WAVEGUIDES WITH IMPROVED INTENSITY DISTRIBUTIONS

• US 20180074340A1
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Robbins, Steven, He, Sihui, Glik, Eliezer, Lou, Xinye
• Granted Patent: US 10,095,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0081 with means for altering, e.g. enlarging, the entrance or exit pupil
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0927 Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0944 Diffractive optical elements, e.g. gratings, holograms gratings per se G02B5/18; holograms used as optical elements per se G02B5/32
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/4261 having a diffractive element with major polarization dependent properties
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1833 comprising birefringent materials birefringent elements per se G02B5/3083
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/105 having optical polarisation effects
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical waveguide, for use a near-eye or heads-up display system, includes an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler. The input-coupler is configured to couple light corresponding to an image that is incident on the input-coupler, into the optical waveguide and towards the intermediate-component. The intermediate-component can be implemented as a Bragg polarization grating that comprises a stack of birefringent layers configured to diffract the light corresponding to the image that is incident thereon into a zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and a first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization. The output-coupler is configured to couple, out of the optical waveguide, the light corresponding to the image that travels in the optical waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler via the intermediate-component by way of total internal reflection (TIR).

Claims

1. A near-eye or heads-up display system, comprising:

an optical waveguide including an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler; and

a display engine configured to produce an image and to direct light corresponding to the image towards the input-coupler of the optical waveguide;

the input-coupler configured to couple light corresponding to the image, that is incident on the input-coupler, into the optical waveguide and towards the intermediate-component;

the intermediate-component configured to perform pupil expansion and direct the light corresponding to the image towards the output-coupler;

the output-coupler configured to couple, out of the optical waveguide, the light corresponding to the image that travels in the optical waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler via the intermediate-component by way of total internal reflection (TIR); and

the intermediate-component comprising a Bragg polarization grating.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component is configured to:

diffract the light corresponding to the image that is incident thereon into a zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and a first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization;

have a relatively high diffractive efficiency for light within an angle of incidence range having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization; and

have a relatively low diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the relatively high diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range is at least one order of magnitude greater than the relative low diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component is configured to:

cause the zero-order beam to have the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization for which the Bragg polarization grating has the relatively high diffractive efficiency; and

cause the first-order beam to have the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization for which the Bragg polarization grating has the relatively low diffractive efficiency.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component is configured to:

cause the zero-order beam to have the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization for which the Bragg polarization grating has the relatively low diffractive efficiency; and

cause the first-order beam to have the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization for which the Bragg polarization grating has the relatively high diffractive efficiency.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component reduces a quantity of interference loops that occur within the intermediate-component compared to if the intermediate component was not a Bragg polarization grating configured as specified in claim 2.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component reduces an extent of destructive interference that is caused by interference loops that occur within the intermediate-component compared to if the intermediate component was not a Bragg polarization grating configured as specified in claim 2.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component is configured to cause the zero-order and first-order beams to each have an elliptical polarization having an ellipticity angle that changes in dependence on where an optical interaction occurs with the intermediate-component.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component increases polarization diversity of the light corresponding to the image that travels through the optical waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler via the intermediate-component by way of TIR, and thereby provides for a more uniform intensity distribution, compared to if the intermediate component was not configured to diffract the light corresponding to the image that is incident thereon into a zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and a first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the Bragg polarization grating of the intermediate-component comprises a stack of birefringent layers;

the optical waveguide includes a bulk-substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; and

the stack of birefringent layers is located on one of the first and second major surfaces of the bulk-substrate, or is embedded between the first and second major surfaces of the bulk-substrate.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the pupil expansion that the intermediate-component is configured to perform is one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion; and

the output-coupler is configured to perform the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion.

12. An optical waveguide, comprising:

an input-coupler;

an intermediate-component; and

an output-coupler;

the input-coupler configured to couple light corresponding to an image, that is incident on the input-coupler, into the optical waveguide and towards the intermediate-component;

the intermediate-component comprising a stack of birefringent layers that is configured to diffract the light corresponding to the image that is incident thereon into a zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and a first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization; and

the output-coupler configured to couple, out of the optical waveguide, the light corresponding to the image that travels in the optical waveguide from the input-coupler to the output-coupler via the intermediate-component by way of total internal reflection (TIR).

13. The optical waveguide of claim 12, wherein:

the intermediate-component is configured to perform is one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion; and

the output-coupler is configured to perform the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion.

14. The optical waveguide of claim 12, wherein the stack of birefringent layers of the intermediate-component is configured to:

have a relatively high diffractive efficiency for light within an angle of incidence range having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization; and

have a relatively low diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization.

15. The optical waveguide of claim 12, wherein:

the optical waveguide includes a bulk-substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface; and

the stack of birefringent layers is located on one of the first and second major surfaces of the bulk-substrate, or is embedded between the first and second major surfaces of the bulk-substrate.

16. A method for use with a near-eye or heads-up display system, comprising:

producing light corresponding to an image;

coupling the light corresponding to the image into an optical waveguide;

after the light corresponding to the image has been coupled into the optical waveguide, and has traveled within at least a portion of the optical waveguide by way of total internal reflection (TIR), diffracting the light corresponding to the image into a zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and a first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization;

after the light corresponding to the image has been diffracted into the zero-order beam having the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and the first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, coupling at least a portion of the light corresponding to the image out of the optical waveguide.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the optical waveguide includes an input-coupler, an intermediate-component and an output-coupler;

the coupling the light corresponding to the image into optical waveguide is performed using the input-coupler of the optical waveguide;

the diffracting the light corresponding to the image into the zero-order beam having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and the first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, is performed using the intermediate-component of the optical waveguide; and

the coupling at least a portion of the light corresponding to the image out of the optical waveguide is performed using the output-coupler of the optical waveguide.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the intermediate-component is configured to:

have a relatively high diffractive efficiency for light within an angle of incidence range having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization; and

have a relatively low diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

using the intermediate-component of the optical waveguide to perform one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion; and

using the output-coupler of the optical waveguide to perform the other one of horizontal or vertical pupil expansion.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising implementing the intermediate-component using a stack of birefringent layers that is configured to:

diffract the light corresponding to the image that is incident thereon into the zero-order beam having the one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization, and the first-order beam having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization;

have a relatively high diffractive efficiency for light within an angle of incidence range having one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization; and

have a relatively low diffractive efficiency for light within the angle of incidence range having the other one of right handed circular polarization or left handed circular polarization.