AR breakthrough: SCHOTT achieves serial production of geometric reflective waveguides

Date Announced: 27 Oct 2025

We're very happy to announce that we've achieved a breakthrough in high-volume production of Geometric Reflective waveguides. This marks a key advancement for augmented reality (AR) devices, such as smart glasses. SCHOTT is the first company scaling Geometric Reflective Waveguides to serial production, leveraging its pioneering position in developing ultra-precise production processes for these high-end optical elements. The company’s fully integrated supply chain uses its global production network, ranging from optical glass production to waveguide component assembly. This ensures product quality and scalability at the volumes needed to support major commercial deployments.

​Geometric Reflective Waveguides are an optical technology used in the eyepieces of AR wearables in order to deliver digital overlays in the user’s field of vision with pristine image quality and unparalleled power efficiency, enabling miniaturized and hence fashionable AR glasses. These waveguides revolutionize the user experience with immersive viewing capabilities. After years of dedicated R&D and global production infrastructure investment, SCHOTT has become the first company capable of handling Geometric Reflective Waveguide manufacturing in serial production volumes. SCHOTT’s end-to-end setup includes producing high-quality optical glass, processing of ultra-flat wafers, optical vacuum coating, and waveguide processing with the tightest geometric tolerances. By mastering the integrated manufacturing processes of Geometric Reflective Waveguides, SCHOTT has proven mass market readiness regarding scalability.

“This breakthrough in industrial production of Geometric Reflective Waveguides means nothing less than adding a crucial missing puzzle piece to the AR technology landscape,” said Dr. Ruediger Sprengard, Senior Vice President Augmented Reality at SCHOTT. “For years, the promise of lightweight and powerful smart glasses available at scale has been out of reach. Today, we are changing that. By offering Geometric Reflective Waveguides at scale, we’re helping our partners cross the threshold into truly wearable products, providing an immersive experience.”

Contact

E-mail: rina.dellavecchia@us.schott.com

Web Site: www.schott.com/en-us/news-and-media/media-releases/2025/schott-achieves-serial-production-of-reflective-waveguides