Cascaded metasurfaces can control the phase, amplitude and polarization of an electromagnetic beam, shaping it in three dimensional configuration not achievable with other methods. Each cascaded metasurface has dielectric or metallic scatterers arranged in a period array. The shape of the scatterers determines the three dimensional configuration of the output beam and is determined with iterative calculations through computational simulations.

Augmented reality glasses include near eye displays the include sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light optical coupled to spatial phase modulators or active zone plate modulators and optically coupled to eye coupling optics. The sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light can include emissive 2D display panels or light sources coupled to imagewise amplitude modulators. The eye coupling optics can include volume holographic diffraction gratings.

Augmented reality glasses include near eye displays the include sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light optical coupled to spatial phase modulators or active zone plate modulators and optically coupled to eye coupling optics. The sources of imagewise amplitude modulated light can include emissive 2D display panels or light sources coupled to imagewise amplitude modulators. The eye coupling optics can include volume holographic diffraction gratings.

An optical composite film comprises a reflective grating film layer, a first uniaxial optical film layer, and a second uniaxial optical film layer. The first uniaxial optical film layer comprises a plate portion and a plurality of refraction portions. The plate portion is disposed on the reflective grating film layer. The plurality of refraction portions are disposed on a side of the plate portion away from the reflective grating film layer, and are either curved columns or quadrangular prisms. The second uniaxial optical film layer is laminated on a side of the plate portion adjacent to the refraction portions. The plurality of refraction portions are accommodated in the second uniaxial optical film layer. The second uniaxial optical film layer has an ordinary refractive index less than an extraordinary refractive index of the first uniaxial optical film layer.

An optical composite film comprises a reflective grating film layer, a first uniaxial optical film layer, and a second uniaxial optical film layer. The first uniaxial optical film layer comprises a plate portion and a plurality of refraction portions. The plate portion is disposed on the reflective grating film layer. The plurality of refraction portions are disposed on a side of the plate portion away from the reflective grating film layer, and are either curved columns or quadrangular prisms. The second uniaxial optical film layer is laminated on a side of the plate portion adjacent to the refraction portions. The plurality of refraction portions are accommodated in the second uniaxial optical film layer. The second uniaxial optical film layer has an ordinary refractive index less than an extraordinary refractive index of the first uniaxial optical film layer.

A waveguide display includes a waveguide transparent to visible light, a first volume Bragg grating (VBG) on the waveguide and characterized by a first refractive index modulation, and a second reflection VBG on the waveguide and including a plurality of regions characterized by different respective refractive index modulations. The first reflection VBG is configured to diffract display light in a first wavelength range and a first field of view (FOV) range such that the display light in the first wavelength range and the first FOV range propagates in the waveguide through total internal reflection to the plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG. The plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG are configured to diffract the display light in different respective wavelength ranges within the first wavelength range and the first FOV range.

A waveguide display includes a waveguide transparent to visible light, a first volume Bragg grating (VBG) on the waveguide and characterized by a first refractive index modulation, and a second reflection VBG on the waveguide and including a plurality of regions characterized by different respective refractive index modulations. The first reflection VBG is configured to diffract display light in a first wavelength range and a first field of view (FOV) range such that the display light in the first wavelength range and the first FOV range propagates in the waveguide through total internal reflection to the plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG. The plurality of regions of the second reflection VBG are configured to diffract the display light in different respective wavelength ranges within the first wavelength range and the first FOV range.

Systems and methods for performing coherent diffraction in an optical device are disclosed. An optical device may include a grating medium with a first hologram having a first grating frequency. A second hologram at least partially overlapping the first hologram may be provided in the grating medium. The second hologram may have a second grating frequency that is different from the first grating frequency. The first and second holograms may be pair-wise coherent with each other. A manufacturing system may be provided that writes the pair-wise coherent holograms in a grating medium using a signal beam and a reference beam. Periscopes may redirect portions of the signal and reference beams towards a partial reflector, which combines the beams and provides the combined beam to a detector. A controller may adjust an effective path length difference between the signal and reference beams based on a measured interference pattern.

Systems and methods for performing coherent diffraction in an optical device are disclosed. An optical device may include a grating medium with a first hologram having a first grating frequency. A second hologram at least partially overlapping the first hologram may be provided in the grating medium. The second hologram may have a second grating frequency that is different from the first grating frequency. The first and second holograms may be pair-wise coherent with each other. A manufacturing system may be provided that writes the pair-wise coherent holograms in a grating medium using a signal beam and a reference beam. Periscopes may redirect portions of the signal and reference beams towards a partial reflector, which combines the beams and provides the combined beam to a detector. A controller may adjust an effective path length difference between the signal and reference beams based on a measured interference pattern.

A dynamically actuable diffractive optical element (DOE) includes a substrate and a diffraction grating disposed on a first region of a surface of the substrate. The DOE further includes a quantity of a fluid disposed on a second region of the surface of the substrate, a fluid displacer disposed adjacent the second region of the surface of the substrate, and a drive signal source configured to send an electric signal to the fluid displacer. The fluid displacer is configured to, upon receiving the electric signal in a first state, causing a portion of the quantity of the fluid to be displaced from the second region of the surface into grooves of the diffraction grating, and upon receiving the electric signal in a second state, causing the portion of the quantity of the fluid to retract from the grooves of the diffraction grating to the second region of the surface.