Waveguide configurations in a head-mounted display (HMD) for improved field of view (FOV)

An optical assembly, comprising:

• a display element to display visual content;
• an optical waveguide comprising at least one array of elliptical mirrors;
• and
• a collimator optic positioned between the display element and the optical waveguide,
• wherein light of the visual content on the display element traverses through the collimator optic and through the elliptical mirrors of the optical waveguide to present the visual content to a user.

A head-mounted display (HMD), comprising:

• a display element to display visual content;
• a collimator optic, adjacent to the display element, to collimate the visual content;
• and
• an optical waveguide comprising at least one array of elliptical mirrors,
• wherein light of the visual content on the display element traverses through the collimator optic and through the elliptical mirrors of the optical waveguide to present the visual content to a user of the head-mounted display (HMD), and
• wherein the optical waveguide comprises an entrance face located on a width of the optical waveguide and has a specific angle with respect to a length of the optical waveguide.