公开(公告)号：US20240151982A1

公开(公告)日：2024-05-09

申请号：US18407081

申请日：2024-01-08

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Yifei Wang ,  Xiaoyong Fu ,  Wencong Zhu ,  Xianwei Zhao ,  Brandon Born

IPC: G02B27/09 ,  G02B27/01 ,  G02B27/42

CPC classification number: G02B27/0944 ,  G02B27/0172 ,  G02B27/4272 ,  G02B2027/0174 ,  G02B2207/101

Abstract: An electronic device may have a display system. The display system may include a waveguide, an input coupler, and a surface relief grating (SRG) structure. The SRG structure may be formed from a high-index material that includes titanium dioxide nanoparticles. To increase the refractive index of the high-index material, the ratio of the size of the nanoparticle core to the size of the capping layer may be increased. The high-index material may also include nanoparticles of different sizes to increase the packing density of the nanoparticles. The SRG structure may be depth modulated in a lateral direction to maximize efficiency. The SRG structure may include slanted ridges covered by an encapsulant. The SRG structure may include a blazed grating with ridges that are covered by a coating and encapsulated by an encapsulant.

公开(公告)号：US20250093567A1

公开(公告)日：2025-03-20

申请号：US18805955

申请日：2024-08-15

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Brandon Born ,  Wencong Zhu ,  Jong Young Hong ,  Se Baek Oh

IPC: F21V8/00 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: A display may include a waveguide that directs image light to an eye box. The waveguide may include an optical coupler that redirects and replicates the light. The coupler may include a surface relief grating (SRG). The SRG may have a pitch that varies continuously along an axis orthogonal its ridges. The pitch may vary sinusoidally, linearly, parabolically, or according to other continuous and differentiable functions of position along the axis. The SRG may diffract the light. Upon diffracting the light, the SRG may impart a phase to the light. The phase may vary continuously as a function of position along a first axis and may, if desired, vary continuously as a function of position along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. The SRG may prevent formation of coherent light paths after replication, thereby maximizing the efficiency of the system.

公开(公告)号：US20250028082A1

公开(公告)日：2025-01-23

申请号：US18904959

申请日：2024-10-02

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Jian Gao ,  Francesco Aieta ,  Jaebum Chung ,  Ligang Wang ,  Se Baek Oh ,  Brandon Born

IPC: G02B1/11 ,  F21V8/00 ,  G02B5/18 ,  G02B27/01

Abstract: A display system may include a waveguide and at least one surface relief grating (SRG) structure. The SRG structure may include a plurality of ridges separated by a plurality of troughs. The SRG structure may include an anti-reflective layer to mitigate specular reflections off of the ridges. The anti-reflective layer may be formed above the ridges such that the ridges are interposed between the waveguide and the anti-reflective layer. In this type of arrangement, the anti-reflective layer may fill the troughs between the ridges or may be patterned to overlap the ridges without filing the troughs. The anti-reflective layer may be formed below the ridges such that the anti-reflective layer is interposed between the ridges and the waveguide. The SRG structure may include multiple anti-reflective layers. When multiple anti-reflective layers are included, the anti-reflective layers may have at least one differing property (e.g., material, number of layers, dimension).

公开(公告)号：US20240264353A1

公开(公告)日：2024-08-08

申请号：US18414126

申请日：2024-01-16

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Brandon Born

IPC: F21V8/00

CPC classification number: G02B6/0016 ,  G02B6/0038

Abstract: A display may include a waveguide and an optical coupler. The coupler may include one or more surface relief gratings (SRGs) in a substrate on the waveguide. The SRG(s) may have a central region and gradient lateral edges separating the central region from a non-diffractive region of the substrate. The SRG(s) may exhibit peak diffraction efficiency within the central region and may exhibit gradient diffraction efficiency across the gradient lateral edges from the central region to the non-diffractive region. The gradient diffraction efficiency may be produced by varying, across the gradient lateral edges, the amplitude of the SRG(s), the phase of the SRG(s), the duty cycle of the SRG(s), the blaze angle of the SRG(s), and/or the thickness of a high or low index coating layered over the SRG(s). This may serve to prevent the couplers from becoming undesirably visible and to minimize perturbation of replicated pupils.

公开(公告)号：US20240045147A1

公开(公告)日：2024-02-08

申请号：US18489762

申请日：2023-10-18

Applicant: Apple Inc.

Inventor： Brandon Born

IPC: G02B6/34 ,  G02B6/26

CPC classification number: G02B6/34 ,  G02B6/262

Abstract: A display may include a waveguide and a surface relief grating (SRG) structure on the waveguide. The SRG structure may perform expand image light propagating in the waveguide. The SRG structure may also couple the expanded image light out of the waveguide and towards an eye box. The SRG structure may include at least first and second SRGs that expand the image light in opposite directions. The first SRG may couple the image light expanded by the second SRG out of the waveguide and the second SRG may couple the image light expanded by the first SRG out of the waveguide. Modulation functions may be used to vary the grating strengths of the SRGs in the SRG structure between brow and cheek regions of the SRG structure. Diffraction efficiency of the SRG structure may additionally or alternatively be varied between nasal and temple regions of the SRG structure.