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Waveguide Engineering

A Magic Leap technician holds up a single finished waveguide with a specialized tool to showcase the elements of the completed waveguide.

From imprint lithography to edge finishing, every step of Magic Leap’s waveguide manufacturing process tuned for visual quality, partner requirements, and efficient production.

Magic Leap technicians in a clean room manufacturing facility, running a proprietary jet and flash imprint lithography machine.

Precision Printing

Droplet-Level Optimization

Magic Leap technicians in a clean room manufacturing facility, running a proprietary jet and flash imprint lithography machine.

With more than a decade of research and development in Jet and Flash Imprint Lithography (J-FIL), our process allows us to form nanostructured patterns with exceptional precision. We place material exactly where it is needed and nowhere else.

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Minimal Material Waste

Our J-FIL process precisely deposits photoresist, the light-sensitive liquid used to form optical patterns. This allows us to create thousands more waveguides per milliliter than traditional coating methods.

Built-in Flexibility

Our Jet and Flash Imprint Lithography system adapts easily to changing lens shapes and partner designs.

Better Pattern Control

We carefully control droplet size and placement to create uniform patterns, even across detailed and complex designs.

Prepared for Precision Cutting

Applying the photoresist only where it’s needed prevents excess buildup, making the transition from patterning to cutting cleaner and more controlled.

Engineered Efficiency

One-Step Wafer Etching

A Magic Leap technician makes an adjustment to a machine to prepare for the single-step wafer etching process.

Most manufacturers need multiple passes to etch a wafer. We don’t. Our uniform imprint layer enables a single etch step across the full wafer, reducing complexity and improving consistency across varying waveguide shapes.

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A Magic Leap technician makes an adjustment to a machine to prepare for the single-step wafer etching process.

Uniform Results

A thin layer of photoresist allows us to cleanly etch nanograting structures directly into the surface of the waveguide in a single step.

Higher Efficiency

Precision etching helps move light into and through the waveguide more effectively, resulting in brighter displays without increasing power demands.

Simplifies Production

Completing the etch in one step minimizes equipment needs, shortens processing time, and reduces waste.

Ready for Complexity

We support advanced diffraction gratings, like slanted and blazed gratings, which use angled nano-sized features to guide light more effectively, delivering higher performance without increasing process demands.
A Magic Leap researcher hold up a vial of proprietary etching overcoat liquid in a laboratory setting.

Clarity Upgrade

Post-Etch Overcoating

A Magic Leap researcher hold up a vial of proprietary etching overcoat liquid in a laboratory setting.

After etching, we apply a proprietary overcoat to reduce rainbow artifacts and surface reflections. This ultra-thin layer improves light transmission and makes our waveguides look, and behave, more like traditional eyeglass lenses.

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Minimizes Rainbow Effect

Our overcoat formula is optimized to reduce diffraction-based rainbow streaks from appearing in the view of the person wearing the AR glasses.

Increased Social Acceptance

The waveguide overcoat minimizes lens glare, rainbows, and cosmetic oddities so lenses appear more like traditional eyewear to others.

In-House Chemistry

We formulate and manufacture the coating ourselves, tuning it for optical and efficiency targets.

Simple and Scalable

Our overcoat process is efficient and repeatable across thousands of wafers.

From Wafer to Waveguide

Waveguide Singulation

A Magic Leap technician removes a tray of singulated waveguide lenses from a precision laser cutting machine.

AR lenses are shaped to match real eyewear designs. Our laser singulation system cuts each waveguide into its final lens shape with high accuracy. Built-in alignment markers and machine vision ensure each lens is cut exactly as designed.

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A Magic Leap technician removes a tray of singulated waveguide lenses from a precision laser cutting machine.

Precision Cuts Every Time

Machine vision identifies alignment markers so each lens is cut precisely and consistently.

Cleaner Cuts, Cleaner Machines

Because the photoresist is precisely applied, the laser cuts only exposed glass, avoiding resist contact and preventing sticky residue on the equipment.

Flexible Form Factors

Our process accommodates a broad range of form factors and field-of-view requirements, precisely matching complex lens geometries.

Fast and Controlled Finishing

High-speed laser cutting maintains tight tolerances without sacrificing edge quality or optical integrity.
A Magic Leap technician inspects a singulated waveguide lens after the edge blacking process.

Form Meets Function

Waveguide Edge Blacking

A Magic Leap technician inspects a singulated waveguide lens after the edge blacking process.

In the final product edge blacking is not visible to the user, but it plays an important role in performance and durability. By absorbing stray light around the perimeter, it improves image contrast and viewing comfort. It also strengthens the lens edge to help prevent damage during everyday use.

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Boosts Contrast

Edge black absorbs unwanted light at the edge of the lens so virtual images appear clearer and more defined.

Reduces Glow

Light leakage and haloing around bright content, is minimized by edge black, improving readability.

Improves Reliability

Edge treatments reinforce the edge of the glass, protecting against chips and cracks.

Tailored Materials

We offer multiple edge treatments options based on partner requirements and performance goals.

Explore Our Approach to Display Integration

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A link card element: A robotic arm holds a pair of AR glasses while a technician prepares them for calibration.
Explore Our Approach to Display Integration

Story: Co-Optimizing AR Optics

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A link card element: A group of Magic Leap technicians works in a clean room, preparing an iteration of a new co-optimized design.
Story: Co-Optimizing AR Optics