In January 2026 local time, SPIE Photonics West—the world’s leading optoelectronics event—opened in San Francisco, USA. Moldnano(Hangzhou) Technology Co., Ltd stood out with a comprehensive showcase of its AR waveguide core technologies and mass production capabilities. Backed by deep technical expertise and a forward-looking manufacturing strategy, the company captured significant attention across the global optical industry chain.

                  A Robust AR Waveguide Showcase: Setting New Benchmarks in AR Optics



At the exhibition, Moldnano presented an extensive range of  products, including nanoimprinted templates, 8‑inch AR waveguide panels, and 8-inch lens panels. The company also unveiled a complete sample lineup spanning monochrome ‑green and full‑color resin waveguides, monochrome‑green and full‑color glass waveguides, and full‑color 30° and 50°silicon carbide waveguides. Covering the entire technology chain—from design and process development to devices and mass production—the showcase highlighted the company’s deep technical strength in AR waveguide innovation.

Three Major Technological Highlights: Breaking Through Industry Bottlenecks, Leading Mass Production Transformation

At the exhibition, Moldnano's three major technological highlights captured the spotlight:    

                                                         

Ultra-high Precision Alignment Technology achieves 1 μm alignment accuracy for lenses and nanostructures, with micrometer-level control of sample spacing. This dramatically improves production yield and enables seamless integration across the full manufacturing process. As a result, it delivers a scalable, cost-efficient solution for the mass production of lenses, AR waveguides, and other advanced optical components.

                                                                       

Integrated Resin Waveguide Technology eliminates the impact of high-refractive-index particles and residual adhesive on optical performance in nanoimprint processes. It significantly reduces manufacturing complexity and shortens the process chain, enhancing both product yield and optical resolution while delivering unmatched competitiveness in mass production efficiency and cost control.The integrated resin waveguide showcased here, combined with lightweight packaging technology, achieves a total monocular weight of just 1.3g, once again setting a new industry benchmark for waveguide weight reduction. Also on display is a full-color resin waveguide based on imprinting technology. An integrated resin full-color waveguide solution is scheduled for launch in 2026.

                                                      

Iterative 50° SiC Waveguide - The inaugural iterative 50° silicon carbide waveguide, upgraded from the 2025 release, achieves a breakthrough luminous efficiency exceeding 1000 nits/lm. When combined with optical engine demonstrations, it delivers system brightness surpassing 3000 nits, providing a high-performance solution for large-field-of-view AR optics.Looking ahead to 2026, ultra-thin, low-cost SiC waveguide solutions will be rolled out sequentially, accelerating the mass production and commercialization of SiC in consumer markets.

 

Academic Voices: Cutting-Edge Research and Technology Reports

During the exhibition, Chen Boqu, a founding member of the company and a doctoral candidate at West Lake University, was invited to deliver an academic presentation titled “SiC Diffractive Waveguides for AR: Single-Layer, Full-Color, Rainbow-Artifact-Free Display with Vision Correction.”The presentation systematically outlined the technical advantages of silicon carbide waveguides in fields such as meta-optics and augmented reality. It provided an in-depth analysis of the team’s accumulated expertise and innovative achievements—from material properties and design principles to process implementation—with particular focus on single-layer full-color display, rainbow artifact elimination, and integrated vision correction.The work offers novel insights and practical pathways for breakthroughs in global AR optics, sparking enthusiastic responses and in-depth discussions among academic and industry peers in attendance.

Accelerating Mass Production: Scaling AR Through Capacity Expansion and Ecosystem Synergy

Founded in 2022, Moldnano leverages its deep technological expertise to enter the industrialization stage of micro- and nano-optical components by focusing on one of the field’s most challenging bottlenecks: nanoimprint templates for AR diffractive waveguides. The company has since become China’s only manufacturer capable of supplying high-quality AR diffractive waveguide templates, rapidly establishing both technological and market leadership in areas such as metamaterial optical devices and high-order quartz DOEs.

In September 2024,Moldnano globally premiered silicon carbide (SiC) AR diffractive waveguides, formally entering the AR waveguide product manufacturing stage and injecting new momentum into both the SiC and AR waveguide industries. By the end of 2025, Phase I of the company’s AR waveguide mass production line was successfully completed, reaching an imprinting and etching capacity of 5,000 8-inch wafers per month.

Looking ahead to 2026,Moldnano will collaborate with leading domestic and international waveguide manufacturers, module suppliers, and end-product partners to accelerate the construction of Phase II production lines and further optimize its full portfolio of waveguide solutions. The company will continue to advance quality improvement and cost reduction in mass production, while vigorously promoting the large-scale commercialization of adhesive-free AR waveguides.