A display device and a display method thereof are provided. The display device includes: a first base substrate (10) and a second base substrate (20) which are arranged oppositely and a liquid crystal layer (30) between the first base substrate (10) and the second base substrate (20), the display device further includes: a waveguide grating (40) between the liquid crystal layer (30) and the first base substrate (10), the waveguide grating (40) including a waveguide layer (401) and a grating layer (402) on one side of the waveguide layer (401) facing the liquid crystal layer (30), and the grating layer (402) being in contact with the liquid crystal layer (30); and a collimation light source (50) on a lateral surface of the waveguide layer (401), light emitted by the collimation light source (50) being coupled into the waveguide layer (401) and output from the grating layer (402). The display device can regulate an amount of the light output from the waveguide grating by controlling changes of the refractive index of the liquid crystal layer so as to implement gray scale display.

A display panel and a display device are provided. The display panel includes: a lower substrate and an upper substrate cell-assembled together; a light-emitting control layer disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate; and a plurality of pixel units defined by a plurality of data lines and gate lines intersected with each other. Each pixel unit includes a plurality of subpixel areas. One or more side surfaces of the lower substrate are configured to receive incidence of the collimated light. The light-emitting control layer is configured to control the light-emitting directions and the light-emitting colors of the subpixel areas, to allow the light-emitting directions of the subpixel areas toward the central portion of the display panel. The light-emitting control layer is also configured to control the display grayscale of the subpixel areas.

Methods of manufacturing a liquid crystal device including depositing a layer of liquid crystal material on a substrate and imprinting a pattern on the layer of liquid crystal material using an imprint template are disclosed. The liquid crystal material can be jet deposited. The imprint template can include surface relief features, Pancharatnam-Berry Phase Effect (PBPE) structures or diffractive structures. The liquid crystal device manufactured by the methods described herein can be used to manipulate light, such as for beam steering, wavefront shaping, separating wavelengths and/or polarizations, and combining different wavelengths and/or polarizations.

Systems for the manufacturing of waveguide cells in accordance with various embodiments can be configured and implemented in many different ways. In many embodiments, various deposition mechanisms are used to deposit layer(s) of optical recording material onto a transparent substrate. A second transparent substrate can be provided, and the three layers can be laminated to form a waveguide cell. Suitable optical recording material can vary widely depending on the given application. In some embodiments, the optical recording material deposited has a similar composition throughout the layer. In a number of embodiments, the optical recording material spatially varies in composition, allowing for the formation of optical elements with varying characteristics. Regardless of the composition of the optical recording material, any method of placing or depositing the optical recording material onto a substrate can be utilized.

A switchable optical assembly comprises a switchable waveplate configured to be electrically activated and deactivated to selectively alter the polarization state of light incident thereon. The switchable waveplate comprises first and second surfaces and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second surfaces. The first liquid crystal layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal molecules. Said first and second surfaces may be curved. Said plurality of liquid crystal molecules may vary in tilt with respect to said first and second surfaces with outward radial distance from an axis through said first and second surfaces and said liquid crystal layer in a plurality of radial directions. The switchable waveplate additionally comprises a first plurality of electrodes to apply an electrical signal across said first liquid crystal layer.

A modular routing node includes a single input port and a plurality of output ports. The modular routing node is arranged to produce a plurality of different deflections and uses small adjustments to compensate for wavelength differences and alignment tolerances in an optical system. An optical device is arranged to receive a multiplex of many optical signals at different wavelengths, to separate the optical signals into at least two groups, and to process at least one of the groups adaptively.

An optical device includes a spatial light modulator and an optical waveguide with a plurality of extraction features. The plurality of extraction features is positioned relative to the optical waveguide so that a respective extraction feature receives light, having propagated within the optical waveguide, in a first direction and directs a first portion of the light in a second direction distinct from the first direction to exit the optical waveguide and illuminate at least a portion of the spatial light modulator. The plurality of extraction features is also positioned relative to the optical waveguide so that a respective extraction feature directs a second portion, distinct from the first portion, of the light to undergo total internal reflection, thereby continuing to propagate within the optical waveguide.

Architectures are provided for selectively incoupling one or more streams of light from a multiplexed light stream into a waveguide. The multiplexed light stream can have light with different characteristics (e.g., different wavelengths and/or different polarizations). The waveguide can comprise in-coupling elements that can selectively couple one or more streams of light from the multiplexed light stream into the waveguide while transmitting one or more other streams of light from the multiplexed light stream.

An optical device for providing illumination light includes an optical waveguide and a plurality of polarization selective elements. The plurality of polarization selective elements is disposed adjacent to the optical waveguide so that a respective polarization selective element receives light in a first direction, and redirects a first portion of the light in a second direction. A second portion, distinct from the first portion, of the light undergoes total internal reflection, thereby continuing to propagate inside the optical waveguide.

An optical system for receiving light scanned from different light origination locations in space can include a Liquid Crystal (LC) waveguide (LCW), including first and second LCW light ports. A beamsteering LC electrode can be included in or coupled to the LCW and can be configured to vary a receiving direction of light received at the second LCW light port in response to a varying electrical input signal applied to the LC electrode to scan receiving of light at the second LCW light port from different light origination locations in space. A photodetector can be optically coupled to the first LCW light port, such as to detect waveguided light from different light origination locations in space received in response to the varying electrical input signal applied to the first LC electrode. Ranger, bright-spot locking, laser detection, direct detect and coherent lidar, wavelength detection, and other techniques and use cases are possible.