A waveguide illuminator includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-coupling gratings that out-couple portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. The out-coupling gratings may be apodized to reduce light scattering by the gratings. Additionally, gaps between the out-coupling gratings along the waveguides may be filled by gap gratings and/or etched grooves running parallel to the waveguides.

A waveguide illuminator for illuminating a display panel includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-couplers out-coupling portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. The out-coupled beam portions undergo optical interference and form a Talbot pattern of illumination correlated with pixel array of the display panel, enabling an optical throughput increase by centering individual Talbot peaks on the display panel pixels.

A waveguide illuminator for illuminating a display panel includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-couplers out-coupling portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. The out-coupled beam portions undergo optical interference and form a Talbot pattern of illumination correlated with pixel array of the display panel, enabling an optical throughput increase by centering individual Talbot peaks on the display panel pixels.

A waveguide illuminator includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-couplers out-coupling portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. Locations of the array of out-couplers are coordinated with locations of individual pixels of the display panel, causing each light beam portion to propagate through a corresponding pixel of the display panel, thereby improving efficiency of light utilization by the display panel.

A waveguide illuminator includes adjacent linear and slab waveguide areas. An input light beam is guided in a linear waveguide, is split into a plurality of sub-beams to propagate in individual linear waveguides to a slab waveguide area and form an output light beam in the slab waveguide area. An array of out-couplers is disposed in the slab waveguide area. The array of out-couplers out-couples portions of the output light beam forms an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. Locations of the array of out-couplers are coordinated with locations of individual pixels of the display panel, thereby improving efficiency of light utilization by the display panel.

A waveguide illuminator includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-coupling gratings that out-couple portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. The out-coupling gratings may be apodized to reduce light scattering by the gratings. Additionally, gaps between the out-coupling gratings along the waveguides may be filled by gap gratings and/or etched grooves running parallel to the waveguides.

A waveguide illuminator includes an input waveguide, a waveguide splitter coupled to the input waveguide, and a waveguide array coupled to the waveguide splitter. The waveguide array includes an array of out-couplers out-coupling portions of the split light beam to form an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. To reduce optical interference, the waveguide illuminator may have two interlaced waveguide arrays energized by two different light sources. Output polarizations of neighboring light pixels of a display illuminated with such waveguide illuminator may be orthogonal to each other. The frames to be displayed may be broken down into sequentially displayed sub-frames with interleaved pixels.

Provided is an optical waveguide element that prevents leaked light generated at a forking section from entering a downstream optical waveguide such as another forking section, thereby affording minimal degradation of optical characteristics. The optical waveguide is characterized in that: at least one of two fork waveguides (20a, 20b) forking from a first forking section (20) comprises a second forking section (21, 22); slab waveguides (3c-1 to 3c-3) are formed between the two fork waveguides; and between the first forking section and the second forking section, slits (41, 42) are formed that partition the slab waveguides into a first slab waveguide area (3c-1) close to the first forking section and second slab waveguide areas (3c-2, 3c-3) close to the second forking section(s).

A method, system, and computer program product for using photorefractive material for analog optic storage and other applications of optical neuromorphic systems. The method may include coupling electromagnetic radiation into a first optical input and a second optical input, where the first optical input and the second optical input are part of an integrated optical device, the integrated optical device including: a first optical mode coupler connected to a first pair of optical ports including a first optical input and output; a second optical mode coupler connected to a second pair of optical ports including a second optical input and output, and the first optical mode coupler connected to the second optical mode coupler using a pair of arms (including a photorefractive material). The method may also include obtaining an optical interference pattern in the photorefractive material of each arm of the integrated optical device.

In one form, an organizing member for optical components includes an elongate body extending about a hollow interior portion and including a peripheral sidewall. The organizing member also includes an optical fiber routing surface extending from the peripheral sidewall toward the hollow interior portion, and a recessed portion is positioned between the peripheral sidewall and the hollow interior portion. The recessed portion includes a number of receptacles offset from the optical fiber routing surface and corresponding in configuration to a respective optical component positionable therein.