In the world of advanced materials and optics, progress often means making technology invisible—so seamless and intuitive that it simply becomes part of daily life. The Photonics Platforms team at Applied Materials believes in making the invisible available: we utilize the company’s materials engineering expertise, technology partnerships, and five decades of semiconductor innovation to focus on solving the toughest problems for our customers, enabling new possibilities that quietly enhance everyday experiences and set a new standard for wearable display systems.

Technology That Serves, Not Distracts
Smart glasses have often promised more—more information, more connectivity, more capability. But the real challenge is delivering these promises without adding weight, distraction, or complexity. Our visual systems are engineered to fade into the background, supporting future-forward use cases for our customers and real-time AI-powered experiences like language translation, memory recall, and vision search, while preserving the comfort and visual clarity required for all-day wear.

A Collaboration Built on Engineering Excellence
Applied Materials has long been recognized for pushing the boundaries of materials science and engineering, enabling breakthroughs in semiconductors and displays. Now, our Photonics Platforms Business group is applying that same rigor and innovation to the optics field, working with Avegant, an Applied Ventures portfolio company, to deliver a visual display system that functions first and foremost as a pair of glasses—lightweight, comfortable, and ready for everyday use.

The jointly developed system integrates Applied’s 3.4-gram etched waveguide combiner with Avegant’s AG-20L light engine, into a lightweight and compact MCU-based processing platform. The result: full-color, high-brightness displays in a form factor under 45 grams, including prescription lenses. This is engineering at its best—solving complex challenges in optics, ergonomics, and manufacturability to create smart glasses that feel effortless for the wearer

Engineering for Everyday Life
These glasses support a 20° diagonal field of view, display brightness driven by an over 4,000 nits per lumen waveguide, and power consumption under 150 mW for the display subsystem. These numbers aren’t just impressive, they’re essential for making smart glasses that people actually want to wear. By focusing on efficiency, comfort, and visual fidelity, Applied Materials and Avegant are laying the groundwork for a new generation of consumer devices.

As Dr. Paul Meissner, Vice President and General Manager of Applied Materials’ Photonics Platforms Business, puts it:

“This collaboration combines Applied Materials’ leadership in materials engineering with AR platforms requiring precise design and manufacturing of waveguide technology and Avegant’s expertise in light engines and AR platform design. By integrating our high-efficiency waveguides with Avegant’s AG-20L light engine, in a lightweight AR platform, we’re demonstrating a viable path toward high-volume, low-cost AI-powered display smart glasses that deliver both optical performance and manufacturability.”

Edward Tang, CEO of Avegant, adds:

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Applied Materials to demonstrate what’s possible when cutting edge waveguide design and manufacturing are combined with Avegant’s advanced light-engine integration. Together, we co-optimized the optical module and Avegant developed an MCU-based glasses platform that strikes an ideal balance of performance, power efficiency, and comfort. This milestone marks an important step toward making AI-enabled display smart glasses a mainstream reality.”

Looking Ahead
This project builds on Applied Materials’ deep technical expertise and showcases something new on the horizon—a future where our innovations in photonics and optics are not just powering industry, but making the invisible available to solve real-world problems for companies and consumers alike. The Photonics Platforms Business group is committed to creating solutions that are as elegant as they are advanced, and our collaboration with Avegant is a significant step in that direction.

The AI Smart Glasses platform will be unveiled at the Bay Area SID event in Santa Clara, California, where attendees can experience firsthand the clarity and comfort that define this new approach to wearable technology.

The Photonics Platforms team believes that the best technology is the kind you barely notice—because it’s working quietly in the background, making life richer, easier, and more connected. Stay tuned and meet us at CES 2026 to learn more about how we are making the invisible available.

TrendForce 2025 Near-Eye Display Market Trend and Technology Analysis
Publication Date : 8/29, 2025
Language : Traditional Chinese / English
Format : PDF
Page Number: 168