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Waveguide coatings or substrates to improve intensity distributions having adjacent planar optical component separate from an input, output, or intermediate coupler

  • US 10,359,627 B2
  • Filed: 11/10/2015
  • Issued: 07/23/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for use in replicating an image associated with an input-pupil to an output-pupil, comprising:

  • a planar optical waveguide including a bulk-substrate, and also including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler any one of which is either formed in, on or embedded within the bulk-substrate;

    the input-coupler configured to couple light corresponding to the image associated with the input-pupil into the bulk-substrate of the waveguide and towards the intermediate-component;

    the intermediate-component configured to perform one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and to direct the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler;

    the output-coupler configured to perform the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion and to couple the light corresponding to the image, which travels in the planar optical waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler, out of the waveguide so that the light is output and imaged from the output-pupil;

    the bulk-substrate including a first major planar surface and a second major planar surface opposite and parallel to the first major planar surface, wherein the input-coupler is formed in, on or embedded within the first major planar surface; and

    an adjacent planar optical component adjacent to the second major planar surface of the bulk-substrate, with the adjacent planar optical component being a separate component from each of the input-coupler, the output-coupler, and the intermediate-component, and the adjacent planar optical component is configured cause the light that is output from the waveguide by the output-coupler to have a more uniform intensity distribution compared to if the adjacent planar optical component were absent;

    wherein the adjacent planar optical component comprises at least one of a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) coating or substrate, or a coating or substrate that has an index of refraction that is different than an index of refraction of the bulk-substrate.

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