To create an image in smart glasses (often also called AR glasses) two components are necessary, a light engine that creates the image and a combiner that takes the image from the light engine and combines/augments it with the real world.

The light engines available so far have failed to deliver the performance required for everyday use – VitreaLab has the solution.

Laser diodes as a light source emit red, green and blue laser light that splits up into hundreds of highly collimated, parallel laser beams through the so-called Quantum Light Chip (QLC). The beams are reflected on a despeckler and guided back through the Quantum Light Chip and a polarized beam splitter (PBS) towards the LCoS. The LCoS itself creates the actual image which is projected through the PBS and a set of lenses onto the combiner. Read more about how we are creating the perfect AR light engine.

✓ HIGHEST BRIGHTNESS

The Quantum Light Chip as an innovative light source sets new standards for brightness, enabling for the first time to build colorful outdoor-proof smart glasses. A set of RGB single-mode laser diodes are combined with the the new way of homogeneous light distribution by the Quantum Light Chip creating an ideal light source for light engines. The unprecedented brightness can even be increased by using several sets of RGB laser diodes attached to the Quantum Light Chip.

✓ BEST IMAGE QUALITY

Typical artifacts of laser-based images due to the coherence are called speckles. VitreaLab has integrated a MEMS mirror into the light engine to solve this problem. The images created are speckle-free and of very high quality. High color gamut, sharp edges and high resolution lead to perfect images. The picture below shows the same image created by the light engine, on the left without and on the right with the despeckler turned on.

✓ VERY SMALL FORM FACTOR

An extremely small design of the light engine is possible due to the very small size of laser diodes and the compact network of the waveguides inside the Quantum Light Chip. The number of laser beams and the active illumination area fit exactly to the size of the LCoS. The size of the final product will be about 1-2cc. It will be built into industrial-grade AR applications as well as in consumer smart glasses.

✓ LEADING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Laser diodes not only are bright but highly efficient as well. By carefully choosing the design of the light path inside the light engine we ensure this efficiency is guaranteed through the whole light engine. This is further supported by the high collimation of the laser light that the Quantum Light Chip offers. Typically our light engine is more than double as efficient as other LED illuminated LCoS light engines.

✓ WIDE FIELD OF VIEW (FOV)

A special design of the lenses in combination with carefully chosen components like the diffuser create an image with a wide field of view (FOV). The wider the FOV the bigger the image that appears in front of the eye. Thanks to the high brightness of the light source even the larger image is well visible for the user, another key feature we can offer.

✓ HIGH RESOLUTION AND COLOR GAMUT

The laser-based LCoS illumination uses a set of the three laser colors red, green and blue. Due to the characteristic wavelengths of the diodes this leads to a wider range of potential colors compared to LEDs. Furthermore, the high collimation of the laser beams exiting the Quantum Light Chip enables us to tailor the optical lenses to keep the visible resolution at the exit of the combiner close to the LCoS resolution, resulting in a high resolution towards the eye.

WORKS WITH ALL COMBINERS

Currently, two generations of light engine demonstration units are available. They work with all types of combiners, reflective as well as diffractive. Let us know your favorite combiner brand, we have probably already tested our light engine with their product. Make sure you stay up to date on recent developments, partnerships and results by subscribing to our newsletter!

DEMONSTRATION UNITS

We are working on our 3rd generation light engine. This close-to-market demonstration unit will be available at the beginning of 2024 to our partners. Already today we can promise, that this light engine generation will have unmatched performance values! Reserve your demo kit today!

CUSTOMIZABLE

In addition, we offer to tailor the light engine to follow the parameters of our customers and partners. Field of view (FOV), exit pupil size, resolution and others can be fine-tuned to provide an optimized customer experience according to your needs. Contact us for a quote for light engine customization!