MLOptic
The Global Optical Metrology Leader in the AR/VR Industry

The wider availability of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) endpoints, proliferation of mobile devices, and continued improvements in connectivity have resulted in the exponential growth of the AR/VR market. According to reports, the market is expected to touch $160.14 billion by 2028, from $14.55 billion in 2021, with a CAGR of 40.9 percent.

The immense growth of the AR/VR market has highlighted the need for lightweight, comfortable, and easy-to-use digital optical immersive display (DOID) that can deliver exceptional visual quality, reliability, and processing power. Optical metrology promises a feasible way forward with innovation.

Growth in the AR/VR market is stimulating optical metrology’s demand, not only for surface shapes, textures, and miniature microelectronic devices, but for micro freeform optics and waveguides. The challenge for metrology techniques and technologies is to keep pace with AR/VR industry’s upcoming demands, especially now as XR technologies and supporting DOID hardware are moving from prototypes to large-scale production.

This is where MLOptic, an internationally acclaimed precision optical solutions provider, makes a difference. The company has emerged as the global optical metrology leader in the AR/VR industry.

“Our 22 years of experience in optical manufacturing makes us capable of combining the strengths of mathematical models to offer a comprehensive optical metrology solution for the AR/VR Industry,” says Dr. Wei (Will) Zhou, CTO, MLOptic.

MLOptic offers an advanced AR/VR customized optical metrology total solution that focuses on application orientated feasibility study, solution architecture design, instrumentation including optical component high precision manufacturing, functional module active assembly, and fully automated equipment integration.

Improving the General Optical Display Technologies

The primary goal of AR glass is to create high-quality virtual images and mix them with reality scenes without introducing differences to human vision. Optical metrology equipment has to precisely mimic the human eye’s dynamic sensitivity and diverse accuracy to provide the quantized close loop feedback on the AR/VR glass design verification and manufacture process control, as well as final product optical calibration.

Being a self-comprehensive technology system, MLOptic’s solution helps manufacture cost-efficient products instead of focusing on just one or partial areas. It successfully produces metrology solutions matching or go beyond human eye capability to better mimic human vision, such as contrast ratio, ML’s product can reliably reach to 500:1, even 1000:1 under special customization, relative to typical human vision contrast of below 200:1.

MLOptic’s product maps from ‘semiconductor clean room full automated inline-metrology’ station for AR glass mass production to R&D table-top instrument. With integrated functions, individual optical functional modules, and stand-alone imaging processing software, its applications cover the whole AR glass optical chain, from u-LED/oLED display and waveguide to micro-projector and final integrated AR/VR glass optical performance measurement. These products can also significantly improve the general optical display technologies, for phones or cars, for better human vision experience, and serve the Silicon-on-Glass (SiOG) substrate or novel silicon photonics technology area.

"Our proprietary industrial application software makes our systems highly functional and user friendly"

The industrial standard optical metrology equipment available today is expensive, slow, and often lacks functional flexibility to support R&D applications or high throughput mass production. This creates practical challenges for testing each AR/VR developer’s unique wearable glasses. MLOptic’s core capability enables a class 1000/100 cleanroom-compatible equipment platform that can be configured for different optical test modules like MTF, periscope, and high-speed colorimeters.

Technical Service Dedicated to Customer’s Unique Application

MLOptic’s unique self-comprehensive technology focuses on design and every detail of optical manufacturing. This enables users to look at an application from different aspects instead of a normal system integrator that can create common IP barrier for various suppliers.

MLOptic follows a well-defined product development process to create new systems. The process begins by identifying the metrology application challenge, either technical or commercial aspect. The potential solution paths are modeled physically or mathematically, a conceptual solution is created, and system requirements begin to take shape. Once requirements are defined, a feasibility study is conducted to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the conceptual solution and define initial specifications. The feasibility study is followed by the initiation of a formal development project. Because ML’s complete internal optical technology chain, ML’s engineer team can effectively / symmetrically attack on the solution’s optical performance challenge from all possible factors: each lens surface curvature, coating design and active assembly with real time metrology feedback etc. -- the key to achieve high precision reliable metrology solutions.

Although the project is primarily driven by engineering teams, it is supported by R&D, metrology/test, materials management, manufacturing, sales, and field service teams. A project manager, responsible for the project's overall success, coordinates with the teams and oversees everything.Guiding the project through a structured, disciplined development process, the project manager ensures that the fundamental product requirements are met. This is crucial to release a product for serial manufacturing.

Another factor that distinguishes MLOptic is its dedicated technical service. The company’s deep application knowledge and the ability to engage with customers across their development spectrum enable it to support all product designs. It also engages with manufacturing operations to provide efficient, fully automated, single function process tools that enable high-volume manufacturing processes. In both cases, MLOptic provides strong technical support for smooth start up and optimized operations.

Our 22 years of experience in optical manufacturing makes us capable of combining the strengths of mathematical models to offer a comprehensive optical metrology solution for the AR/VR Industry

“Our proprietary industrial application software makes our systems highly functional and user friendly,” says Zhou.

Strategically Supporting Other Industries Evolution beyond AR/VR

Unmanned driving needs advanced optical solutions like components and testing to mimic human vision and imaging processing. As a result, there is a need for technologies such as ML to be utilized to enhance AR/VR metrology.

The optical products developed by MLOptic focus on automation and AI, with the capability to meet the optical vision performance of unmanned driving. It has also created a proprietary processing and manufacturing technology, as well as a production system and experimental capabilities to bridge the gap between automobiles and optics. It developed Lidar, ToF, and VIS camera components and systems based on autonomous driving, which can meet the automotive industry’s requirements for product reliability.

MLOptic’s driverless products are engineered and optimized to meet driverless visual performance requirements for use in extreme environments. They produce large relative aperture and high transmittance optics to enhance visual sensitivity, as well as high resolution and low stray light optics to maximize image quality.

“Typical automotive testing requirements are completed in-house, using our extensive metrology capabilities. All the automotive products are designed and built within ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 certified processes,” says Zhou.

With global R&D and manufacturing facilities in the U.S., China, Thailand, and Europe, MLOptic plans to open more facilities to support clients across the globe. It will continue to grow total optical metrology solution capability to strategically empower an AR/VR industry evolution. It also plans to become the go-to partner for the fast-expanding consumer electronic industry and novel semiconductor technologies.