Meta’s latest prototype of the Orion AR glasses comes with a hefty price tag, ringing in at a steep $10,000 per pair. The main culprit behind this sky-high cost? None other than the custom silicon carbide waveguide lenses. Meta, however, is optimistic about finding a way to significantly lower the cost of these vital components in the future.
Silicon carbide isn’t exactly new on the scene; it’s been used primarily as a substrate for high-power chips due to its superior power efficiency and reduced heat output. Yet, unlike regular silicon, silicon carbide presents manufacturing hurdles because of its intricate material properties, challenging crystal growth process, and complex fabrication requirements.
While electric vehicles are making strides toward decreasing these costs, achieving parity with their silicon-based counterparts remains a distant goal. Another potential application might be in quantum computing, but that industry comes with its own set of challenges that don’t align directly with the advancements Meta envisions for silicon carbide.
Meta’s interest in silicon carbide, however, goes beyond its power efficiency or heat management. The material boasts a high refractive index, making it perfect for creating clear, expansive field-of-view (FOV) waveguides, like the impressive 70-degree FOV showcased in Orion. The difference between the conventional multi-layered glass waveguides and Orion’s silicon carbide-based ones is, for those who’ve experienced it, akin to night and day.
Reflecting on the evolution, Optical Scientist Pasqual Rivera commented in a blog post that using traditional glass waveguides was akin to being trapped in a distracting disco, with rainbow effects overshadowing the AR content. In contrast, the switch to silicon carbide waveguides transformed the experience to that of enjoying a serene symphony, allowing users to immerse themselves fully in the AR environment – a monumental shift.
In recent years, the world’s top electric vehicle manufacturers have adopted silicon carbide chips, contributing to price reductions. Giuseppe Calafiore, AR Waveguides Tech Lead at Reality Labs, highlighted that the overcapacity driven by EV demands is causing substrate costs to drop, thanks to high supply and low demand.
However, it’s important to note that the silicon carbide wafers used in EVs lack the optical grade needed for AR glasses, as they’re optimized for electrical rather than optical performance. Nonetheless, Reality Labs’ Director of Research Science, Barry Silverstein, sees opportunities ahead.
Silverstein explained that suppliers are excited about manufacturing optical-grade silicon carbide because each waveguide lens requires significantly more material than a chip, and they can apply their existing expertise to this new venture. To meet burgeoning demand, factories need to scale up, with larger wafers decreasing costs despite increased complexity. Suppliers are transitioning from four-inch to eight-inch wafers, with some advancing towards 12-inch wafers, promising a potential boost in AR glasses production.
“The industry is waking up to possibilities,” Silverstein added. Silicon carbide’s versatility spans electronics and photonics, and it holds potential for quantum computing applications. While challenges remain, the road ahead is filled with promise.
History has shown that XR headsets have benefited from larger consumer industries. In the 2010s, for example, low-cost smartphone displays catalyzed the VR headset boom. Take a peek inside a 2014 Oculus Rift DK2, and you’d find a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 display panel—a testament to how consumer tech cross-pollinates.
Yet, although many components from smartphone tech – such as sensors and battery tech – have seamlessly transitioned to XR applications, capitalizing on the silicon carbide advances fueled by EVs will be no simple feat in the AR space.
For now, Meta is positioning Orion as an “internal developer kit,” with aspirations to launch consumer-ready AR glasses by the end of the decade. These glasses will be priced more like laptops or smartphones, as Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth hinted recently.
In this field, anticipation is high, and the stakes are enormous. With tech giants like Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm all vying for dominance, the quest to replace smartphones with the next big mobile computing platform is in full swing. It seems only a matter of time before these tech titans piece together the puzzle for mainstream AR adoption.
