Seminars

With the emergence of VR, AR, and MR technologies and products, the Metaverse has become a technological and social reality, requiring near-eye and head-mounted displays as well as other human-machine interfaces. As opposed to touch sensors, the technology of choice for human-machine interfaces with mobile devices and personal computers, AR/VR/MR gadgets rely heavily on eye-tracking and haptic devices. Early AR/VR devices don’t deliver a good immersive experience due to lack of intuitive eye-tracking, and early tactile sensors are incapable of performing multiple functionalities and cannot compete with human hands/skin. In this seminar, an overview of human-machine interface technologies will be conducted, followed by prospects for human-machine interface technologies required in the Metaverse era. Last but not least, the recent research on sensors for human-machine interfaces will be discussed.  

Kai Wang is currently a full professor with the School of Electronics and Information Technology at Sun Yat-Sen University in China. He earned his PhD from the University of Waterloo in Canada in 2008 and was thereafter appointed an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at Thunder Bay Health Science Centre in Canada, where he conducted research on flat-panel X-ray detectors until joining Apple in the US as a senior hardware development engineer in 2011. He then worked in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University as an adjunct professor before joining Sun Yat-Sen University in 2014. His current research focuses on emerging applications of thin-film transistors for non-display applications including image sensors and human-machine interfaces. He has published more than 100 journal papers/conference proceedings and coauthored more than 20 patents, many of which have been transferred to industry.

Moderator: Rashmi Rao, Philips Healthcare

Light-engine and imaging optics jointly determine the performance of augmented-reality (AR) and virtual-reality (VR) displays in terms such as power consumption, form factor, field-of-view, eye box, image quality, contrast ratio, cost, etc. In immersive VR headsets, high-dynamic-range miniLED backlit LCDs and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are currently the two dominant technologies, while high-efficiency pancake lenses and beam-shaping films help to reduce the form factor and power consumption. In optical see-through AR displays, high brightness yet ultracompact liquid-crystal-on-silicon, OLED-on-silicon, microLED displays, MEMS, and laser beam scanners are strong contenders to offer a high ambient contrast ratio for outdoor applications. In terms of optical combiner, geometric optics, diffractive waveguide, achromatic waveguide, and metalens visor are promising candidates for expanding the eye box while keeping a compact and lightweight form factor. 

Shin-Tson Wu is a Trustee Chair professor at the College of Optics and Photonics, University of Central Florida (UCF). He is an Academician of Academia Sinica, a Charter Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, and a Fellow of the IEEE, OSA, SID, and SPIE. He is a recipient of the Optica Edwin H. Land Medal (2022), SPIE Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award (2022), Optica Esther Hoffman Beller Medal (2014), SID Slottow-Owaki Prize (2011), Optica Joseph Fraunhofer Award (2010), SPIE G. G. Stokes Award (2008), and SID Jan Rajchman Prize (2008). He has published seven books and 660 journal papers and obtained 95 U.S. patents. In the past, he served as the founding Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Display Technology, Optica publications council chair and board member, and SID honors and awards committee chair.

Moderator: Rashmi Rao, Philips Healthcare

Cyber-physical systems are transforming the way that people interact with the physical world by seamlessly integrating sensing, computation, control, and networking into various physical objects and infrastructures. Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) that involve both flexible thin-film transistor (TFT) circuits and systems with thinned low-power silicon chips show great potential in cyber-physical interactive systems such as internet of things (IoT), telemedicine, virtual/mixed-reality, and unmanned vehicles.  However, the challenges of FHE system design, including manufacturing and integration with physical objects, are not trivial. In this presentation I will walk through the recent advances of FHE systems, then discuss potential solutions to make low-power light-weight cyber-physical systems a reality.

Tsung-Ching Huang received his PhD in electrical & computer engineering and MA in business economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has held research positions at the University of Tokyo, Tsmc North America, and Hewlett Packard Labs. He led funded research projects to develop process design kits (PDK) for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and flexible thin-film transistor (TFT) circuits toward sensing and computation applications. He invented a TFT design style, “Pseudo-CMOS,” which is now widely used by researchers around the world toward flexible microprocessors and analog amplifications. His book Design, Automation, and Test for Low-Power and Reliable Flexible Electronics (ISBN: 1601988400) is the first book dedicated to design automation toward flexible electronics. Huang is a Fellow of NextFlex, a senior member of IEEE, and a member of SID.

Moderator: Ian Underwood, University of Edinburgh

Glass has been essential to display industry advancements for more than 80 years – from the days of glass cathode ray tubes through the evolution of flat-panel liquid-crystal displays. Highly engineered glass has helped achieve breakthroughs in display performance and style from within the stack as a display substrate, when used as a carrier substrate for flexible technologies, when used as a cover material for mobile consumer electronics, and when used as a light guide in augmented- and mixed-reality applications. The key to this material’s versatility is the fact that many of its desired attributes are tunable by refining its chemical composition and applying highly precise manufacturing processes. In this seminar, we will showcase some recent progress in using highly engineered glass to help address the challenges of emerging display technologies, such as brightness, thinness, and novel form factors. Applications covered will include a glass light guide for edge-lit backlights, as well as a glass diffuser plate, a patterned glass diffuser, and a glass circuit board for direct-lit miniLED backlights.

Xiang-Dong Mi is a senior research associate in optics and display at Corning, Inc. He earned his PhD in chemical physics from the Liquid Crystal Institute of Kent State University, his MBA from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and his BS from Beijing Normal University. He is a senior member of the Society for Information Display, with a career spanning more than 20 years in the industry. Throughout this time, his focus areas have ranged from display technologies to components and systems using displays. His work has resulted in more than 30 published papers, more than 70 US patents, and more than 100 US patent applications, with patents assigned to several companies.  Most recently, he has specialized in glass-based innovations for backlights and displays. 

Moderator: Ian Underwood, University of Edinburgh

This seminar will review and analyze various optical architectures, display technologies, and optical building blocks used in head-mounted displays (HMDs) for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Basic concepts for near-eye display optics and key design parameters will be explained. Design challenges caused by the constraints between various parameters will be analyzed. Some typical optical architectures, including bird bath, pancake, free form, and waveguide will be presented.  

Huajun Peng received his doctoral degree from the Center for Display Research (CDR) of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2005.  He has been engaged in cutting-edge work in the information display field for the past 20 years, covering OLED devices, LED local dimming BLUs, HDR algorithm systems, LCoS/OLEDoS fabrication, and near-eye display optics. Peng founded Shenzhen NED Optics, Ltd., and serves as CEO, focusing on AR/VR optics and headsets. He has published 20 academic papers and is an inventor of 40 issued patents.

Moderator: Arokia Nathan, Darwin College, Cambridge University

A fresh approach to thin-film transistor (TFT) modeling is overviewed, involving use of the Enz, Krummenacher, Vittoz (EKV) compact model. The EKV model is used to define an EKV mobility and to connect EKV mobility to drain current such that transfer or output curves can be accurately simulated. Accurate simulation requires precise modeling of the drift mobility, which is accomplished as a consequence of accumulation layer electrostatics assessment of the TFT structure of interest. The utility of this EKV-based model is demonstrated via simulation of several types of single- and dual-layer amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs. 

Prior to his January 2018 retirement, John F. Wager held the Michael and Judith Gaulke Endowed Chair in the School of EECS at Oregon State University. He is lead author of a book entitled Transparent Electronics. Transparent electronics technology developed in his group at OSU was licensed to Hewlett-Packard Company, which continued advanced joint-development with the group. This technology is finding emerging, high-value applications in flat-panel display thin-film transistor backplanes. Professor Wager is an IEEE, NAI, and SID Fellow.

Moderator: Arokia Nathan, Darwin College, Cambridge University