A next-generation display technology that allows users to freely switch between 2D and 3D video without special glasses by simply adding a single layer to a smartphone has been developed for the first time in the world through industry-academic collaboration in Korea. With demand for 3D content surging recently in virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and medical imaging, the likelihood has grown that Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), which participated in the research, will open the door to commercializing mobile devices capable of delivering both 2D and 3D content.
Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced Wednesday that a research team led by Professor Noh Jun-suk of the Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Samsung Research's Visual Technology Team at Samsung Electronics jointly developed a technology that enables clear real-time switching between 2D and 3D using a next-generation optical element called a "metalens." The research findings were published in the world's most prestigious academic journal, Nature, at midnight on the 23rd (4 p.m. on the 22nd local time).
A metalens is a flat optical element that implements lens functions by precisely controlling the phase, amplitude, and polarization of light through arrangements of artificial nanostructures on a substrate, with each structure sized in nanometers (nm, one billionth of a meter). Unlike glass lenses, which must have their centers curved outward to refract light, metalenses can be ultra-thin because the nanostructures perform that role.
The metalens designed by the research team at a thickness of just over 1.2mm has resolved all the commercialization barriers of existing 3D technologies. Glasses-free 3D displays have had a very narrow viewing angle of around 15 degrees, limiting viewing to a single person facing the screen directly. Because the lens was originally designed exclusively for 3D, its characteristics did not match ordinary 2D content, resulting in significantly degraded image quality when used for 2D.
In contrast, the metalens can freely adjust the direction of light refraction according to voltage supply, performing different functions. When no voltage is applied, it operates as a concave lens to display high-resolution 2D images; when voltage is supplied, it operates as a convex lens to render 3D stereoscopic video. The switching time between 2D and 3D is 10 milliseconds (ms), which feels like real time.
In particular, the key achievement is the world's first implementation of an "ultra-wide viewing angle" of 100 degrees, more than six times wider than existing technology. This allows multiple people to enjoy immersive 3D video simultaneously from various positions. "This is the first time we have solved not only the thickness and narrow viewing angle problems that existing 2D-3D switching technologies could not overcome, but also brought the development cost down to a realistic level," Professor Noh, who led the research, emphasized.
Compatibility with existing devices is also excellent. "The performance is achieved simply by attaching the thin metalens to a smartphone or tablet PC screen like a sticker," Noh explained, adding, "In actual commercialization, a single sheet will be inserted into the internal structure of the display rather than on the exterior of the device."
The research team cited mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs as the areas where this technology can be applied first. Users will be able to work on documents or browse the web on high-resolution 2D screens as usual, then enjoy 3D video content without glasses at the press of a button. In the future, the technology may expand broadly across related industries beyond mobile devices, including precision medical imaging systems and large outdoor billboards.
The fact that the team also presented mass-production process technology further boosts commercialization prospects. Prior to the metalens technology announced Wednesday, Noh also published "metalens mass-production process technology" in Nature last week as co-corresponding author with Professors Cho Kyu-jin and Kim In-ki of Sungkyunkwan University.
In particular, there is speculation that the metalens could be adopted in Samsung Electronics' next-generation smartphone models, given that Samsung participated in the research. It would represent an opportunity to significantly expand smartphone market share amid the recent expansion of 3D content demand. According to global market research firm Grand View Research, the global 3D content market is projected to grow from $22.67 billion (33.4563 trillion won) in 2023 to $51.03 billion (75.31 trillion won) by 2030.
"Additional research and development will be needed before this technology can be applied to Galaxy devices, but we have determined that there is at least sufficient technical feasibility and economic value to warrant an attempt," Noh said. "When the recently announced mass-production process technology is applied, the unit cost of the metalens has dropped to less than about 5,000 won, compared with 5 million won seven years ago."
Meanwhile, MSIT said Wednesday, "By simultaneously completing the development of foundational technology and the verification of mass-production feasibility, we have innovatively shortened the time required for basic research outcomes to be applied to actual industrial fields." It added, "We will continue to support researchers with steady investment in basic research so that they can fully demonstrate their capabilities on the world stage."
