On-chip meta-optics for semi-transparent screen display in sync with AR projection

Abstract

On-chip integrated meta-optics could enable high-performance, lightweight, and compact integrated photonic devices for augmented reality (AR). Despite previous endeavors in controlling guided waves for holographic phase control, such devices lack versatile performance with the full optical controllability in both amplitude and phase needed to generate multi-functional displays. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an on-chip metasurface integrated on a waveguide to enable a multiplexing semi-transparent screen display in sync with an AR holographic display for human eyes. Through judicious engineering of on-chip meta-diatom displacement and interference at the nanoscale, we can locally modulate the on-chip optical scattering intensities to create a semi-transparent screen display. More intriguingly, we can project a simultaneous dual-channel AR holographic display by incorporating independent encoding freedom of its detour phase. Beyond the all-dielectric properties and high transparency, the projected AR images are free of zeroth-order diffraction interference due to the on-chip optical propagation scheme. We envision that the proposed on-chip meta-optic display could be readily applied to next-generation wearable AR displays, multiplexing optical displays, colored signage, information storage/encryption, and cosmetic visual applications.

Direct‐Printing Hydrogel‐Based Platform for Humidity‐Driven Dynamic Full‐Color Printing and Holography

“…Flat optics and metasurfaces, as representatives of planar nanophotonics, exhibit brilliant capability of arbitrarily manipulating light field in subwavelength scale, [1][2][3][4] thus promoting various applications for structural color, [5][6][7][8] beam steering, [9][10][11][12] meta-holography, [13][14][15][16][17][18] lensing, [19][20][21] etc. To endow the post-fabrication tuning ability of the optical devices, several tunable materials such as liquid crystals, [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] phase-change materials, [29][30][31] transparent conductive materials, [32,33] elastomeric polymer, [34][35][36] doped semiconductors, [37,38] and chemically-responsive materials [39] have been employed to construct the nanodevices.…”

On-Chip Integrated Metasystem with Inverse-Design Wavelength Demultiplexing for Augmented Reality

“…Emerging as one of the most significant display technologies, augmented reality (AR) enhances human interaction with the real world through virtual information, with great potential for development in transportation, education, healthcare, and entertainment. − Optical waveguide technology is the most promising approach to realize AR display devices, providing an on-chip platform for integrating optical components to construct multifunctional, high-performance, and compact optical systems. − However, currently, the coupling/decoupling optical components between the free-space light and guided on-chip waves are typically bulky (such as prisms and gratings for traditional coupler/decoupler) and critically restrict arbitrary optics manipulation freedom with quite limited functionalities.…”

Retinal Projection Near‐Eye Displays with Huygens’ Metasurfaces

“…It can be a light-weighted achromatic lens [44,45] , and it also can be used as a key component in designing the eyepiece, such as freeform plus metasurface [46] or metasurface-based waveguide [47 ]. Moreover, the on-chip metasurface waveguide display [48] , and compact seethrough eyepiece with an anisotropic response [49] have also been reported. Another application of metasurface in the neareye display is to be an image source.…”