SCHOTT achieves breakthrough in manufacturing geometric reflective waveguides for consumer-grade wearable augmented reality (AR) devices

This manufacturing achievement enables fashionable AR smart glasses with unparalleled user experience

International technology group SCHOTT, a leader in high-performance materials and optics, has achieved a breakthrough in high-volume production of geometric reflective waveguides. This marks a key advancement for augmented reality (AR) devices, such as smart glasses. SCHOTT is the first company scaling geometric reflective waveguides to serial production, leveraging its pioneering position in developing ultra-precise production processes for these high-end optical elements. The company’s fully integrated supply chain uses its global production network, ranging from optical glass production to waveguide component assembly. This ensures product quality and scalability at the volumes needed to support major commercial deployments.

Geometric reflective waveguides are an optical technology used in the eyepieces of AR wearables in order to deliver digital overlays in the user’s field of vision with pristine image quality and unparalleled power efficiency, enabling miniaturized and hence fashionable AR glasses. These waveguides revolutionize the user experience with immersive viewing capabilities. After years of dedicated R&D and global production infrastructure investment, SCHOTT has become the first company capable of handling geometric reflective waveguide manufacturing in serial production volumes. SCHOTT’s end-to-end setup includes producing high-quality optical glass, processing of ultra-flat wafers, optical vacuum coating, and waveguide processing with the tightest geometric tolerances. By mastering the integrated manufacturing processes of geometric reflective waveguides, SCHOTT has proven mass market readiness regarding scalability.

“This breakthrough in industrial production of geometric reflective waveguides means nothing less than adding a crucial missing puzzle piece to the AR technology landscape,” said Dr. Ruediger Sprengard, Senior Vice President Augmented Reality at SCHOTT. “For years, the promise of lightweight and powerful smart glasses available at scale has been out of reach. Today, we are changing that. By offering geometric reflective waveguides at scale, we’re helping our partners cross the threshold into truly wearable products, providing an immersive experience.”

A technology platform for a wide Field of View (FoV) range
SCHOTT® Geometric Reflective Waveguides, co-created with its long-term partner Lumus, support a wide field of view (FOV) range, enabling immersive experiences. This enables device manufacturers to push visual boundaries and seamlessly integrate digital content into the real world while keeping smart glasses and other immersive devices lightweight. Compared to competing optical technologies in AR, geometric reflective waveguides stand out in light and energy efficiency, enabling device designers to create fashionable glasses for all-day use. These attributes make geometric reflective waveguides the best option for small FoVs, and the only available option for wide FOVs.

Mass production readiness was made possible through SCHOTT’s significant investments in advanced processing infrastructure, including expanding its state-of-the-art facilities in Malaysia. SCHOTT brings unmatched process control to deliver geometric reflective waveguides, built on a legacy of more than 140 years in optical glass and glass‑processing.

Built on a strong heritage and dedication
The company’s heritage in specialty glass making, combined with a pioneering role in material innovation, brings together its material science, optical engineering, and global manufacturing capabilities to support the evolution of wearable technology. This achievement builds on SCHOTT’s long-standing role as a leader in advanced optics and its legacy of translating glass science into scalable production capabilities.

SCHOTT remains fully committed to serving the AR industry with the waveguide solutions it needs, either as a geometric reflective waveguide or a diffractive high-index glass wafer from the SCHOTT RealView® product lineup.