Enabling the Metaverse through mass manufacturing of industry-standard optical waveguide combiners

Abstract

Nanoimprinting of surface-relief grating-based waveguides has the potential to result in the best performing Augmented Reality (AR) smart glasses, but there are still many challenges in the design, scaling, and reproducibility of these imprinted waveguides. We presented a promising path toward mass manufacturing of optical waveguide combiners via large-area nanoimprinting at SPIE AR/VR/MR 2022. This alternative route for manufacturing surface-relief gratings on a larger area generated much interest.This follow-up paper presents a further optimized design based on the lessons learned from the previous paper, with a particular focus on quality. The complete value chain with partners is involved throughout the process of this iterative update: from design, mastering, and materials to imprinting and metrology, to prove that this method improves not only the manufacturing throughput but also the waveguide quality. We demonstrate that both the replication and image quality is true to the intended design using large area, high refractive index (1.9 RI), square (300 x 300mm) glass substrates with high refractive index resins (1.9 RI). Our objective is to further establish this new approach towards high-volume and low-cost manufacturing of waveguides based on surface relief gratings as a viable path forward for enabling the Metaverse.

Are metaverse applications in quality 4.0 enablers of manufacturing resiliency? An exploratory review under disruption impressions and future research

“…By enabling quicker detection and resolution, AR-based maintenance and troubleshooting solutions minimize downtime (Zigart and Schlund, 2020). AR also encourages continuous improvement in operational efficiency, reliability and effectiveness by providing workers with contextual information and guidance (Steiner et al, 2023). BDA (y.F) and AI (y.E) give manufacturers the ability to glean important insights from sizable and varied datasets ( € Ozdemir and Hekim, 2018).…”

“…According to Cali et al (2022), MV-based I4.0 can take advantage of the results of conventional operations and turn them into virtual operations. Greater reliability, accuracy and responsiveness enable performance levels to be maintained even in times of crisis, preventing performance degradation (Steiner et al, 2023;Yao et al, 2022).…”

“…(2022), “metaverse technologies have the potential to reduce the risk of disruption in businesses so that they are able to maintain their operations.” This is especially true in the case of a pandemic, where a lack of labor is one of the most important factors that may negatively impact manufacturing operations (Belhadi et al ., 2021; Bianco et al ., 2023, p. 19). Many academics have faith that the metaverse (MV), with its many enabler technologies, including augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality, could mitigate manufacturing disruptions (MFGDs) and call for research in this terrain (Bitas, 2022; Koohang et al ., 2023; Steiner et al ., 2023; Yao et al ., 2022). In recent years, there has been progress in a few particular subfields of research.…”

Practical considerations for large-area nanoimprinted augmented reality waveguides

“…To overcome this, Morphotonics makes use of its proprietary master upscaling method. Here, we show an example of this upscaling using a waveguide master designed by LightTrans International and produced by NIL Technology (more details can be found in reference [2][3][4]). This waveguide contains a blazed grating incoupler and binary gratings for the pupil expander and outcoupler.…”

“…Three waveguides were analyzed for uniformity, one waveguide each close to the center of: the top left wafer, the middle wafer and the bottom right wafer. Measurements of contrast ratio and luminescence uniformity were performed by OptoFidelity (the data can be seen in reference [2,4]). For a good contrast and luminescence uniformity result, not only the imprint fidelity is needed, but also uniformity in the residual layer thickness.…”