Creating AR glasses like Meta’s Orion comes with a hefty price tag—think $10,000 just for one pair. The priciest part of these cutting-edge spectacles is the custom silicon carbide waveguide lenses. However, Meta is optimistic about slashing these costs significantly moving forward.
Silicon carbide isn’t new; it’s been a staple in high-power chips due to its excellent power efficiency and minimal heat production. Its manufacturing, though, is tricky—more so than regular silicon—due to the unique challenges posed by its material properties, the tricky crystal growth technique, and the complex fabrication process.
Interestingly, the electric vehicle industry is paving the way to making silicon carbide affordable. Still, it’s nowhere near as cheap as abundant silicon alternatives. Quantum computing might be another arena for silicon carbide, but that road has its own set of hurdles distinct from what Meta envisions for this advanced material.
Meta isn’t chasing silicon carbide for its power efficiency and low heat benefits. Instead, they’re drawn to its high refractive index, which is ideal for creating clear, expansive field-of-view (FOV) waveguides—like the impressive 70-degree FOV in Orion. Those who’ve experienced the difference between conventional multi-layered glass waveguides and Orion’s are truly blown away.
One tester likened the experience with conventional glass-based waveguides to being in a distracting disco, with rainbow reflections everywhere that pull focus away from the AR content. In contrast, using silicon carbide waveguides felt like an introspective, classical symphony where you could immerse yourself in the experience without distractions. It’s clear—this material is a game-changer.
Electric vehicles are indeed driving down the cost. Giuseppe Calafiore, who leads AR Waveguides at Reality Labs, points out that recent overcapacity in EV-related production has started pushing prices down. Yet, these silicon carbide wafers for EVs aren’t optical-grade, as they’re optimized for electrical efficiency rather than clarity.
Despite this, Barry Silverstein, Reality Labs’ Director of Research Science, sees promising potential. Suppliers are eager to venture into crafting optical-grade silicon carbide because each waveguide lens requires a substantial chunk of this material, and their existing skills can easily translate into this new domain. The larger the wafer, the cheaper it gets—though this increases process complexity. But there’s progress here, too, with suppliers shifting from four-inch to eight-inch wafers, and even precursors for 12-inch wafers are being developed. This would significantly boost the production of AR glasses.
Silverstein highlights the growing excitement: “Silicon carbide has proved its mettle across electronics and photonics. It could even shine in quantum computing’s future. We’re seeing clear signs of cost reduction potential, and though the journey isn’t over, the possibilities are vast.”
This isn’t the first time extended reality (XR) headsets have gained from the progress made in broader consumer sectors. Back in the early 2010s, low-cost, compact displays intended for smartphones propelled the consumer VR scene forward. Anyone peeking into an Oculus Rift DK2 from 2014 would find a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 display panel within it, logo and all!
Over time, more components borrowed from smartphones have found homes in VR gear—inertial measurement units (IMUs), camera sensors, and batteries, to name a few. The parallels are clear, yet applying silicon carbide’s evolution, spurred by the EV sector, isn’t quite as straightforward for AR glasses.
Suppliers are keen on photonics-grade silicon carbide, but this niche within a niche is still years away from full-scale production. This challenge is a significant reason why Meta can’t commercialize Orion right now. Nonetheless, they’re utilizing Orion as an “internal developer kit,” aiming to launch consumer AR glasses by 2030, with prices hovering around those of laptops or phones, as per Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.
With massive potential for consumer appeal, it’s only a matter of time and research before these pieces come together. Everyone from Meta to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm is vying for a stake in the next big thing that aims to dethrone the smartphone as the go-to mobile computing device.
