Abstract
We demonstrate a light efficient virtual reality (VR) near-eye display (NED) design based on a directional display panel and a diffractive deflection film (DDF). The DDF was essentially a high-efficiency Pancharatnam-Berry phase optical element made of liquid crystal polymer. The essence of this design is directing most of the display light into the eyebox. The proposed method is applicable for both catadioptric and dioptric VR lenses. A proof-of-concept experiment was conducted with off-the-shelf optical parts, where the light efficiency was enhanced by more than 2 times.
Highlights
After rapid development in the past decade, virtual reality (VR) headsets have become more powerful, and they can offer a relatively comfortable and immersive experience for users [1]
Mainstream VR headsets still required a smartphone screen to function as the display panel
Compared to conventional metasurfaces based on the Pancharatnam-Berry phase, LC-based PBOEs can offer nearly unit diffraction efficiency over the entire display spectrum [13,14] and have a cost-effective proportional to the local liquid crystal orientation angle
Summary
After rapid development in the past decade, virtual reality (VR) headsets have become more powerful, and they can offer a relatively comfortable and immersive experience for users [1]. The peak brightness of pancake VR headsets is usually lower than that of conventional ones, and the display module needs to drain more power for maintaining the same brightness. This issue is more critical for a standalone VR headset powered by an internal battery. The display panels in current VR headsets are adopted from those in direct-view electronics, such as smartphones, with limited modification in the optical architecture. This adoption is doable, but there is still much room for improvement because direct-view display panels are not originally designed and optimized for VR applications. Further improvements of the proposed method are thoroughly discussed before conclusion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
