TDK has successfully developed the world's first full-color laser control device for 4K smart glasses

     TDK Corporation has successfully developed a full-color laser control device for 4K smart glasses using lithium niobate (LiNbO3) film. The device will be on display at CEATEC 2024 (Chiba International Electronics High Technology Exhibition) in Chiba, Japan, from October 15 to 18, 2024.

     The most notable feature of smart glasses is the use of lithium niobate films, which can control visible light more than ten times faster than traditional laser color control. Traditional visible light lasers transform colors by controlling current, while lithium niobate films achieve color transformations by controlling voltage, so they can support videos with resolution of 4K and above that require high-speed control. At the same time, the new equipment is also expected to reduce energy consumption.

     TDK collaborated with QD Laser on a video demonstration to verify its utility on AR/VR (augmented reality/virtual reality) smart glasses. The new device was successfully combined with QD Laser's direct retinal projection technology, confirming that devices using lithium niobate films can be fully used as imaging devices.

     At present, lithium niobate has received widespread attention in the field of long-distance high-speed optical communication such as Beyond 5G/6G, where the application of near-infrared light is particularly prominent, but few people consider its application potential in the field of visible light. In the process of developing full-color laser modules for AR/VR smart glasses, TDK mainly focuses on the application of lithium niobate to break the speed limit of future visible light lasers. The team has demonstrated that it can fully control the three primary colors of light - red, green and blue.

     The film used in the equipment adopts sputtering forming method. Compared with the traditional method of using bulk materials to bond lithium niobate to matrix, sputtering has become a more effective method suitable for mass production after years of development and evolution. Using this proprietary technology, TDK successfully manufactured a lithium niobate device for the first time and passed the relevant tests.

     The results of this device development can not only be applied to the video equipment of AR/VR smart glasses, but also can be applied to the future growth potential of the field. Specifically, TDK is considering applying it to high-speed optical communications in data centers, where digital transformation and other factors have led to rapid expansion of data volumes, as well as high-speed optical wiring in generative artificial intelligence, where technological development is necessary to improve performance in the future.