Directed display architecture

A head-mounted display (HMD) comprising:

• an electronic display element configured to output image light emitted from a plurality of sub-pixels, the image light having different colors, the sub-pixels separated from each other by a dark space region that does not emit light, and the sub-pixels having associated emission distributions characterized by a respective solid angle, the emission distributions describing ranges of angles of the image light emitted from the plurality of sub-pixels;
• a microlens array including microlenses that are each directly attached to a corresponding sub-pixel, of the plurality of sub-pixels, the microlenses including a first microlens that has a corresponding first sub-pixel and a second microlens that has a corresponding second sub-pixel, and the first sub-pixel is closer to a center axis of the plurality of sub-pixels than the second sub-pixel, and each of the microlenses are configured to:
• generate apparent blur spots to a user of the HMD in the image light that mask the dark space region between the plurality of sub-pixels while maintaining an eyebox size having a diameter of at least 10 mm, and wherein each of the blur spots are generated by diffusing the image light emitted by the plurality of sub-pixels,
• concentrate the image light for each sub-pixel to reduce a respective solid angle associated with an emission distribution of each sub-pixel, and
• direct the concentrated image light toward a target region along a respective primary emission axis, wherein a primary emission axis of the first sub-pixel and the first microlens has less of an angle relative to the center axis than a primary emission axis of the second sub-pixel and the second microlens;
• and
• an optics block located in the target region, the optics block configured to:
• magnify the concentrated image light including the generated blur spots received from the microlens array, and
• direct the magnified and concentrated image light from the microlens array to an exit pupil of the HMD corresponding to a location of an eye of the user of the HMD.