Meta’s prototype for their Orion AR glasses is an impressive yet costly piece of technology, coming in at a staggering $10,000 per pair. The priciest part? The custom silicon carbide waveguide lenses. However, Meta is optimistic about significantly slashing these costs down the line.
Silicon carbide isn’t a newcomer in the tech world; it’s known for boosting power efficiency and reducing heat output in high-power chips. However, manufacturing it is considerably more complicated than standard silicon due to its unique material properties and the complexities involved in crystal growth and fabrication.
The automotive industry, particularly the push towards electric vehicles, has been pivotal in driving down silicon carbide costs. Still, it’s a stretch to claim we’ll see it as competitively priced as its silicon counterpart anytime soon. Silicon carbide’s potential doesn’t stop there; there are whispers about its future in quantum computing, though this poses different challenges compared to Meta’s plans for AR tech.
Meta isn’t focused on silicon carbide’s traditional benefits like power efficiency. What they truly cherish is its high refractive index. This property is crucial for creating wide field-of-view waveguides, making it perfect for AR glasses with top-notch specs like the Orion’s 70-degree FOV. People who have tried both conventional glass waveguides and Orion’s offerings describe the difference as nothing short of revolutionary.
Optical Scientist Pasqual Rivera describes the shift poignantly: wearing the old glass-based waveguides felt like being overwhelmed in a disco full of rainbows, distracting from the actual AR content. But with silicon carbide waveguides, it’s like sitting in a quiet symphony, allowing users to fully immerse in the experience Meta is crafting. This technology truly is a game changer.
A significant number of electric vehicles now incorporate silicon carbide chips, which has fortunately contributed to lowering prices. According to Giuseppe Calafiore, who leads AR Waveguides Tech at Reality Labs, this sector’s overcapacity is a boon for production that didn’t exist during Orion’s early days. With supply up and demand low, substrate costs are starting to decrease.
However, it’s worth noting that the silicon carbide used in EVs isn’t optical-grade. These are tailored for electrical performance, complicating the idea of using EV chip surplus for AR glasses. Yet, Barry Silverstein, Director of Research Science at Reality Labs, remains hopeful. He mentions that suppliers are eager to explore producing optical-grade silicon carbide, viewing it as a promising new venture.
“The world is waking up to the possibilities,” Silverstein enthuses, noting how silicon carbide’s versatility across electronics and photonics could bolster future applications, even in quantum computing. Although there’s plenty of work ahead, the potential for cost reduction is significant.
The journey of XR headsets benefiting from adjacent consumer industries isn’t unprecedented. Flashback to the early 2010s: affordable, small displays intended for smartphones were pivotal in launching the consumer VR headset wave. Case in point, the Oculus Rift DK2 of 2014 sported a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 display—Samsung branding intact.
Besides displays, other smartphone components like IMUs, camera sensors, and batteries have seamlessly transitioned into VR tech. While leveraging the EV-induced advancements in silicon carbide may not be straightforward for AR glasses, the potential reward justifies the exploration.
Currently, scaling up photonics-grade silicon carbide remains a niche pursuit, impeding Meta from commercializing Orion just yet. Nonetheless, Meta envisions Orion as an internal developer kit. They aim to launch consumer AR glasses before 2030, priced comparably to current phones or laptops, as shared by Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth.
The puzzle of integrating these technologies is undoubtedly intricate, but with the promise of broad consumer interest, it’s only a matter of time before companies like Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm find their footing in what could be the next big leap in mobile computing. Their collective hope? To innovate beyond smartphones with a future-leading platform.
