Meta Outlines Strategy for Major Cost Reduction in Key Next-Gen AR Component

Meta is currently working on their Orion AR glasses prototype, which comes with a hefty price tag of about $10,000 per pair to produce. The real financial challenge here is their custom silicon carbide waveguide lenses. However, Meta is optimistic about finding ways to “significantly reduce the cost” of these key components down the line.

Silicon carbide isn’t exactly a new material; it’s been employed as a substrate for high-power chips due to its power efficiency and lower heat output. But manufacturing it is a whole other beast compared to regular silicon, primarily because of the complexity involved in its crystal growth process and fabrication. While electric vehicles are making inroads in cutting down costs, they still can’t compete price-wise with the more common silicon-based alternatives. There’s also a potential for quantum computing applications, though those come with their own hurdles, separate from Meta’s ambitions for this next-gen material.

What draws Meta to silicon carbide isn’t necessarily the improved power efficiency and lower heat output that it offers. It’s all about its high refractive index, which makes it perfect for producing clear, wide field-of-view (FOV) waveguides—like Orion’s impressive 70-degree FOV. Anyone who’s tried both conventional multi-layered glass waveguides and Orion’s silicon carbide-based ones can attest to the stark difference—it’s like comparing night to day.

In a blog post, Optical Scientist Pasqual Rivera shared his insights: “With typical glass and multiple plate waveguides, it’s like you’ve walked into a disco—rainbows everywhere, pretty distracting, taking your focus away from the AR content. But then when you switch to silicon carbide waveguides, you feel more like you’re at a calm symphony. It’s a game changer that lets you fully engage with the experience we’re crafting.”

The push for more affordable silicon carbide has mainly been spearheaded by the world’s major electric vehicle manufacturers. They’ve adopted silicon carbide chipsets over the years, which has started to pull down prices. Giuseppe Calafiore, who leads AR Waveguides Tech at Reality Labs, noted: “The surge of supply we have now due to the electric vehicle industry growth wasn’t there during Orion’s initial production. Now, with supply up and demand down, the cost of the substrate is decreasing.”

Interestingly, you can’t use the same silicon carbide wafers from EV applications in AR glasses because they aren’t optical-grade—they focus more on electrical performance. But Reality Labs’ Barry Silverstein sees room for optimism:

“Suppliers are eager to tap into the optical-grade silicon carbide market. Every waveguide lens uses a significant amount of material compared to an electronic chip, leveraging their existing capacities for this new endeavor. The larger the wafer, the greater the cost efficiency—though the complexity also rises. Progression from four-inch to eight-inch wafers has been seen, and some ventures are already exploring 12-inch wafers, which could vastly increase AR glasses production.”

Barry Silverstein further enthuses, “The industry is waking up to silicon carbide’s versatile potential, which spans electronics, photonics, and possibly future quantum computing applications. We’re starting to see possibilities for significant cost reductions. We’ve got a long road ahead, but the potential rewards could be monumental.”

In the tech universe, it’s not the first instance of XR headsets benefiting from broader consumer markets taking the helm. Reflecting on the early 2010s, low-cost, compact displays designed for smartphones propelled the consumer VR headset movement into existence. Take the Oculus Rift DK2, for instance; inside, it houses a Galaxy Note 3 display panel, complete with Samsung branding.

Over the years, other smartphone component rescues include inertial measurement units (IMUs), camera sensors, and battery technology, marking a trend. Yet, integrating silicon carbide advantages spurred by the EV sector into AR glasses isn’t as straightforward.

While suppliers have their sights set on photonics-grade silicon carbide, scaling it is a niche challenge within an already narrow field. This factor is a major reason why Meta isn’t quite ready to roll out Orion as a commercial product. Nonetheless, Meta is currently using Orion as a kind of internal developer kit with the aim of launching consumer AR glasses, ideally priced on par with phones or laptops, by 2030 as shared by Meta’s CTO Andrew Bosworth.

The allure for consumers is undoubtedly there, and somehow these pieces will come together. Major players like Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm are all vying for their share of what they foresee as the next big leap in mobile computing—a platform robust enough to supplant smartphones.