Metasurface Devices for Display and Photonics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional photonics technologies, such as head-mounted displays and structured light projectors, face challenges with narrow field of view, bulkiness, and high cost due to the use of conventional lenses, prisms, and waveguides, which also suffer from the 'screen door effect' and require complex optics.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of metasurfaces, which are nanostructures arranged on surfaces to manipulate light, including forming lenses, prisms, and filters, to enhance light guidance, reduce bulk, and improve efficiency, by using metasurfaces in displays, projectors, and solar cells to diffuse, filter, and redirect light effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional lenses, prisms, and waveguides are used in head-mounted displays, then light guidance is achieved, but the field of view remains narrow and the screen door effect becomes prevalent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from conventional bulk optical components to metasurfaces with subwavelength structural parameters. The metasurfaces utilize nanoscale pillar structures with specific dimensions (width, height, spacing) that are optimized to control light propagation, enabling wider field of view while maintaining compact form factor and eliminating the screen door effect through sub-pixel level control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by integrating metasurface structures directly onto the display substrate, creating a hybrid system that combines conventional display elements with advanced photonic materials. The metasurface layer consists of arrays of dielectric pillars with specific refractive indices, forming a composite optical system that achieves superior performance compared to conventional homogeneous optical components
2Illumination intensity
If displays are magnified to cover larger fields of view, then field of view increases, but the screen door effect becomes more prevalent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating spatially varying metasurface structures where the pillar dimensions, shapes, and spacing are locally optimized for different regions of the display. This local customization of optical properties enables precise control over light diffusion and redirection at each pixel location, effectively eliminating the screen door effect while maintaining wide field of view across the entire display surface
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes another dimension by introducing vertical control through the height dimension of the metasurface pillars. By adjusting the height and three-dimensional geometry of the nanoscale structures, the patent achieves control over light propagation in the vertical dimension, enabling effective light diffusion and angular control that eliminates the screen door effect while maintaining compact lateral dimensions
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional filtering techniques are used, then light filtering is achieved, but additional lenses, prisms, or waveguides are required, increasing bulk and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating multiple optical functions into a single metasurface layer. The same nanoscale pillar structures that provide light guidance and field of view expansion also perform filtering, diffusing, and spectral control functions. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate filtering components, reducing device bulk and simplifying the optical system while maintaining comprehensive light control capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Metasurfaces enable wider field of view, reduced bulk and cost, improved energy efficiency, and enhanced optical performance by diffusing light to mitigate the screen door effect and simplify optical alignment, while replacing conventional components with more robust and efficient photonic metasurface devices.
Implementation Method 1
a metasurface lens coupled to the first end of the waveguide, the first metasurface lens arranged to manipulate the light beams
Implementation Method 2
the first metasurface lens arranged to manipulate the light beams to increase an optical coupling between the first end of the waveguide and an optical transmission medium
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are display and photonic devices utilizing metasurfaces. An optical device comprising an optical component and an optical transmission medium is disclosed. A waveguide couples the optical component and the optical transmission medium. A metasurface is disposed on an end of the waveguide and arranged to increase an optical coupling between the waveguide and the optical transmission medium. Additionally, a display comprising a number of light emitting elements and a metasurface for each of the light emitting elements. The metasurface arranged to eliminate screen door effect in virtual reality display systems.