New Tyndall spin-out claims to make AR and VR tech lighter

Brian Corbett, who is behind Vivid Photonics, previously created InfiniLED, which was bought by Meta-owned Oculus.

Vivid Photonics, a new Tyndall National Institute spin-out company, has developed a technology it claims will “revolutionise” the image quality in augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). The company was launched at Photonics West in San Francisco this month.

The spin-out has developed the “first of its kind” Horizontal Cavity Surface Emitting Super Luminescent Diode (SLD) – a technology which delivers superior image quality in compact, ultra-low-power, lightweight AR devices, such as smart glasses.

According to Vivid Photonics, the “breakthrough” innovation has the potential to impact a wide range of industries, including education, medicine, environmental science and entertainment.

The team behind Vivid Photonics include Brian Corbett, a principal investigator at IPIC, the Research Ireland Centre for Photonics. Corbett’s research previously led to the creation of InfiniLED, which developed a range of LED light-source modules based on its patented microLED technology more than 10 years ago. The company was subsequently bought by Facebook, now Meta, in 2016 to develop its Oculus VR devices.

“This is an exciting time to be involved in photonics, and Ireland is at the forefront of this industry,” said Chris Gorman, the CEO of Vivid Photonics.

“Years of advanced research in Tyndall have produced breakthrough manufacturing processes that will revolutionise how we generate projected light for small, lightweight AR glasses. The image quality this will achieve is anticipated to be on par with real life.”

Prof Paul Townsend is the director of IPIC and the head of photonics at Tyndall. He said that the technology is a “fantastic example of how investment in cutting-edge photonics research through programmes such as IPIC can generate impact”.

“I am excited to see the commercialisation of this latest innovation from Brian Corbett’s world-leading photonics research group.”

A flagship of University College Cork (UCC), Tyndall National Institute is a deep-tech research centre working in integrated information and communication materials, devices and systems. It hosts a research community of more than 600 people, as well as supporting more than 200 industry partners and customers.

Dr Sally Cudmore, the director of UCC Innovation said: “It is great to see many years of Tyndall and UCC research come to fruition through the creation of a photonics spin-out company.

“The UCC Innovation team supported the project from conception to spin-out, and I would like to congratulate the research team on their entrepreneurial journey. Vivid Photonics will continue to develop Tyndall’s SLD technology into products that will generate economic and social impact.”

Photonics has wide industry applications, including in manufacturing, energy, telecoms and medicine, allowing room for much innovation. Speaking to SiliconRepublic.com, Dr Yating Wan, who leads the Integrated Photonics Lab at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, explained that silicon photonics uses light on a chip instead of electricity to make systems faster and more energy efficient.

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