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Waveguides are rapidly emerging as one of the most critical optical components in next-gen optoelectronics. As consumer expectations grow and the industry pushes toward sleeker, lighter, and more immersive form factors, the performance and reliability of waveguides will define the pace of innovation in augmented reality (AR) applications.

According to Allied Market Research, the global AR market is expected to reach $856.2 billion by 2031. To keep pace, manufacturers must rethink how optical components like waveguides are built, with precision, scale, and sustainability top of mind.

At Pixelligent, we believe there’s a better way to manufacture waveguides – one that pairs high performance nanocomposites with nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and inkjetting to optimize the desired properties while enabling more precise, reliable, and cost-effective fabrication. By finely tuning the material properties to enable high-resolution patterning, these methods provide high-performance waveguides, improve throughput, and deliver consistent quality at commercial scale.

In augmented reality, waveguides are key to reducing form factor and maximizing the field of view. Products like PixNIL®, with refractive indices greater than 1.9, help achieve this by enabling diffractive and holographic designs with minimal optical loss and superior transparency .

The Expanding Role of Waveguides in Next-Gen Electronics

Waveguides are becoming a critical enabling technology for numerous next-gen electronics, from light field displays and meta-optics with virtually flat lenses and optical sensors. What unites these emerging applications is their need for high-index, ultra-thin, optically clear layers with sub-wavelength control over light propagation.

Whether you’re building the next generation of augmented reality devices, display components, or optical sensors, Pixelligent provides the materials and process expertise to help you lead in a highly challenging and rapidly evolving market.

Explore how Pixelligent can help you achieve the device performance, consistent quality, and scalability demanded by the extreme requirements of your next-gen devices.

As OLED and MicroLED technologies race to deliver thinner, brighter, and more energy-efficient displays, one enabling innovation is helping these next-generation displays reach their full potential: microlens arrays (MLAs).

These microscopic optical components are essential to improving light extraction efficiency, boosting brightness, and reducing power consumption, all without increasing device size. And thanks to advances in high refractive index (HRI) materials and inkjet printing, MLAs are now not only high-performance but also scalable for mass production.

Why Microlens Arrays Matter in Display Technology

OLED and MicroLED displays offer exceptional image quality, deep contrast, and thin form factors, but they often suffer from light extraction inefficiency. A large portion of light generated by the display’s emissive layer gets trapped due to internal reflections and substrate limitations.

Microlens arrays address this challenge. By redirecting light that would otherwise be lost, MLAs significantly improve optical efficiency. For OLED and MicroLED devices, this translates into:

• Higher brightness without added power consumption
• Improved battery life in portable electronics
• Sharper, more uniform visuals across the display

To scale MLA technology for consumer electronics, however, manufacturers need a solution that is precise, repeatable, and compatible with high-volume production. That’s where inkjet printing and Pixelligent come in.

How Microlens Arrays Are Made for OLED & MicroLED Displays

Step 1: Nanocrystal Synthesis and Surface Modification

Manufacturing begins with the synthesis of nanocrystals – a small crystal structure composed of atoms or molecules arranged in a well-defined lattice. These nanocrystals must be uniform in size and shape to ensure predictable optical behavior.

Pixelligent enhances this process through surface modification. Using custom-designed capping agents, our nanocrystals are treated to improve their stability and dispersion in resin systems. This step is crucial for downstream inkjet printing performance and long-term material reliability.

Step 2: Formulation of High-Refractive Index Inkjet Materials

Once surface-modified, the nanocrystals are dispersed into monomers to create PixClear® formulations. These high refractive index materials (RI > 1.7) maintain:

• Excellent transparency
• Low haze
• Compatibility with standard inkjet printheads

The formulation’s surface tension is engineered to work with industry-standard inkjet tools, enabling precision deposition of microlens features at scale. This makes it possible to pattern MLAs directly onto OLED and MicroLED substrates using non-contact methods.

Step 3: MLA Fabrication via Inkjetting

The inkjet process enables digital, maskless printing of microlens arrays, offering significant advantages in cost, speed, and pattern flexibility.

The process typically includes:

1. Inkjet deposition of the PixClear® formulation onto a display-compatible substrate in an arrayed pattern
2. Template stamping or surface tension control to shape each droplet into a microlens dome
3. UV curing to lock in lens geometry and provide mechanical and environmental stability

Key material performance criteria include:

• High refractive index for enhanced light redirection
• Defined contact angle and controlled surface energy for precise lens shape
• UV and thermal stability to withstand downstream processing and end-use conditions
• Inkjet processability for manufacturability at scale

Pixelligent’s materials are specifically designed to meet these challenges, resulting in repeatable, optically accurate microlens arrays optimized for OLED and MicroLED displays.

Pixelligent’s Role in Enabling Inkjet MLAs

Pixelligent is the industry leader in high refractive index nanocomposites, and our materials are powering the next generation of MLA-enabled displays. Our PixClear® process is uniquely suited to the demands of OLED and MicroLED inkjet applications.

Key benefits:

• Refractive index >1.7 for maximum light extraction
• High transparency and stability across printed microlenses
• Engineered for inkjet: Low viscosity, stable jetting, and excellent droplet control
• Proven reliability under UV and thermal stress
• Scalable for volume production, enabling cost-effective deployment across consumer electronics

Our partnership with Kateeva, a global leader in inkjet OLED equipment, reinforces our commitment to commercial-scale manufacturing. By integrating PixClear® formulations into their MLA printing platforms, we are helping manufacturers bring brighter, more energy-efficient OLED and MicroLED displays to market faster.

Trends Driving MLA Adoption in OLED and MicroLED Displays

The integration of MLAs into emissive displays provides a competitive advantage. As smartphones, AR glasses, and wearables continue to shrink in size, they demand compact optical components with tight performance tolerances. At the same time, display manufacturers are pushing for higher brightness levels in OLED and MicroLED panels. Improved light extraction achieved through MLAs also reduces the demand for higher driving voltages, enhancing power efficiency and supporting broader sustainability goals.

Additionally, the use of inkjet tools provides a flexible, cost-effective method for printing microlens patterns directly onto display substrates, accommodating rapid design changes and high-volume production needs. This flexibility is crucial in the fast-paced consumer electronics market. 

The Future Is Bright – and Efficient

Inkjet fabrication, powered by advanced HRI materials, is the key to delivering this capability at commercial scale. Pixelligent’s PixJet®materials are making it possible. With unmatched refractive index, inkjet compatibility, and industry partnerships, we’re helping shape the displays of tomorrow.

Interested in enhancing your next-gen display applications? Contact Pixelligent to explore how our PixClear® materials can support your MLA strategy.

Each year, SID Display Week brings together the brightest minds and most innovative companies in display technology. As the industry’s flagship event, it’s where new ideas emerge, strategic partnerships form, and the next generation of display applications comes to life. 

Pixelligent is proud to be part of this global conversation and to take a victory lap after receiving the Component of the Year award from SID at last year’s Display Week for the introduction of our groundbreaking PixCor® UV-stable technology. We look forward to meeting with our global partners and customers, and introducing new entrants to our high-index materials that are powering lighter, brighter, and more energy-efficient displays of all kinds.

Schedule a Meeting with Pixelligent at Display Week

From May 12th through the 16th, Pixelligent will be hosting meetings in a private suite at the San Jose Hilton, conveniently connected to the McEnery Convention Center. Whether you’re exploring new material innovations or seeking to overcome technical challenges, we’d love to connect.

To schedule a meeting, please contact Alex Everett at aeverett@pixelligent.com.

Hear from Experts at the Center Stage

We’re excited to announce that Pixelligent’s CTO, Dr. Serpil Gonen Williams, will be joining the Women in Tech Panel at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, May 13th, in the main exhibit hall. With more than 200 patents shared among this year’s panelists, the session will dive into the challenges and triumphs of driving display innovation from idea to product. 

Dr. Williams brings over 25 years of deep expertise and an invaluable perspective on what it takes to translate complex scientific breakthroughs into real-world applications. One key technology she will discuss is the development of our PixJet® product for micro-lens arrays. Whether used as a planarization layer or as the material for the lenses themselves, our solutions are compatible with both direct inkjet printing and nanoimprint lithography, offering flexibility in manufacturing while maintaining optical clarity and structural integrity. These capabilities open new doors for enhancing brightness, improving light control, and reducing form factors in compact devices.

Join the EPIC Conversation on Display Innovation

Dr. Vincent Jao, Asia Region GM for Pixelligent, will join the EPIC Panel Session: The Role of New Display Technologies hosted by the European Photonics Industry Consortium. He will be on a panel of leading experts exploring how advanced display technologies are shaping the future of industries, with a focus on Extended Reality.

The conversation will cover everything from the challenges of scaling photonics manufacturing, to the technologies best positioned for long-term market dominance. Attendees can expect a lively discussion around performance, reliability, scalability, cost and where the market is heading next.

Follow us on LinkedIn for live updates and insights throughout the event.

Extended Reality (XR) is reshaping how we engage with the world around us. As an umbrella term for Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR), XR integrates digital content with physical environments to create immersive experiences across industries. When combined with artificial intelligence (AI), XR technologies become powerful force multipliers, delivering real-time contextual information that enhances decision-making, learning, and entertainment.

Understanding the Difference Between AR, VR, and MR Applications

Augmented Reality 

Augmented Reality overlays digital content onto the real world, enhancing a user’s environment rather than replacing it. AR applications span a wide range of use cases, from smart glasses for logistics and industrial use to healthcare diagnostics and consumer wearables. Training and education also benefit from AR’s ability to provide real-time information and virtual instructions.

Because AR devices must seamlessly integrate digital visuals into natural surroundings, manufacturers must leverage materials with high optical clarity and brightness.

Virtual Reality

Unlike AR, Virtual Reality creates fully immersive digital environments that users can explore and interact with. VR is best known for its gaming applications, but it is also increasingly used for training simulations, education, and virtual collaboration.

For VR headsets, maintaining high image fidelity, minimizing distortion, and ensuring lightweight designs are essential to delivering comfortable, engaging experiences.

Mixed Reality

Mixed Reality combines elements of both AR and VR, allowing digital and physical worlds to interact in real time. MR enables users to manipulate digital objects anchored in the physical environment, making it a powerful tool for enterprise workflows, design, engineering, and complex training scenarios.

The success of MR devices depends on highly precise optics that can align digital content with the real world seamlessly, without lag, blurring, or ghosting.

Although each XR type has distinct requirements, they all share a common need for advanced optical performance. This is where High Refractive Index (HRI) materials play a large role in enabling brighter, thinner, and more responsive XR devices.

Optical Challenges in XR Devices

Delivering high-quality XR experiences involves clearing many technical hurdles along the way. XR devices are often worn on the face or head for extended periods, meaning even slight increases in weight or bulk can significantly impact user comfort and adoption. By enabling thinner lenses and more compact waveguides, HRI materials help achieve the slim profiles required for next-gen devices, while also supporting superior visual performance.

XR systems must also produce bright, clear images that maintain fidelity across a variety of lighting conditions. Any degradation in image quality can reduce immersion and limit the device’s usefulness. Additionally, things like distortion and ghosting can break the sense of realism and even cause motion sickness for users, especially during prolonged use. 

Energy efficiency is another key challenge. XR devices often rely on battery power, particularly in mobile and wearable formats. Developers must balance optical performance with power consumption to ensure long battery life without sacrificing image quality or responsiveness.

How High Refractive Index Materials Transform XR Optics

Refractive index refers to a material’s ability to bend light, a critical property in designing lenses, waveguides, and other optical elements. Traditional optical materials often require larger or thicker components to achieve the necessary bending of light for focusing, redirection, or image clarity. HRI materials, however, can bend light more effectively, which allows for the creation of thinner and lighter optical components without sacrificing performance.

For example, in waveguides – a core technology used in AR and MR headsets to guide light from microdisplays into the user’s line of sight – HRI materials enable more efficient light coupling and propagation. This means less light is lost as it travels through the device, resulting in brighter and more vivid images. Similarly, in lenses, a higher refractive index allows engineers to maintain visual clarity and the desired field of view while reducing the thickness and weight of the optics.

HRI materials enable thinner displays that are more comfortable to wear and easier to integrate into sleek form factors. They allow for a wider field of view, which enhances immersion and makes digital content feel more naturally integrated with the physical world. And they produce brighter, clearer images, improving visual quality while also reducing the energy required to achieve high brightness levels.

Pixelligent: Advancing XR with Next-Gen HRI Materials

Pixelligent has developed a portfolio of HRI materials purpose-built to meet the demands of next-gen XR devices. Our portfolio of formulations is the result of years of nanotechnology research and precision chemical engineering. That is why we are trusted by leading AR and MR device manufacturers who demand superior performance without compromising on manufacturability or environmental standards.

Our tunable refractive index technology allows XR manufacturers to precisely match material properties with specific system requirements. Whether it’s enhancing light extraction in waveguides or improving image clarity through thinner optical stacks, Pixelligent’s materials offer the customization needed to push the boundaries of device design.

Beyond optical performance, our formulations are engineered with exceptional transparency and ultra-low haze, ensuring that digital content is delivered with maximum clarity and minimal visual artifacts. This is especially important in AR and MR environments, where digital overlays must seamlessly blend with the real world without obscuring or distorting the user’s natural vision.

Pixelligent’s HRI materials also deliver the mechanical strength and stability needed for real-world durability. Our products are formulated to withstand the rigors of daily use, including temperature and humidity fluctuations, UV exposure, mechanical stress, and prolonged wear, without degrading optical performance. With a long shelf life and high reliability, our materials support scalable, high-throughput manufacturing, reducing waste and ensuring consistency across production cycles.

Pixelligent’s solutions are also fully compatible with existing AR and MR device manufacturing processes, giving developers a clear path to integration with minimal disruption. By combining industry-leading performance with design flexibility and production efficiency, we help our partners bring cutting-edge XR products to market faster.

As the XR industry advances, the world’s leading innovators are turning to Pixelligent to power the optics behind their most ambitious devices. 

Looking Ahead: HRI Materials Powering the Future of XR

XR device innovation is trending toward thinner, lighter designs with sharper visuals and improved energy efficiency. High Refractive Index (HRI) materials are key to making these advancements possible, enabling compact optics and brighter displays without sacrificing performance.

Pixelligent’s HRI formulations are engineered to meet the demands of today’s AR and MR applications, offering tunable optical properties, high transparency, and excellent reliability. Just as important, our materials are PFAS-free and environmentally responsible, helping manufacturers align with evolving sustainability standards.

Contact us today to explore how Pixelligent’s advanced materials can elevate your next-gen XR device.