HOLOEYE Partners with Fraunhofer IPMS on Microdisplay

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS), in collaboration with HOLOEYE Photonics AG, have developed a compact liquid crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) microdisplay with high refresh rates that enables improved optical modulation.

LCOS microdisplays are characterized by their low power consumption, small size, and lightweight design. They are used in switchable adaptive optics, particularly as phase modulators, and as projection displays in AR and VR. Phase modulators, also known as spatial light modulators (SLMs), are used in biological imaging and microscopy, among other applications, for wavefront correction and beam shaping. The goal is to improve image resolution, minimize distortions caused by biological tissue, or protect samples.

Co-developed by Fraunhofer IPMS and HOLOEYE Photonics, a compact liquid crystal-on-silicon microdisplay provides smaller pixel sizes and faster refresh rates thanks to a newly developed CMOS backplane architecture. Courtesy of Fraunhofer IPMS.

The new LCOS microdisplay from HOLOEYE and Fraunhofer IPMS uses an innovative CMOS backplane that enables high-speed light modulation.

“The newly developed backplane architecture of our compact LCOS microdisplay significantly expands the possibilities for light modulation and far exceeds existing refresh rates,” said Philipp Wartenberg, head of Integrated circuit and system design at Fraunhofer IPMS. “This is enabled by the integration of a complete framebuffer and a high-speed interface to the pixel matrix, achieving a data transfer rate of up to 576 Gbit/s to a pixel array with a resolution of 1440 × 1080 pixels and a pixel size of 2.5 µm.”

The unique features of the new LCOS microdisplay open new possibilities in wearable holographic AR systems, in optogenetics for structured photostimulation of neurons as well as in quantum optics and quantum computing.

“With the new backplane generation from IPMS, we can realize compact microSLMs and specifically address applications with requirements for a small form factor,” said Matthias Verworn from HOLOEYE. “The very small pixel size enables larger diffraction angles, while the fast interface supports high clock rates and flexible, application-specific display addressing options.”

HOLOEYE plans to launch the first products with this LCOS light modulator in early 2026.