Scalable Low-cost Light-field-display Hogel Arrays

To address the need for 1-m^2, scaled, cost-effective hogel optics, scalable inkjet-print additive manufacturing of three-dimensional freeform gradient-index nanocomposite hogel optics will be demonstrated. Using inkjet-print manufacturing, a series of prototype diffraction-limited achromatic gradient-index lensletssized from 100 microns to 3 mm, and configured in gradient-index hogel arrays up to 125-mm in formatwill be designed, modeled, fabricated, characterized, and shown to have properties superior to the current refractive microlens hogel optics. It will be shown that large-format diffraction-limited achromatic lenslet arrays can be rapidly designed, printed, and delivered, at a small fraction of the cost of existing approaches.