Light guide optical assembly

An apparatus for optical aperture expansion comprising:

• (a) at least one lightguide, said lightguide including a first pair of external surfaces parallel to each other for guiding light by internal reflection,
• (b) a pair of first and second matching diffractive optical components;
• and
• (c) a reflective optical component including a set of facets, said set of facets:
• (i) including a plurality of partially reflecting facets parallel to each other,
• (ii) between said first pair of external surfaces, and
• (iii) non-parallel relative to said first pair of external surfaces;
• a first diffractive optical component of said pair of matching diffractive optical components configured for coupling light into said at least one lightguide as coupled-in light, said coupled-in light being guided in said at least one lightguide,
• said reflective optical component configured to couple said guided coupled-in light from said lightguide as expanded light, and
• a second diffractive optical component of said pair of matching diffractive optical components configured for coupling out said coupled-out light,
• said components associated with said at least one lightguide and cooperating for two-dimensional expansion of said coupled-in light to said coupled-out light.