MicroLED Microdisplay – Invention Fueled by AR
Refer https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1317
MicroLED Microdisplay is a disruptive technology. For AR glasses to achieve all-day use (with a single charge) in all ambient lighting conditions and eyewear form factors, the following are some of the requirements for the imaging source or display. A Few applications as below:
- Ultrahigh luminance: Millions of nits are required because of the low efficiency of see-through optical combiners. Assuming the whole optical stack, including WG and projection optics, is at best 0.5% efficient, at least 1 million NITS from the display is required to generate 5,000 nits to the eye for all ambient lighting conditions.
- Ultrahigh pixel density: Achieved by pixel pitches less than 5 µm. The result is a high-resolution display with an ultra-compact form factor (Fig. 2).
- High optical coupling efficiency: Optical combiners need collimated light from the display to capture and couple as much light as possible from the display to the see-through optics.
- Excellent (on/off) contrast: More than 100,000:1.
- Excellent color gamut: Capable of at least DCI-P3 for RGB or narrow spectral hardware for monochrome displays.
- Excellent efficiency: Need to consume milliwatts of power to deliver millions of nits.
- Reliability: Need to have stable operating characteristics in high ambient operating temperatures because of the limited envelope of space in which the display is housed.
For a problem as difficult to solve as AR glasses or headsets, a Microdisplay forms a critical part of the hardware, but it is not a solution in its own right for the near-eye display (NED) system. A Microdisplay needs projection optics (if required) and a see-through combiner. Partnerships are the key to success in bringing disruptive technologies into the market, and this is mutually beneficial to all partners involved.
There are many components of a NED system. The Microdisplay is the imagining source. The principle of how a microLED Microdisplay operates and its inherent features that solve the problems for AR systems is described previously. For the projector or light engine, the primary function is to funnel the light from the Microdisplay and couple it with the optical or see-through combiner. With the optical combiner, the optics form the virtual image and lay it on top of the real-world view.
For more information contact Leon Baruah at leon.baruah@jb-display.com.
