Developing Meta’s Orion AR glasses prototype is no small feat—it costs a whopping $10,000 per pair. The hefty price tag mostly comes from its sophisticated custom silicon carbide waveguide lenses. Despite the current high costs, Meta believes there’s a way to “significantly reduce the cost” of these essential components in the future.
Silicon carbide isn’t new; it’s been primarily used as a substrate for high-power chips, favored for its superior power efficiency and reduced heat output. However, its manufacturing process is more complex compared to silicon, which presents challenges due to its material properties, crystal growth process, and fabrication intricacies.
Although electric vehicles are making strides in cutting these costs, price parity with cheaper, more prevalent silicon-based options is still a long way off. Quantum computing could be another potential application, but that would bring its own set of distinct challenges, separate from Meta’s goals with this next-gen material.
What truly draws Meta to silicon carbide isn’t just its efficiency and heat management; it’s the high refractive index of the material. This quality makes it perfect for creating clear, wide field-of-view (FOV) waveguides. Orion sets the bar high with a remarkable 70-degree FOV, and those who’ve compared it with traditional multi-layered glass waveguides can attest that the difference is stark.
Optical Scientist Pasqual Rivera vividly describes the experience: “When using glasses with glass-based waveguides, it felt like being in a disco—distracted by rainbows everywhere. But once you try the silicon carbide waveguides, it’s like listening to a quiet symphony, allowing you to focus entirely on the AR content. It was a transformative experience.”
Thanks to electric vehicles, the use of silicon carbide in chips has become more common, which in turn has helped drive down prices. Giuseppe Calafiore from Reality Labs points out, “With an oversupply created by the EV market, costs have started to drop, which wasn’t the case when Orion was first developed.”
But here’s the catch: the silicon carbide wafers for EVs aren’t optical-grade, as they prioritize electrical efficiency over visual clarity. Reality Labs’ Director of Research Science, Barry Silverstein, is optimistic about the way forward, stating, “Suppliers are excited by the potential to produce optical-grade silicon carbide. Every waveguide lens requires a significant amount of material, aligning well with current manufacturing capabilities. The bigger the wafer, the cheaper it becomes—though complexity also rises. We’re seeing progress as suppliers transition to larger wafer sizes, promising a substantial increase in AR glasses production.”
The tech world seems to be waking up to silicon carbide’s adaptability across both electronics and photonics. It’s a material that, as Silverstein notes, could be pivotal even in quantum computing, and signs point to potential cost reductions. Although there’s still a lot to accomplish, the possible rewards are vast.
This isn’t the first time XR headsets have picked up momentum from larger consumer sectors. In the early 2010s, the development of small, affordable smartphone displays played a critical role in launching the consumer VR headset industry. Inside an Oculus Rift DK2 from 2014, for instance, you’ll find a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 display as its centerpiece.
Moreover, the XR sphere has thrived by adapting other smartphone components like IMUs, camera sensors, and battery tech. The similarities are there, yet it seems the influence of the EV-driven silicon carbide progress for AR glasses might not be as straightforward.
While there’s growing interest in photonics-grade silicon carbide, it’s a niche that will take time to scale up. This is part of why Meta can’t bring Orion to market just yet. However, according to Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, the company is treating Orion like an “internal developer kit,” aiming to release consumer AR glasses by 2030, with prices expected to fall within the “phone, laptop territory.”
There’s no denying that the consumer appeal is massive, and these possibilities are likely to take shape. Key players like Meta, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Qualcomm are all vying for their share in the emerging mobile computing platform, which aims to outpace smartphones entirely.
