Optical system with dispersion compensation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11966053-B2
Application number	US-201916714530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2019
Priority date	Dec 19, 2017
Publication date	Apr 23, 2024
Grant date	Apr 23, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods of dispersion compensation in an optical device are disclosed. A holographic optical element may include a set of different holograms in a grating medium. Each hologram in the set may have a corresponding grating vector with a grating frequency and direction. The directions of the grating vectors may vary as a function of the grating frequency. Different holograms in the set may diffract light in a particular direction so that the light emerges from a boundary of the grating medium in a single given direction regardless of wavelength. A prism may be used to couple light into the grating medium. The prism may be formed using materials having dispersion properties that are similar to the dispersion properties of the grating material. The prism may have an input face that receives perpendicular input light. The prism may include multiple portions having different refractive indices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a waveguide having a waveguide substrate and a medium on the waveguide substrate;
a prism on the waveguide substrate and configured to couple light into the medium through the waveguide substrate, wherein the prism comprises:
a first wedge on a surface of the waveguide substrate,
a second wedge on a surface of the first wedge, and
a third wedge on a surface of the second wedge, wherein the third wedge has an input face configured to receive the light, the input face being non-parallel with respect to the surface of the waveguide substrate; and

an optical coupler on the medium and configured to couple, out of the waveguide, the light coupled into the medium by the prism.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the third wedge is configured to convey the light to the medium through the second and first wedges, the surface of the first wedge contacts the second wedge, the surface of the second wedge contacts the third wedge, the surface of the first wedge is oriented at a first angle with respect to a bottom surface of the prism, the surface of the second wedge is oriented at a second angle that is greater than the first angle with respect to the bottom surface of the prism, and the input face is oriented at a third angle that is greater than the second angle with respect to the bottom surface of the prism.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the surface of the first waveguide substrate has a first normal axis, wherein the surface of the first wedge has a second normal axis, wherein the second normal axis is oriented at a first non-zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within a first plane, and wherein the second normal axis is oriented at a second non-zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within a second plane, the first plane being perpendicular to the second plane.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the surface of the first wedge is curved.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the surface of the second wedge is curved.

6. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the surface of the second wedge is curved.

7. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the surface of the second wedge has a third normal axis, wherein the third normal axis is oriented at a third non-zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within the first plane, and wherein the third normal axis is oriented at a fourth non-zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within the second plane.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the surface of the first wedge is curved.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the surface of the second wedge is curved.

10. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the surface of the second wedge is curved.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the waveguide is configured to propagate the light coupled into the waveguide by the prism, via total internal reflection, to the optical coupler.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the prism has a first Abbe number and wherein the medium has a second Abbe number that is different from and within 30 of the first Abbe number.

13. An electronic device comprising:
a waveguide having a waveguide substrate and a medium on the waveguide substrate;
a prism on the waveguide substrate and configured to couple light into the medium through the waveguide substrate, wherein the prism comprises:
a first wedge mounted to a surface of the waveguide substrate, and
a second wedge mounted to a surface of the first wedge, wherein the surface of the first wedge is curved, the second wedge has an input face configured to receive the light, and the input face is non-parallel with respect to the surface of the waveguide substrate; and
an optical coupler on the medium and configured to couple, out of the waveguide, the light coupled into the medium by the prism.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the surface of the first wedge has a spherical curvature.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the surface of the first wedge has a freeform curvature.

16. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the surface of the first wedge has a curvature that imparts an optical power to the light.

17. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the prism has a first Abbe number and wherein the medium has a second Abbe number that is different from and within 30 of the first Abbe number.

18. An electronic device comprising:
a waveguide having a waveguide substrate and a medium on between the waveguide substrate;
a prism on the waveguide substrate and configured to couple light into the medium through the waveguide substrate, wherein the prism comprises:
a first wedge mounted to a surface of the waveguide substrate, wherein the surface of the first waveguide substrate has a first normal axis, and
a second wedge mounted to a surface of the first wedge, wherein the surface of the first wedge has a second normal axis, the second normal axis is oriented at a first non- zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within a first plane, and the second normal axis is oriented at a second non- zero angle with respect to the first normal axis within a second plane, the first plane being perpendicular to the second plane; and

an optical coupler on the medium and configured to couple, out of the waveguide, the light coupled into the medium by the prism.

19. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the surface of the first wedge is curved.

20. The electronic device of claim 18 , wherein the prism has a first Abbe number and wherein the medium has a second Abbe number that is different from and within 30 of the first Abbe number.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Pfeiffer Jonathan B
• Urness Adam C
• Schlottau Friso
• Ayres Mark R
• Bhakta Vikrant

Classifications

• G02B27/0103 Primary

  comprising holographic elements · CPC title

• G02B6/0016

  Grooves, prisms, gratings, scattering particles or rough surfaces · CPC title

• G02B6/0026

  Wavelength selective element, sheet or layer, e.g. filter or grating · CPC title

• G02B6/02057

  comprising gratings · CPC title

• G02B6/02076

  Refractive index modulation gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings · CPC title