Apple patents waveguide display layer to fix light phase shifts
Apple describes a display component that uses a waveguide to carry light for an image. It adds a specific layer to adjust the timing of light beams so they align properly, which helps the display show a clearer picture.
In the filing’s own words
A display may include a substrate layered onto a waveguide. The substrate may include a first region with a first surface relief grating (SRG) and a second region that is non-diffractive or that includes a second SRG. The second region meets the first region at a boundary. A beam of light may be incident upon the substrate at the boundary. A phase compensation layer may be disposed on the waveguide overlapping the second region. The placement, thickness, and/or refractive index of the phase compensation layer may be selected to match the phase of portion of the beam that hits the first region to a phase of the portion of the beam that hits the second region. This may mitigate phase differences across the area of the beam, thereby maximizing the modulation transfer function of the display.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device comprising: a waveguide configured to propagate light; a substrate on the waveguide, the substrate having a first region and a second region that meets the first region at a boundary; a surface relief grating (SRG) in the first region of the substrate and configured to diffract the light; and a phase compensation layer overlapping the second region of the substrate.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Waveguide display having phase compensation layers
- Patent number
- US12754375B1
- Application number
- 18743909
- Filed
- Jun 14, 2024
- Granted
- Oct 6, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G02B 6/34 Physics & computingG02B 6/0016 Physics & computingG02B 27/0172 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AR, VR & displays
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.