Waveguide-based near-eye display with dual-channel exit pupil expander

Chen, C. P., Mi, L., Zhang, W., Ye, J. and Li, G. (2021) Waveguide-based near-eye display with dual-channel exit pupil expander. Displays, 67, 101998. (doi: 10.1016/j.displa.2021.101998)

Abstract

We propose a waveguide-based near-eye display featuring a dual-channel exit pupil expander, which is composed of an in-coupler, relay gratings, and an out-coupler. Unlike the conventional waveguide-based near-eye displays, whose field of views are usually non-split or partially split, our dual-channel exit pupil expander is able to evenly split the field of view into two halves. The greatest benefit of doing so is that the upper limit of field of view could be significantly increased. The design rules for all components, including the microdisplay, collimating lens, waveguide and gratings, have been studied. The refractive index and dimension of waveguide are identified as two factors that limit the field of view. In what follows, its key specifications are recapitulated. Field of view is 70° (diagonal), eye relief is 15 mm, exit pupil is 20 × 9 mm2, modulation transfer function is above 0.591 at 30 cycle/degree, contrast ratio is 13, and distortion is 1.38%.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [61901264, 61831015]; Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality [19ZR1427200, 1801H163000, 1701H169200]; and Shanghai Rockers Inc. [15H100000157].
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Li, Dr Gang
• Authors: Chen, C. P., Mi, L., Zhang, W., Ye, J., and Li, G.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Psychology
• Journal Name: Displays
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0141-9382
• ISSN (Online): 1872-7387
• Published Online: 25 February 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
• First Published: First published in Displays 67:101998
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher