Gigapixel 1440-perspective display by sub-megapixel DMD

Abstract

Desirable fields-of-view, angular resolutions, and form factors of near-To-eye AR/VR/MR displays require order-ofmagnitude increases in pixel count and pixel density of spatial light modulators (SLM). We present an in-plane angularspatial light modulation technique to increase the independent output display pixels of a DMD by three orders of magnitude to achieve gigapixel output from a sub-megapixel device. Pulsed illumination synchronized to a DMD's micromirror actuation realizes pixel-implemented and diffraction-based angular modulation, and fine source array control increases angular selectivity. The gigapixel output is demonstrated in a 1440-perspective display, each perspective having the DMD's full native XGA resolution, across a 43.9°×1.8° FOV viewing angle. 8-bit multi-perspective videos at 30 FPS are demonstrated, and pixel-implemented multi-focal-plane image generation is realized. Implications for near-To-eye displays are discussed. © COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.