A diffractive waveguide-based optical combiner is one of the most commonly used elements to construct head mount AR displays. This paper proposes a design method for a compact and wide field-of-view layout for an AR-applicable diffractive waveguide. The layout design utilizes multiplexed 1D gratings as both the exit pupil expander (EPE) and the out-coupler, combined with minimum-sized 2D grating to improve image uniformity and deliver a better user experience. The design outcome is optimized and simulated in LightTools and RSoft. The result has indicated the feasibility of a compact and 60 degrees FOV design of a diffractive waveguide AR display with a 12 mm × 10 mm eye box.
For a diffractive waveguide-based augmented reality display, we demonstrate a rapid and straightforward method to define the most compact layout of an exit pupil expander (EPE) from an analysis of diffractive optical elements in kspace. The idea is to consider all k-vectors coming from in-coupling to out-coupling areas according to the grating theory, and with the geometrical tracing of the EPE region to find the optimal layout. For a working wavelength of 532 nm, 40 degrees field of view display, our method is able to fit the layout into a circular shaped area with a minimal radius or to optimize for the minimal EPE area. Furthermore, a web-based interactive application demonstrating the EPE layout calculation is provided as a layout design tool.
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