Scanner design and resolution tradeoffs for miniature scanning displays

Miniature displays based on scanning a low power beam directly onto the viewer's retina can offer high spatial and color resolution and very high luminance. For scanning display systems, the resolution is primarily determined by the product of scan-angle and mirror-size (theta D-product). Once theta D is determined based on resolution requirements, it then remains to choose D and theta. The choice of D and theta has a big impact in scanner design and many factors need to be taken into account. This paper discusses how D and theta should be chosen considering the limitations due to dynamic mirror deformation, stress in flexures, scanner frequency, optomechanical design, size, and cost.