A display device includes a directional illuminator providing a light beam, a display panel downstream of a directional illuminator, for receiving and spatially modulating the light beam, and a beam redirecting module downstream of the display panel, for variably redirecting the spatially modulated light beam. Steering the illuminating light by the beam redirecting module enables one to steer the exit pupil of the display device to match the user's eye location(s).

Aspects of the present disclosure describe optical phased array structures and devices in which hyperbolic phase envelopes are employed to create focusing and diverging emissions in one and two dimensions. Tuning the phase fronts moves focal point spot in depth and across the array. Grating emitters are also used to emit light upward (out of plane). Adjusting the period of the gratings along the light propagation direction results in focusing the light emitted from the gratings. Changes in the operating wavelengths employed moves the focal spot along the emitters.

An electro-optical device includes an electro-optic crystal, a first electrode, and a second electrode. A voltage is applied to the electro-optic crystal by the first electrode and the second electrode. The electro-optic crystal has an incident surface and an emitting surface parallel to each other and deflects incident light made incident on the incident surface at an acute incident angle in an electric field direction in which a voltage is applied. A rotation axis of an incident angle is parallel to the electric field direction.

An electro-optical device includes an electro-optic crystal, a first electrode, and a second electrode. A voltage is applied to the electro-optic crystal by the first electrode and the second electrode. The electro-optic crystal has an incident surface and an emitting surface parallel to each other and deflects incident light made incident on the incident surface at an acute incident angle in an electric field direction in which a voltage is applied. A rotation axis of an incident angle is parallel to the electric field direction.

An optical scanner includes a light receiving unit, a reference light irradiating unit, and a light-receiving-side correcting unit. The light receiving unit includes an optical phased array that implements scanning by a light beam by individually controlling phases of a plurality of branched lights using a scanning phase amount. The reference light irradiating unit generates reference light and irradiate the reference light onto the light receiving unit. The light-receiving-side correcting unit estimates a phase shift amount that occurs in the plurality of branched lights as a result of distortion of a substrate on which the light receiving unit is mounted from a detection result of the light receiving unit onto which the reference light is incident, and sets a phase adjustment amount to be applied to the plurality of branched lights such that the estimated phase shift amount decreases.

The present application relates to liquid crystal optical devices. It has been discovered that the problem of electric field discontinuity due to a discrete electrode arrangement in an LC-GRIN (or TLCL) optical device having a stepped voltage distribution in space can be solved by the use of phase shifted drive signals while using discrete shaped electrodes or by the use of a relatively high dielectric constant layer (HDCL), placed near the stepped electrode, which can “smoothen” the electric potential profile and reduce the artifacts due to the steps in electric field caused by the discrete turns or steps of the stepped electrode. Such HDCLs may be fabricated much easier compared to weakly conductive layers (WCLs).

An optical phased array, includes, in part, K beam processors each adapted to receive a different one of K optical signals and generate N optical signals in response. The difference between the phases of optical signals a.sub.LM and a.sub.L(M+1) is the same for all Ms, where M is an integer ranging from 1 to N−1 defining the signals generated by a beam processor, and L is an integer ranging from 1 to K defining the beam processor generating the K optical signals. The transmitter further includes, in part, a combiner adapted to receive the N×K optical signals from the K beam processors and combine the K optical signals from different ones of the K beam processors to generate N optical signals. The transmitter further includes, in part, N radiating elements each adapted to transmit one of the N optical signals.

An apparatus may include (1) a planar liquid-crystal structure including a plurality of liquid crystals, and (2) a plurality of electrodes coupled to the planar liquid-crystal structure such that (a) when a first plurality of voltages are applied to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of liquid crystals are oriented such that the planar liquid-crystal structure operates as a diffraction grating having a first pitch, and (2) when a second plurality of voltages are applied to at least some of the plurality of electrodes, the plurality of liquid crystals are oriented such that the planar liquid-crystal structure operates as a diffraction grating having a second pitch different from the first pitch.

A method for displaying virtual content to a user, the method includes determining an accommodation of the user's eyes. The method also includes delivering, through a first waveguide of a stack of waveguides, light rays having a first wavefront curvature based at least in part on the determined accommodation, wherein the first wavefront curvature corresponds to a focal distance of the determined accommodation. The method further includes delivering, through a second waveguide of the stack of waveguides, light rays having a second wavefront curvature, the second wavefront curvature associated with a predetermined margin of the focal distance of the determined accommodation.

A method for displaying virtual content to a user, the method includes determining an accommodation of the user's eyes. The method also includes delivering, through a first waveguide of a stack of waveguides, light rays having a first wavefront curvature based at least in part on the determined accommodation, wherein the first wavefront curvature corresponds to a focal distance of the determined accommodation. The method further includes delivering, through a second waveguide of the stack of waveguides, light rays having a second wavefront curvature, the second wavefront curvature associated with a predetermined margin of the focal distance of the determined accommodation.