Ultra-thin Optical Combiner with Microstructure Mirrors in Augmented Reality

Using a waveguide as an optical combiner in optical see-through head-mounted displays has obvious advantages over other types of combiners due to its low-cost, light-weighted, ultra-thin and easily manufactured nature. In this paper, an ultra-thin, glasses-like augmented reality (AR) display system is presented. The design methods of the geometrical waveguide with microstructure mirrors and its freeform collimator are discussed. With freeform optics and ultra-thin waveguide configuration, this AR display can achieve 30 degrees field of view (FOV) with an angular resolution of as high as 1.21 arcminutes.