Holographic augmented reality display with conical holographic optical element for wide viewing zone

In this study, we propose a holographic augmented reality (AR) display with a wide viewing zone realized by using a special-designed reflective optical element. A conical holographic optical element (HOE) is used as such a reflective optical element. This conical HOE was implemented to reconstruct a diverging spherical wave with a wide spread angle. It has a sharp wavelength selectivity by recording it as a volume hologram, enabling augmented reality (AR) representation of real and virtual 3D objects. The quality of the generated spherical wave and the spectral reflectivity of the fabricated conical HOE were investigated. An optical superimposition between real and virtual 3D objects was demonstrated, thereby enhancing the validity of our proposed method. A horizontal viewing zone of 140° and a vertical viewing zone of 30° were experimentally confirmed. The fabrication procedure for the conical HOE is presented, and the calculation method of the computer-generated hologram (CGH) based on Fermat’s principle is explained in detail.