Project Hyaline: transparent displays

Creating a fully transparent, flat imaging device

We undertook to find a way of making a transparent optical imaging component. Our proposed applications are novel displays or vision sensing in conventional displays within the display area.

We developed a technique based on optically folding a large area holographic lens. This enables the optical component to be thin and flat. The holographic lens is very narrow bandwidth, resulting in an effectively transparent device.

Flat optical elements such as Fresnel, diffractive or meta-surface lenses, need a large volume for focal distance. However, in our design, both the component providing the optical power, and the back focal distance are combined in the same thin, flat element.

We used materials originally developed for optical data storage media to make narrow band holograms.

The only other component in the finished component is engineering acrylic sheet.

A summary of the design is provided: Project hyaline