An optoelectronic sensor is provided having a light receiver, a reception optics arranged upstream of the light receiver, and a control and evaluation unit, wherein the reception optics has a beam deflection device having a plurality of switchable blaze gratings of different grating constants arranged behind one another, and wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to switch a blaze grating on and off in accordance with a desired deflection angle of the beam deflection device have the same grating constants, but a mutually different blaze angle.

An eyepiece for projecting an image to an eye of a viewer includes a waveguide configured to propagate light in a first wavelength range, and a grating coupled to a back surface of the waveguide. The grating is configured to diffract a first portion of the light propagating in the waveguide out of a plane of the waveguide toward a first direction, and to diffract a second portion of the light propagating in the waveguide out of the plane of the waveguide toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. The eyepiece furthers include a wavelength-selective reflector coupled to a front surface of the waveguide. The wavelength selective reflector is configured to reflect light in the first wavelength range and transmit light outside the first wavelength range, such that the wavelength-selective reflector reflects at least part of the second portion of the light back toward the first direction.

An eyepiece includes a planar waveguide having a front surface and a back surface. The eyepiece also includes a grating coupled to the back surface of the planar waveguide and configured to diffract a first portion of the light propagating in the planar waveguide out of a plane of the planar waveguide toward a first direction and to diffract a second portion of the light propagating in the planar waveguide out of the plane of the planar waveguide toward a second direction opposite to the first direction and a wavelength-selective reflector coupled to the front surface of the planar waveguide. The wavelength-selective reflector comprises a multilevel metasurface comprising a plurality of spaced apart protrusions having a pitch and formed of a first optically transmissive material and a second optically transmissive material disposed between the spaced apart protrusions.

A system includes a diffractive optical element configured to receive a first beam and a second beam interfering with one another to generate a first interference pattern. The diffractive optical element is also configured to forwardly diffract the first beam and the second beam to output a third beam and a fourth beam. The third beam and the fourth beam interfere with one another to generate a second interference pattern. The system also includes a detector configured to detect the second interference pattern.

An artifact mitigation system includes a projector assembly and a set of imaging optics optically coupled to the projector assembly. The artifact mitigation system also includes an eyepiece optically coupled to the set of imaging optics. The eyepiece includes a diffractive incoupling interface. The artifact mitigation system further includes an artifact prevention element disposed between the set of imaging optics and the eyepiece. The artifact prevention element includes a linear polarizer, a first quarter waveplate disposed adjacent the linear polarizer, and a color select component disposed adjacent the first quarter waveplate.

A birefringent organic thin film includes mutually orthogonal in-plane refractive indices (n.sub.x and n.sub.y) and a through thickness refractive index (n.sub.z), where n.sub.x>1.4, n.sub.y≥1.4, n.sub.z>1.4, Dn.sub.xy≥0.1, Dn.sub.xz<0.01, and Dn.sub.yz<0.01. Optical properties including refractive index and birefringence may be continuously tuned by applying a voltage across the birefringent organic thin film.

A display apparatus includes a waveguide; an input coupler on the waveguide and configured to introduce light containing an image into the waveguide; and an output coupler on the waveguide and configured to output light traveling in the waveguide to the outside of the waveguide, wherein the output coupler includes a plurality of first diffraction grating elements arranged apart from each other and configured to diffract a first light portion in a first wavelength band among the light traveling in the waveguide.

The present technology aims to provide a diffraction element that functions like a transmissive hologram, and more particularly, aims to provide a diffraction element suitable for forming an image projection system. The present technology provides a composite diffraction element that includes a stack structure including a first diffraction element, a second diffraction element, and a third diffraction element in this order. The second diffraction element diffractively reflects light that has passed through the first diffraction element and reached the second diffraction element, toward the first diffraction element. The first diffraction element diffractively reflects the light diffractively reflected by the second diffraction element, toward the third diffraction element. The third diffraction element transmits the light diffractively reflected by the first diffraction element, and diffractively reflects zeroth-order light that has passed through the first diffraction element and the second diffraction element.

A waveguide configured for use with a near eye display (NED) device can include a light-transmissive substrate configured to propagate light rays through total internal reflection and a switchable diffractive optical element (DOE) on a surface of the substrate that is configured to input and/or output light rays to and/or from the substrate. According to some embodiments, the switchable DOE can include diffractive properties that vary across an area of the DOE. In some embodiments, the switchable DOE includes a surface relief diffraction grating (SRG) a surface of the substrate, a layer of liquid crystal material in contact with the SRG, a layer of conducting material in contact with the liquid crystal material configured to apply the voltage to the liquid crystal material, and a layer of insulating material over the layer of conducting material.

Multilevel leaky-mode optical elements, including reflectors, polarizers, and beamsplitters. Some of the elements have a plurality of spatially modulated periodic layers coupled to a substrate. For infrared applications, the optical elements may have a bandwidth larger than 600 nanometers.