Defects in master and replica waveguide gratings can cause image quality issues on AR displays. Characterizing these gratings is difficult due to their small features, which can be smaller than the wavelength of visible light. Microscopy is unsuitable for production testing as it lacks resolution and can be destructive. The authors propose an optical metrology setup using Littrow configuration to accurately measure diffraction grating pitch and orientation at a picometer and arcsecond scale to identify defects. The authors will also demonstrate the impact of grating analysis on the image quality of diffractive waveguides.
Amidst the mixed news surrounding the feasibility of Augmented Reality (AR) smart glasses, the demand for commercially viable mass production of industry-standard optical waveguide combiners remains unwavering. Over the past two years, our consortium of companies has proposed a cost-effective and scalable manufacturing process for Surface Relief Grating (SRG) based waveguides, offering a comprehensive path from concept to fabrication through large-area nanoimprinting. This approach has garnered significant interest from both customers and partners associated with the participating companies. Our aim is to push beyond the established limits of large-area nanoimprinting. In this work we address the obstacles and latest advancements in maintaining imprint quality, fidelity and uniformity during large-area nanoimprinting. We demonstrate various building blocks that are crucial to manufacture high quality and cost-effective AR waveguides, such as the replication of slanted gratings and the possibility of low residual layer thickness using large-area nanoimprint lithography. We employ high refractive index materials, such as resin and glass (1.8, 1.9 and 2.0), and also explore a lighter and flatter version of the RealView 1.9 glass. Our primary objective is to demonstrate that large-area nanoimprinting not only presents itself as a novel method for high-volume manufacturing of SRG waveguides but also enables the production of challenging optics for AR smart glasses.
An immersive augmented reality experience requires adapting the display/optical engine to the human visual system, which introduces many measurement and testing challenges. Near-eye displays often use waveguide combiners to produce superior image quality, thereby placing special demands on the metrology needs. Hence, this challenging application requires robust and state-of-the-art mechanics, and optical setup. In this study, an optical metrology system that can perform various image quality analyses on diced (eyepieces) and undiced (wafer level) waveguides is described. Our novel optical metrology system consists of a human-eye mimicking optical setup, and a multi-axis highly accurate robotics.
A promising path towards consumer electronics-ready manufacturing of optical waveguide combiners is via large-area nanoimprinted surface relief gratings on high index glass substrates. Presently, this is realized through equipment and substrates based on wafer format (up to 12-inch). In this work, we present a way to produce waveguides with surface relief gratings utilizing the entire value chain from design to mastering to replication on panel-level nanoimprint equipment using rectangular high refractive index glass substrates and high refractive index resins. This is demonstrated on a greater than Gen 3 panel size (550 mm x 650 mm). The fabricated waveguides are optically tested to validate the design and the value chain. We demonstrate that the quality of the large area imprints is similar to present wafer-level imprints. Thus, we introduce a new approach towards high volume and low-cost manufacturing of waveguides based on surface relief gratings.
Reliable world locking in augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR) devices is important for achieving immersion and critical for technical applications that rely on stable anchoring of virtual objects in the real world. To achieve this, a head-mounted display (HMD) must maintain accurate knowledge of its real-world position and orientation. We describe a method for measuring the six-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) positioning accuracy of an HMD, and how the same method can be extended to quantify the accuracy of anchoring virtual objects in the real world, i.e., world locking. An HMD is placed on a 6-DOF test jig comprising a motion system with high precision encoders and a time-synchronized imaging system. The HMD is made to display a 3D grid of unique identification markers that are detected by a machine vision camera in real time, while the robot is moving. This allows us to track the position and pose of the virtual camera and compare that with the known HMD position and pose. Using similar methodology, we can display virtual objects with a suitable number of unique identification markers. Their virtual object position and pose can then be compared to the real HMD position, thereby quantifying the accuracy of world locking. For improved accuracy, markers can also be printed out and pasted onto real-world objects. Other temporal parameters can also be computed, including motion-to-photon latency, spatial jitter, pose drift and prediction over/undershoot. The obtained results can be used to improve or recalibrate the positioning software and hardware of the head-mounted device.
Silicon nitride (SiNx) is an important material for on-chip waveguides and resonators due to its tunable refractive index
and low optical loss at the visible and near-infrared wavelengths. In this work, we report our results on second-harmonic
generation from SiNx thin films at the fundamental wavelength of 1064 nm. The SiNx thin films with the thicknesses
between 100 nm and 1500 nm were prepared on fused silica substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition.
Strong SHG signal was observed from SiNx films, with the absolute levels significantly higher than those from typical
dielectric surfaces. The second-order properties of the samples were fully characterized by second-harmonic generation
as a function of the state of polarization of the fundamental field. The polarization dependent SHG indicates that the
SiNx films possess in-plane isotropy and polar order along the surface normal. The strong second-order nonlinear
response from the SiNx films has great potential applications in the on-chip nanophotonic devices.
Diffraction gratings were designed and fabricated on a SiN/SiO2 planar waveguide to couple light from a low power 488 nm
laser beam into the planar waveguide. The light propagating in the waveguide was then used to detect fluoresceine from
volume on the planar waveguide surface. The results demonstrate the capability for very simple and fast analytical
throughput for quantification of fluorescent samples, essentially without cross-talk. The transmission measurements show
about 10% diffraction efficiency with 0.06° FWHM. The diffraction efficiency and the incidence angle for the maximum
diffraction efficiency were observed to be highly dependent on the process parameters used to fabricate the gratings. The
fluorescence signal was observed to be linear for fluoresceine concentrations between 10-9 and 10-3 M.
Photonic crystal angle elements fabricated in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) are reported. These elements are modelled using three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Photonic crystals have a two-dimensional trigonal lattice structure with cylindrical air columns. The period of the crystal is approximately 420 nm and the cylinder diameter is about 330 nm. Defect creation is performed by removing air columns from certain lattice sites. The SOI-layer is one micron thick and it also defines the column height. The FDTD modelling results imply that photonic crystal angle elements with lower height do not exhibit proper light transmission at the telecommunications wavelength window, 1550 nm. FDTD modelling results give higher transmission for TE-polarised light than for TM-polarisation. For better light coupling a taper element with widened waveguide end is designed.
In our work we have fabricated Bragg grating structures in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. SOI waveguides enable integration of both passive and active functions, e.g. thermal, electrical or micromechanical tuning and optical receiving with the gratings. As silicon is a high refractive index material the first order grating period at 1550 nm wavelength is short, only 225 nm, and this period must be precisely controlled. Moreover, the grating must be spatially coherent over its entire length. All this introduces a great challenge for the fabrication techniques used to pattern the grating. Our approach to process gratings in SOI waveguides is based on direct e-beam writing and silicon etching with inductively coupled plasma (ICP). We show results on high aspect ratio Bragg gratings integrated with SOI waveguides with large core size.
KEYWORDS: Etching, Reactive ion etching, Electron beams, Diffraction, Diffraction gratings, Lithography, Electron beam lithography, Photoresist processing, Analog electronics, Silica
A new negative low-contrast electron beam resist X AR-N 7700/18 is used in multilevel structuring with direct electron beam exposure. The developed multilevel resist profiles are transferred into SiO2 substrates with reactive ion etching (RIE) and the desired profile depths are achieved by a proper adjustment of the pressure during the etching process. The tolerance of profile depth errors is found to be less than 2.5%. Examples of multilevel pixel-structured gratings and diffractive lenses are given.
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