Dispelix is an important player in the fast-growing market for waveguides: the optical structures used in augmented reality displays. We look at the role of IP protection in helping the company achieve its industry leadership goals.
Augmented reality (AR) is fast gaining traction across a range of industries and use cases.
By overlaying data and graphics onto smart glasses and heads-up displays (increasingly embedded in car windshields and aircraft cockpits), AR allows us to keep our eyes on the task at hand while receiving digital information or instructions. This blending of the physical and virtual dimensions is transforming how we interact with the world.
AR experiences are made possible by transparent yet indispensable components: waveguide displays. These optical structures manipulate light to allow digital images to be projected to the user without obscuring the real-world environment.
This is the highly specialized industry in which Dispelix is making a massive impact.
The Finnish company has developed a way of producing diffractive waveguides that use nano-engineered technology to guide light with extreme precision. Dispelix holds more than 200 patents to protect these innovations, with another 250 patent applications pending approval. Papula-Nevinpat supports the company in this IP protection work.
“Our patents are in 73 families, divided according to the different parts of the waveguide component and the manufacturing processes behind these parts,” says Dispelix IP Manager, Teppo Häyrynen. “This field is developing extremely fast and there is a lot of innovation going on. We meticulously identify the novel aspects of our inventions so we can protect them with the right IP.”

Photo: Dispelix
A race for industry dominance
The company traces its origins to VTT, Finland’s leading research center. Two scientists there made some important discoveries in waveguide technology around 15 years ago. They then joined forces with a photonics specialist from the University of Eastern Finland and the trio established Dispelix.
The founders saw the potential to use waveguides in smart glasses, which were then in the early stages of development. As transparent-display technology has evolved – pushed forward again recently by Meta’s Orion project – Dispelix has become a key partner for a strategic group of customers in consumer electronics, aerospace and defense.
The company now has some 100 employees and generates approximately EUR 10 million in annual revenue.
“The sky’s the limit when it comes to applications for waveguide technology,” says Dispelix General Counsel, Maija Puustinen. “We believe combining augmented reality with AI could be the killer application. The device will recognize what’s happening in the user’s environment and use AI to deliver relevant, real-time information directly to the user’s field of vision.”
“This is a technology race and we want Dispelix to emerge as the best in the world,” she adds.
The industry is highly competitive, with three main approaches to developing the technology: diffractive waveguides (like those from Dispelix), reflective waveguides, and holographic displays.
“Dispelix waveguides use diffraction through nano gratings to in-couple and out-couple light. This allows for precise control over how images are projected. We believe that diffractive waveguides will emerge as the dominant technology in this field,” explains Häyrynen.
IP and trademark protection in key markets
Developing the intricate nano gratings starts with extensive simulations, followed by the creation of physical prototypes. Dispelix uses its own in-house developed simulation and optimization software to create waveguide designs and then turn them into displays for its customers.
“The software is the secret sauce behind our work. It allows our designers to experiment with different grating configurations and fine-tune them before building physical prototypes. This not only saves time and resources but also allows the designs to be well optimized for each application,” explains Puustinen.
The company patents its technical innovations and registers the Dispelix trademark in key markets, including the US, the EU, China, Japan, South Korea and India. These geographies have been identified as important for building the market for waveguide technology, and to create a leadership position for the company. Papula-Nevinpat helps Dispelix navigate this complex landscape.
“The field of diffractive optics is extremely specialized. After working closely with the Dispelix team for several years, I’ve come to appreciate just how advanced their innovations are. It takes time to truly grasp the complexities,” says Papula-Nevinpat European Patent Attorney, Teemu Manninen, who studied photonics at Finland’s Aalto University.
Dispelix IP manager Häyrynen says that Papula-Nevinpat’s attorneys have a strong understanding of the intricate details involved in drafting the waveguide patent applications.
“To fully understand this technology, you need deep expertise in optics and physics. In this way, working with Papula-Nevinpat has been very easy. We set up meetings where our inventors can explain what’s new in the innovation, then the attorneys have been able to craft the long explanations needed for patent applications,” explains Häyrynen.