Static Structures in Leaky Mode Waveguides

Abstract

In this work, we suggest a new method of expanding the field of view in bottom-exit, leaky mode devices for transparent, monolithic, holographic, near-eye display. In this approach, we propose the use of static, laser-induced, grating structures within the device substrate to break the leaky mode light into diffracted orders. We then propose to use carefully timed illumination pulses to select which diffracted order is visible to the eye at every display refresh interval (up to 100 kHz). Each of these orders becomes a view for a different image point. To describe this new method, we use K-vector analysis. We give the relevant equations and a list of parameters which lead to a near-eye geometry with little or no overlap in higher-order view zones. We conclude that it should be possible to increase the field of view of our bottom-exit, leaky mode devices by as much as one order of magnitude by simply adding a laser-induced grating structure to the substrate and by carefully timing the device illumination. If successful, this method would make possible a transparent, holographic, near-eye display that is simple to fabricate, relative to pixelated approaches, and which has a wide field-of-view relative to our current bottom-exit displays.