Silicon carbide illuminates AR glasses, instantly opening up an unbounded world of vision.

Silicon carbide illuminates AR glasses, instantly opening up an unbounded world of vision

In today's rapidly evolving technology era, AR technology is gradually becoming a new generation of productivity tool that changes our lifestyle. AR is the abbreviation of Augmented Reality, and AR glasses enable the wearer to superimpose virtual scenes on the real world and achieve the integration and interaction of virtual and real elements through sensing and computing.

Imagine one day that you could, like the Iron Man in a science fiction movie, put on a pair of sleek and stylish glasses, and instantly be able to see all kinds of relevant information without any obstruction to your vision.

Use silicon carbide to make the lenses

Silicon carbide (SiC) is actually a type of semiconductor material. It was included in the "Top 100 Scientific Words of 2023" released by the Publicity Department of the China Association for Science and Technology. Traditionally, it has been used as an industrial raw material in fields such as refractory materials and metallurgical raw materials.

Micro-nano optics is an emerging discipline that manipulates optical phenomena at the microscopic scale. It has brought new technical solutions to optical devices and technologies such as AR lenses. To meet industry demands and promote the implementation of scientific research results, we focus on the research and development of products such as AR diffractive optical waveguides, diffractive optical elements, and metamaterial optical devices. The technological breakthrough from 0 to 1 in high-end nano-imprinting templates in China has filled the gap in the domestic AR industrial chain.

Combining the micro-nano optical technology strength with the perfect material properties, this ultra-thin silicon carbide AR glasses have been created and have moved out of the laboratory to enter the public's view.

At first glance, this pair of glasses looks no different from ordinary ones. But after wearing them, it feels that they are even much thinner and lighter than the ordinary glasses usually worn.

Lighter and clearer

This pair of glasses makes science fiction come true

A vivid application scenario: "Put on the AR glasses, and others might only see you sitting down. In fact, you are already watching a movie." "If the interactive function is added, when you look at the people around you, their names and information will appear near their heads, allowing you to bid farewell to face blindness forever. Wearing these glasses, you can recognize everyone and also every plant and flower."

Imagine a pair of AR glasses lenses with a weight of only 5.4 grams and a thickness of only 0.55 millimeters. They are almost as lightweight as the sunglasses you usually wear. Unlike traditional multi-layer high-refractive-index glass lenses, thanks to the ultra-high refractive index of silicon carbide material, this new technology can complete full-color display tasks with just a single layer of waveguide. This not only significantly reduces the weight of the lenses, but also further compresses the volume through ultra-thin packaging technology, making the wearer hardly feel its presence.

After wearing these AR glasses, you will feel as if you have entered a completely new world, because they can superimpose clear and extensive virtual images on top of the real environment, just like changing from a small window to a large door. The single-layer silicon carbide waveguide theoretically can support full-color imaging of 80 degrees, far exceeding the maximum full-color field of view angle of 40 degrees that traditional high-refractive-index glass can provide. A larger field of view means better immersion and experience. Whether it's the fantastical scenes in a game or the data visualization at work, it will bring an unprecedented visual feast.

Regarding the concern of many people about the "rainbow pattern" phenomenon, this time we introduce the solution. The rainbow pattern actually occurs because the ambient light passing through the surface of the waveguide undergoes diffraction effect, creating a similar rainbow-like effect. By precisely designing the waveguide structure, this problem has been completely eliminated, presenting users with a clean and clear picture. At the same time, by taking advantage of the excellent thermal conductivity of silicon carbide material, this pair of glasses innovatively uses the lenses for heat dissipation, significantly improving the heat dissipation efficiency, making full-color full-frame display no longer an unrealistic expectation.

Meanwhile, unlike previous models that required multiple layers of waveguides to achieve full-color effects, this silicon carbide AR glasses only need one waveguide to present a rich variety of content. Moreover, it innovatively eliminates the need for a cover glass. This significantly simplifies the production process and enables more people to enjoy the convenience brought by this cutting-edge technology.

As more and more similar innovative solutions keep emerging, we can foresee that in the near future, AR technology will truly integrate into daily life, ushering in a new era full of unlimited possibilities. Whether in education, healthcare, entertainment or industrial fields, AR glasses will become the bridge connecting the digital and the real world.

Regarding the silicon carbide AR glasses, do you have any other questions?

Q1: What are the differences between the silicon carbide AR glasses released this time and Apple Vision Pro?

A1: Vision Pro is a mixed reality (MR) product that combines VR and AR. It is relatively bulky. Due to its reliance on cameras to import external images, it may cause distortion or dizziness. In contrast, AR glasses are designed with transparent lenses, mainly presenting the real world and adding virtual elements only when necessary, reducing the sense of dizziness and striving for a lighter and more comfortable wearing experience.

Q2: Can people with myopia wear AR glasses? Can silicon carbide lenses be compatible with AR functions and myopia correction?

A2: There are various ways to correct myopia, such as fitting the lens closely with the myopic lens, or using new technologies like Fresnel lenses. Our ultimate goal in the future is to customize solutions based on individual needs.

Q3: Is the SiC (silicon carbide) material expensive? Can people afford eyeglasses made with this material?

A3: Although the current price of silicon carbide lenses is relatively high, for example, a four-inch lens we use for making the lenses costs about two to three thousand yuan, and a six-inch lens costs about three to four thousand yuan. However, as the technology becomes more mature and large-scale production is achieved, it is expected that the price of silicon carbide lenses will significantly decrease in the future.

For instance, we currently use LED lights. The substrate used in LED bulbs is sapphire. Sapphire was originally very expensive, but its current price has dropped from several thousand yuan per piece to just a few tens of yuan. If our silicon carbide AR glasses can be widely adopted, with an annual production of several hundred thousand or several million pieces, I believe their price will also drop from several thousand yuan to several hundred yuan, and perhaps one day it could even reach just a few tens of yuan.

Conclusion

As an innovator in the field of silicon carbide photonic devices, ZMSH specializes in the R&D and mass production of 4H-SiC superlenses and AR waveguide technologies. Leveraging in-house developed nanoimprint lithography processes and wafer-level processing capabilities, we provide silicon carbide AR lenses with high thermal conductivity (120 W/m·K), ultra-thin profiles (0.55mm), and zero-rainbow display performance, suitable for applications such as industrial inspection and medical surgery. We support full-process customization, ranging from material selection (e.g., 6-inch SiC wafers) to optical design, and via wafer-level packaging technology, we achieve a 100x improvement in heat dissipation performance. Collaborating with leading manufacturers such as Tianke Heada, we drive the mass production of 8-inch large-size substrates, helping customers reduce material costs by 40%.

ZMSH's SiC substrate 4H-semi type