A dispersion-driven 3D color near-eye meta-display

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel 3D near-eye display that leverages metalens dispersion to create color-merged virtual images, offering a compact design with high resolution and depth, advancing virtual/augmented reality technology.

Contribution

It demonstrates a new approach to 3D near-eye displays by engineering metalens dispersion to produce virtual images, reducing hardware complexity and data requirements.

Findings

Achieved 11° field of view with high angular resolution

Demonstrated 0.9 m depth of field and 19 image planes

Enabled color-merged 3D virtual images using dispersion engineering

Abstract

Chromatic dispersion, an inherent wavelength-dependent phenomenon in optical systems, has traditionally been regarded as a detrimental effect to be minimized in imaging and display. Here, we present a paradigm shift by deliberately engineering and harnessing metalens dispersion as a functional mechanism for three-dimensional (3D) near-eye displays. Specifically, we exploit lateral dispersion to transform transverse offset between green and red objects into image-space angular separations that make their images intersected virtually, thereby creating color-merged 3D virtual-image perception. This meta-display architecture preserves compactness of conventional planar display while exhibiting less data requirements and lower hardware complexity than other near-eye 3D displays. Experimentally, we demonstrate a multi-color near-eye 3D system achieving an 11{\deg} field of view, 22 pixels-per-degree angular resolution, 0.9 m depth of field, and 19 distinct image planes. This work establishes a new pathway for metasurfaces toward visual displays and highlights great potential for future virtual/augmented reality.