao Yu

Sihui He

Miaomiao Xu

Amit Bhowmick

Eric Stratton

Christopher Stipe

Giseung Bang

The disclosed system may include at least one gradient-index liquid crystal lens. The system may include a selection module that selects a viewing angle. The system may also include an adjustment module that dynamically adjusts a phase reset property of the gradient-index liquid crystal lens in response to the selected viewing angle. Various other devices, systems, and methods are also disclosed.

Gradient-index liquid crystal lenses with adjustable flyback regions

A device includes a primary electrode, a secondary electrode overlapping at least a portion of the primary electrode, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the primary electrode and the secondary electrode, where the primary electrode has a spatially variable electrical resistance.

GRIN LC lens design with variable resistance electrode

A varifocal liquid lens includes a body filled with two different fluids separated by an interface of a variable curvature across a clear aperture of the varifocal liquid lens. At least one of the first or second fluids is birefringent, such that a refractive index difference between the first and second fluids and resulting optical power of the varifocal liquid lens is dependent on polarization of impinging light. At a first light polarization, the first and second fluids may be matched in refractive index, while at a second, orthogonal light polarization, the first and second fluids may be mismatched in refractive index, whereby the first interface between the first and second fluids may have a variable, non-zero optical power for the second polarization while having a substantially non-variable, zero optical power for the first polarization of light.

Polarization-selective varifocal liquid lens

A device includes a first lens configured to provide a first optical power that is variable within a first optical power adjustment range at a first step resolution. The device also includes a second lens coupled with the first lens and including a deformable member that is deformable to vary an optical power of the second lens. The second lens is configured to provide a second optical power that is variable within a second optical power adjustment range at a second step resolution, the second step resolution being smaller than the first step resolution.

Hybrid varifocal device and system

An illuminator for illuminating a display panel includes a lightguide with an array of buried slanted bulk reflectors that out-couple portions of the light beam propagating in the lightguide through one of the lightguide surfaces. Polarization beam-splitting slanted surfaces may be used to provide polarized output. Such an illuminator may be used with a reflective display panel operating by polarization. The beam-splitting slanted surfaces operate as a polarizer, providing polarized illuminating light. The light reflected by the reflective panel may propagate back through the illuminator, and the polarization beam-splitting slanted surfaces may operate also as analyzer.

Geometrical waveguide illuminator and display based thereon

Various embodiments set forth optical patterning systems. Each pixel of the optical patterning systems includes an amplitude-modulating cell that is in line with a phase-modulating cell. The amplitude-modulating cell includes a liquid crystal and a drive method for modulating at least the amplitude of a wavefront of light that passes through the amplitude-modulating cell. The phase-modulating cell includes a liquid crystal and a drive method for modulating at least the phase of a wavefront of light that passes through the phase-modulating cell. In some embodiments, the amplitude-modulating cell shares a common ground with the phase-modulating cell. The amplitude-modulating cell and the phase-modulating cell can be used to independently control the amplitude change and phase delay imparted by the pixel, enabling complex wavefront modulation.

Techniques for complex wavefront modulation

A device includes a liquid crystal ('LC') layer having a gradient refractive index distribution. The device also includes an electrode layer coupled to the LC layer. The electrode layer includes a plurality of electrodes separated by one or more gaps masked by a light shielding material.

Gradient-index liquid crystal device with masked electrode boundary

A device is provided. The device includes a first liquid crystal ('LC') cell configured to modulate an amplitude of a light beam. The device also includes a second LC cell stacked with the first LC cell and configured to modulate a phase of the light beam. The device includes a sandwiched electrode layer disposed between the first LC cell and the second LC cell. The sandwiched electrode layer includes a conductive polymer film configured to function as a common electrode layer for driving at least one of the first LC cell or the second LC cell.

Complex wavefront modulator with reduced thickness and fabrication method thereof

A device includes a segmented polarization switch including a plurality of polarization switch segments. The device also includes a polarization selective optical element ('PSOE') optically coupled to the segmented polarization switch and including a plurality of polarization selective segments. The device further includes a controller configured to control the polarization switch segments to operate in a switching state or a non-switching state to control optical states of the polarization selective segments.

Segmented polarization selective device

A display device includes an image source, a holographic relay, and a holographic image combiner in an off-axis configuration. The holographic relay may include a pair of freeform holographic reflectors relaying light of the image source to an intermediate image plane. The holographic image combiner receives and redirects the relayed light from the holographic relay, forming an image in angular domain at an eyebox of the display device, the image in angular domain corresponding to the image in linear domain generated by the image source.

Display with holographic relay and holographic image combiner

An optical assembly includes a beam steering device and a holographic optical element. The beam steering device is switchable between different states including a first state and a second state. The beam steering device includes a first polarization-selective optical element and a first tunable optical retarder optically coupled with the first polarization-selective optical element. The holographic optical element is positioned relative to the beam steering device for receiving light from the beam steering device and projecting a first light pattern while the beam steering device is in the first state and a second light pattern distinct from the first light pattern while the beam steering device is in the second state.

Optical combiner including polarization-selective elements and switchable half-wave plates for pupil steering

Systems and method for eye tracking are provided. In some embodiments, the eye tracking system includes a light source configured to generate light and project the light toward an object in a field of view, a detector configured to receive reflected portions of the light from the field of view in order to image the object, and a combiner including a volume grating configured to direct light reflected from different points in a field of view to the light detector. The volume grating includes a plurality of portions along a first area and each of the portions comprising a unique k-vector that is dependent on a respective portion of the field of view.

Systems and methods for eye tracking with spatially varying k-vectors

A freeform varifocal optical assembly includes at least three optical modules including a first plurality of optical elements including Pancharatnam-Berry phase (PBP) lenses, polarization sensitive hologram (PSH) lenses, metamaterials, or combinations thereof. The plurality of optical elements of each optical module include a property associated with a Zernike polynomial. Each of the first and the three optical modules are configurable between a plurality of optical powers. The freeform varifocal optical assembly is configurable to output a predetermined wavefront in response to an input wavefront.

Growing community of inventors

Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

Changwon Jang