Vector light field display based on an intertwined flat lens with large depth of focus

Abstract

The depth of focus (DOF) of a lens is a crucial parameter in glasses-free 3D displays that affects the viewing distance range. Here we proposed a vector light field display based on intertwined flat lens for extended viewing distance. The gray-scale diffractive lens (GDL) is designed and fabricated with extended DOF for red (658 nm), green (532 nm), and blue (450 nm) colors. By integrating the intertwined GDLs with a liquid crystal display, four views form a smooth horizontal parallax with a cross talk below 26% over a viewing distance from 24 to 90 cm. The enhancement of the DOF is 1.8 × 1 0 4 -fold. The light efficiency of the pixelated GDL reaches 82%. The proposed vector light field 3D display has the advantages of a thin form factor, high efficiency, high color fidelity, and large viewing distance. The potential applications include portable electronics, 3D TVs, and tabletop displays.