FY 2013.2 OKLAHOMA APPLIED RESEARCH SUPPORT
SUMMARIES OF PROJECTS RECOMMENDED FOR FUNDING
PI: Hakki Refai
Project Title: Ultra High-Resolution Volumetric 3D Display
AR132-019
Organization: 3DIcon
Rank: 1
Type: Accelerated
Funding:
Year 1: $150,000
Year 2: $150,000
Year 3: $0
Total: $300,000
Match Source:
3DIcon Corporation will provide the matching funds for this OARS grant. As the exclusive licensee of this 3D display technology that was developed by the University of Oklahoma under a series of Sponsored Research Agreements that were funded by 3DIcon, the company is highly motivated to commercialize this technology as quickly as possible in order to see a return on this investment. Because 3DIcon is a publically traded company without significant revenues and a small market capitalization due to lack of significant revenue, there is additional motivation to commercialize this technology / generate revenue from this technology to provide the market with metrics (revenue, earnings & growth) from which to more appropriately value the company and therefore maximize shareholder value.
Research
The goal of the proposed project is to improve the performance of key components of a static volumetric 3D display and to subsequently produce a commercially viable product prototype that can be rapidly transitioned to commercial production. The two components are the image chamber and the optical and electronic subsystems that control the image creation process. For the image chamber, materials and fabrication processes must be identified and developed to scale the chamber up to 26 cm3 and also to produce cheaply and easily chambers of different sizes.. For image generation, nanoparticles capable of highly efficient upconversion of infrared light to visible light must be designed and optimized so that the image is visible under room lighting and the power requirements of the display are minimized. The image chamber will consist of the nanoparticles dispersed in an index-matched polymer. The optical and electronic subsystems must be improved to create images that fill the image chamber, have a voxel (volume pixel) size of 0.25 mm3, a resolution of nearly 800 million voxels, and a refresh rate of 30 Hz to provide flicker free viewing. At project's end, the resultant display will possess capabilities suitable for applications in computer and data visualization and in novel human-computer interfaces. To create the targeted 3D display, several objectives must be met. The first objective is to identify and optimize highly efficient two-photon, two-frequency upconversion particles to provide increased image intensity for lower optical driving power. The size, doping concentration, and core/shell morphology of Er:NaYF4 and similar nanoparticles will be varied systematically and the efficiency evaluated. The second objective is to synthesize and optimize polymers with high optical clarity that are index matched to the nanoparticles to minimize losses in resolution and efficiency due to scattering. The combination of polymer host and nanoparticle efficiency that produces the brightest and clearest image will be selected. The third objective is to upgrade the key optical, electronic, and software systems that control image creation to achieve the targeted resolution and image size. The project will use a combination of experimental research and theoretical modeling to meet the stated goals and objectives. The project builds upon prior research and development of prototype systems by 3DIcon Corporation.
Economic Benefit
3DIcon firmly believes that the successful commercialization of this exciting new 3D display technology that was originally developed and patented by the University of Oklahoma (OU) will have far reaching positive economic impact on the State of Oklahoma by 1) further establishing the State of Oklahoma as having the talent, infrastructure and workforce necessary for high technology companies to be started and become successful, 2) attracting additional high tech talent and investment to the state based on the success of 3DIcon thereby creating a "snowball" effect, 3) attracting more research funding to OU based on the commercial success of the research that led to the development of this 3D display technology, and 4) draw more federal government and international attention to the state and with that the potential for more federal funding and international investment. From another perspective, the successful commercialization of the this technology by 3DIcon will provide the following direct economic benefits for the State of Oklahoma that include 1) the influx of over $10M of capital from public, private and government sources that will be
required to fund the commercialization effort plus the working capital requirements of the company until profitability, 2) the employment of over 70 people by 2020 including dozens of Oklahomans as well as the relocation of a similar number of experienced management and technical people to Oklahoma from the top high tech areas in the US, Europe and Asia. Most of these relocated professionals will buy homes, pay property taxes and all 3DIcon employees will pay income and sales taxes, 3) once successful 3DIcon will be generating tens of millions (or more) in earnings and paying corporate income taxes to the state.
Research Area
Optics & Photonics
