Lightsmyth Technologies Inc.

Ii-vi Delaware, Inc.

Finisar Corporation

Other

Steyphi Services De LLC

Volonte Jewels LLC

Dmitri Iazikov

Christoph M Greiner

Thomas W Mossberg

Jianji Yang

David S Alavi

Justin M Hannigan

Tengda Du

Xiaojie Xu

John H Clark

Young-Kai Chen

Charles B Roxlo

Julien Boucart

Timothy S Gray

Chistoph M Greiner

Lawrence D Brice

Anna Tatarczak

An incident optical beam illuminates a subset of contiguous array of diffraction gratings on a substrate and produces one or more diffracted output beams. The grating array can be arranged so that (i) multiple incident beams result in a contiguous composite solid angle of far-field illumination, (ii) multiple output beams arising from any one incident beam do not overlap in the far field, or (iii) both. The gratings of the array can be arranged to produce a desired far-field illumination intensity profile. The grating array can be arranged so as to suppress or eliminate laser speckle arising from the output beams.

Diffraction grating array for wide-angle illumination

An optical element includes a substrate, an intermediate layer, a topmost layer, and a contiguous multitude of recessed and non-recessed areal regions. The intermediate layer is formed over a top surface of the substrate and has a refractive index n. The topmost layer is formed directly on the intermediate layer and has a refractive index nwhere n≠n. The intermediate and topmost layers are substantially transparent over an operational wavelength range that includes a design wavelength λ. A subset of areal regions has a largest transverse dimension less than about λ. Each non-recessed areal region includes corresponding portions of the intermediate and topmost layers. Each recessed areal region extends entirely through the topmost layer and at least partly through the intermediate layer. A fill medium fills the recessed areal regions. The areal regions are variously sized and distributed transversely across the optical element.

Partially etched phase-transforming optical element

A display system includes a display screen layer, a coupling region, an upper guide, a first coupler, a second coupler, and an optical element. The coupling region may be positioned along a sidewall of the display screen layer and may route a beam between the optical element and the upper guide and may route the beam between the first coupler and the second coupler. The first coupler may be positioned along a front surface of the upper guide and may couple a beam through the front surface of the upper guide. The second coupler may be positioned between the coupling region and the upper guide and may couple the beam between the coupling region and the upper guide. The optical element may be positioned below a back surface of the upper guide. A computing device with the display system is also disclosed.

Display system with optical device

An optical element includes a transmissive layer arranged on a substrate and made up of discrete volumes of first and second optical media. The layer is between the substrate and another optical medium. The volumes are arranged so that, averaged over a wavelength's distance of an incident optical signal, the effective reflectivities of the two surfaces of the transmissive layer and the effective double-pass phase delay through the transmissive layer are substantially constant across the transmissive layer. The reflectivities and phase delay result in net power reflectivity that differs from that of the substrate in direct contact with the other optical medium. The transmissive layer can be arranged as an anti-reflection layer.

Partially etched reflection-modification layer

Incident optical signals propagate within a diffuser substrate and impinge upon an optical diffuser within the diffuser substrate or on its output surface. The optical diffuser redirects or transforms respective portions of each incident signal into corresponding forward- and backward-directed optical signals. The backward-directed signals are redirected or transformed into additional incident signals, and so on. The forward-directed optical signals collectively form the optical output of an illumination source that exhibits reduced speckle. The illumination source can include multiple laser sources formed on or attached to an input surface of the diffuser substrate.

Optical apparatus for wide-angle illumination

An optical element includes a substrate, an intermediate layer, a topmost layer, and a contiguous multitude of recessed and non-recessed areal regions. The intermediate layer is formed over a top surface of the substrate and has a refractive index n. The topmost layer is formed directly on the intermediate layer and has a refractive index nwhere n&#x2260;n. The intermediate and topmost layers are substantially transparent over an operational wavelength range that includes a design wavelength &#x3bb;. A subset of areal regions has a largest transverse dimension less than about &#x3bb;. Each non-recessed areal region includes corresponding portions of the intermediate and topmost layers. Each recessed areal region extends entirely through the topmost layer and at least partly through the intermediate layer. A fill medium fills the recessed areal regions. The areal regions are variously sized and distributed transversely across the optical element.

Diffraction grating array for wide-angle illuminateon

An optical element includes a transmissive layer comprising a multitude of discrete volumes of first and second optical media arranged along the transmissive layer. The discrete volumes are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function. Effecting at least partial reflow of one or both of the optical media can smooth the morphology of the transmissive layer so as to reduce unwanted diffraction or scattering.

Phase-transforming optical element formed by partial etching or by partial etching with reflow

Input optical signals propagate toward first optical diffuser, resulting in first-forward-directed optical signals that propagate toward a second optical diffuser, in turn resulting in second forward-directed optical signals. The second forward-directed optical signals collectively form the optical output of an illumination source that appears to emanate from an enlarged extended source and exhibits reduced speckle. The illumination source can include multiple laser sources formed on or attached to the first optical diffuser.

An optical element (transmissive or reflective) includes a transmissive layer comprising two different optical media arranged among discrete volumes arranged along the layer. The discrete volumes are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function.

A diffraction grating comprises a substrate (with index n) with a surface facing an optical medium (with index n&#x3c;n), a dielectric or semiconductor layer of thickness t on the substrate surface (with index n&#x2260;n), and a set of diffractive elements on the layer (with index n&#x2260;n). The diffractive elements comprise a set of ridges protruding into the optical medium, which fills trenches between the ridges, and are characterized by a spacing &#x39b;, a width d, and a height h. Over an operational wavelength range, &#x3bb;/2n&#x3c;&#x39b;&#x3c;&#x3bb;/(n+n). An optical signal incident on the diffractive elements from within the substrate at an incidence angle exceeding the critical angle, n, n, n, n, &#x39b;, d, h, and t result in wavelength-dependent, first-order diffraction efficiency of the grating greater than a prescribed level over the operational wavelength range for both s- and p-polarized optical signals.

Reflective diffraction gratings employing efficiency enhancement or etch barrier layers

A reflective optical element includes a reflective surface comprising a multitude of discrete recessed and non-recessed areas arranged along the reflective surface. The discrete areas are arranged to approximate a desired phase function (typically modulo 2&#x3c0;) and are smaller than an operational wavelength in order to provide a range of phase delays needed to adequately approximate the desired phase function. Effecting at least partial reflow of one or more optical media or reflective materials can smooth the morphology of the reflective surface so as to reduce unwanted diffraction or scattering.

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Eugene, OR, United States of America

Dmitri Iazikov