METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HIGH ORDER DIFFRACTION, LARGE FIELD OF VIEW AUGMENTED REALITY EYEPIECE WAVEGUIDES

1 . A method of operating an eyepiece waveguide of an augmented reality system, the method comprising:

projecting virtual content using a projector assembly;

diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a first order diffraction, wherein a first portion of the virtual content is clipped to produce a remaining portion of the virtual content;

propagating the remaining portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide;

outcoupling the remaining portion of the virtual content out of the eyepiece waveguide;

diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a second order diffraction, wherein a second portion of the virtual content is clipped to produce a complementary portion;

propagating the complementary portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide; and

outcoupling the complementary portion of the virtual content out of the eyepiece waveguide.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the first portion occupies a first area of a field of view and the complementary portion occupies a second area of the field of view, wherein the second area is greater than or equal to the first area.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the complementary portion occupies a larger area of a field of view than the first portion.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a first order diffraction comprises:

diffracting light in a first wavelength range in a first direction using a first subpupil of an incoupling grating;

diffracting light in a second wavelength range in the first direction using a second subpupil of the incoupling grating; and

diffracting light in a third wavelength range in a second direction using a third subpupil of the incoupling grating.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein propagating the remaining portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide comprises propagating a full field of view for a first wavelength range, a full field of view for a second wavelength range, and a partial field of view of a third wavelength range.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein:

the first wavelength range comprises red wavelengths;

the second wavelength range comprises green wavelengths;

the third wavelength range comprises blue wavelengths;

the partial field of view lacks a nasal region; and

the remaining portion comprises the partial view of view.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein outcoupling the remaining portion of the virtual content out of the eyepiece waveguide comprises diffraction from gratings disposed on a world side of the eyepiece waveguide.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the virtual content comprises a range of wavelengths and diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a second order diffraction comprises diffracting short wavelengths of the range of wavelengths.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein propagating the second portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide comprises propagating a partial field of view for the short wavelengths of the range of wavelengths, wherein the partial field of view lacks a temple region.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

the first portion of the virtual content comprises a temple portion of a field of view; and

the second portion of the virtual content comprises a nasal portion of the field of view.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the second order diffraction is characterized by a higher launch efficiency than the first order diffraction.

12 . The method of claim 1 wherein:

the virtual content comprises a range of wavelengths;

diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via the first order diffraction comprises diffracting short wavelengths of the range of wavelengths; and

diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via the second order diffraction comprises diffracting the short wavelengths of the range of wavelengths.

13 . The method of claim 1 wherein the eyepiece waveguide includes a single active layer.

14 . The method of claim 1 wherein the eyepiece waveguide includes LiNbO 3 or SiC.

15 . The method of claim 1 wherein propagating the first portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide and outcoupling the first portion of the virtual content out of the eyepiece waveguide comprise diffraction from a combined pupil expander diffractive optical element including a first region characterized by a first grating orientation and a second region characterized by a second grating orientation different from the first grating orientation.

16 . The method of claim 15 wherein propagating the second portion of the virtual content in the eyepiece waveguide and outcoupling the second portion of the virtual content out of the eyepiece waveguide comprise diffraction from the combined pupil expander diffractive optical element.

17 . The method of claim 1 wherein diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a first order diffraction and diffracting the virtual content into the eyepiece waveguide via a second order diffraction comprise diffraction from an incoupling diffractive optical element including blazed gratings.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein the blazed gratings are etched or imprinted into the eyepiece waveguide.

19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the blazed gratings comprise metabinary gratings.

20 . The method of claim 17 wherein the incoupling diffractive optical element comprises one or more coating layers on the blazed gratings.