Curving OLED microdisplays for mixed display optical design: Simulation and experimental validation of the display mechanical curving process

Abstract

Freeform optical designs deal with off-axis field curvature, which can be corrected by using curved microdisplays, with a biconic shape. In this work, we first show using simulations how curved microdisplays permit increasing image quality, but may also improve the distortion, the system’s cumbersomeness and luminous flux in visual systems. Focusing on developing functional curved microdisplays, we therefore first designed a simulation process and then an experimental set-up to explore the mechanical limitations of silicon-based curved chips. The experimental results are compared to the simulation, allowing for more insight into realistic shapes for curved silicon dies. Tests were run for three different chip preparation processes, to evaluate their influence.