Magic Leap, Inc.

Xiaopei Deng

Frank Y Xu

Shuqiang Yang

Vikramjit Singh

Kang Luo

Kevin Messer

Samarth Bhargava

Victor Kai Liu

Jeffrey Dean Schmulen

Marlon Edward Menezes

Neal Paul Ricks

Matthew Grant Dixon

Michael Anthony Klug

Michael Nevin Miller

Christophe Peroz

Sharad D Bhagat

Chieh Chang

Robert D TeKolste

Ling Li

Nai-Wen Pi

Michal Beau Dennison Vaughn

Melanie Maputol West

Brian George Hill

Ryan Jason Ong

Ali Karbasi

Xiao Li

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. The in-coupling optical element can be truncated or have reduced diffraction efficiency along the propagation direction to reduce the occurrence of light loss due to re-bounce of in-coupled light, resulting in less in-coupled light being prematurely out-coupled and/or absorbed during subsequent interactions with the in-coupling optical element.

Diffractive optical elements with mitigation of rebounce-induced light loss and related systems and methods

Diffraction gratings provide optical elements in head-mounted display systems to, e.g., incouple light into or outcouple light out of a waveguide. These diffraction gratings may be configured to have reduced polarization sensitivity. Such gratings may, for example, incouple or outcouple light of different polarizations, or polarized and unpolarized light, with a similar level of efficiency. The diffraction gratings and waveguides may include a transmissive layer and a metal layer. The diffraction grating may comprise a blazed grating.

Display device with diffraction grating having reduced polarization sensitivity

Recesses are formed on a front side and a rear side of a waveguide. A solid porogen material is spun onto the front side and the rear side and fills the recesses. First front and rear cap layers are then formed on raised formations of the waveguide and on the solid porogen material. The entire structure is then heated and the solid porogen material decomposes to a porogen gas. The first front and rear cap layers are porous to allow the porogen gas to escape and air to enter into the recesses. The air maximizes a difference in refractive indices between the high-index transparent material of the waveguide and the air to promote reflection in the waveguide from interfaces between the waveguide and the air.

Air pocket structures for promoting total internal reflection in a waveguide

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.

Waveguides with high index materials and methods of fabrication thereof

A head-mounted, near-eye display system comprises a stack of waveguides having integral spacers separating the waveguides. The waveguides may each include diffractive optical elements that are formed simultaneously with the spacers by imprinting or casting. The spacers are disposed on one or more major surfaces of the waveguides and define a distance between immediately adjacent waveguides. Adjacent waveguides may be bonded using adhesives on the spacers. The spacers may fit within indentations of overlying waveguides. In some cases, the spacers may form one or more walls of material substantially around a perimeter of an associated waveguide. Vent holes may be provided in the walls to allow gas flow into and out from an interior volume defined by the spacers. Debris trapping structures may be provided between two walls of spacers to trap and prevent debris from entering into the interior volume.

Waveguides having integral spacers and related systems and methods

Diffraction gratings provide optical elements in head-mounted display systems to, e.g., incouple light into or out-couple light out of a waveguide. These diffraction gratings may be configured to have reduced polarization sensitivity. Such gratings may, for example, incouple or outcouple light of different polarizations with similar level of efficiency. The diffraction gratings and waveguides may include a transmissive layer and a metal layer. The diffraction grating may comprises a blazed grating.

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Cedar Park, TX, United States of America

Xiaopei Deng