02 January 2024 | Changwon Jang, Kiseung Bang, Minseok Chae, Byoungho Lee, Douglas Lanman
This paper presents a novel concept for 3D augmented reality glasses that combines the advantages of waveguide displays and holographic displays. The proposed system, called "waveguide holography," aims to overcome challenges such as compact form factor, vergence-accommodation conflict, and achieving high resolution with a large eybox. By modeling the coherent light interactions and propagation through exit-pupil expanding waveguides, the authors demonstrate how to control the output wavefront using a spatial light modulator (SLM). This method enables 3D holographic displays with a large software-steerable eybox and enhanced resolution by suppressing phase discontinuities caused by pupil replication. The paper includes experimental results and a detailed analysis of the architecture design and scalability. The authors conclude with a discussion of limitations and future research directions, emphasizing the potential for further advancements in micro-display technology and laser light sources to improve the performance and scalability of the proposed architecture.This paper presents a novel concept for 3D augmented reality glasses that combines the advantages of waveguide displays and holographic displays. The proposed system, called "waveguide holography," aims to overcome challenges such as compact form factor, vergence-accommodation conflict, and achieving high resolution with a large eybox. By modeling the coherent light interactions and propagation through exit-pupil expanding waveguides, the authors demonstrate how to control the output wavefront using a spatial light modulator (SLM). This method enables 3D holographic displays with a large software-steerable eybox and enhanced resolution by suppressing phase discontinuities caused by pupil replication. The paper includes experimental results and a detailed analysis of the architecture design and scalability. The authors conclude with a discussion of limitations and future research directions, emphasizing the potential for further advancements in micro-display technology and laser light sources to improve the performance and scalability of the proposed architecture.