Nano-Fabrication Challenges and Requirement for AR Headsets and Smart Glasses
ABSTRACT
Over the past two decades, the optics and photonics industry has extensively leveraged integrated circuit (IC) fabrication techniques, equipment, materials, and processes to develop wafer-scale optics. This has addressed the needs of diverse fields, including optical telecommunications, optical and quantum computing, silicon photonics, optical data storage, optical sensors, biophotonics, and more recently, augmented reality (AR) headsets and Smart Glasses. Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) has proven to be a valuable tool for fabricating and replicating complex analog surface relief micro-optics at wafer scales including meta-surfaces and meta-lenses. However, when larger-area optical elements are required for mass production at consumer-affordable costs, NIL technologies encounter severe limitations. Therefore, the development of novel technologies is crucial to meet these demands and drive the economic viability of the consumer smart glass market.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Bernard Kress is a renowned expert in optics and photonics, with over 25 years of experience across academia, entrepreneurship, and multinational corporations. His career includes significant contributions to cutting-edge technologies in optical computing, telecommunications, data storage, anti-counterfeiting, industrial sensing, and immersive displays for augmented and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR) systems
He has authored several books, is principal inventor on over 100 patents, and has written numerous research papers. He is a leader in the optics community, serving as the 2023 President of the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE). He chairs key SPIE conferences, including the SPIE AR/VR/MR conference co-located with Photonics West and the SPIE Digital Optical Technologies conference co-located with Laser Munich. He also teaches short courses on micro-optics and AR/VR displays and hosts the monthly online SPIE AR|VR|MR fireside chats.
Bernard has held executive positions at Google[X] Labs (Google Glass) since 2011, Microsoft (HoloLens AR headset) since 2016 and is currently the Director for XR Engineering at Google AR in Mountain View, California.