Abstract
<jats:p>Augmented reality (AR) waveguide displays require simultaneous achievement of a wide field of view (FOV), large eye-box, high efficiency, and compact form factor, which remains challenging for conventional three-grating architectures to achieve two-dimensional exit pupil expansion (2D EPE). In this work, we propose an integrated dual-axis (IDA) surface relief grating (SRG) waveguide that eliminates the fold grating (FG) by integrating its function into a single out-coupling grating (OCG). To address the strongly coupled propagation and extraction behavior in IDA waveguides, we propose a physics-informed inverse design framework centered on a hybrid RCWA–Fresnel propagation model. Physics-guided k-space initialization and hierarchical optimization are introduced to improve convergence efficiency. The hybrid model enables accurate prediction of finite-aperture diffraction and global field distribution, bridging the gap between rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) and full-wave simulations. Based on this framework, we demonstrate an IDA waveguide achieving a 51.5° diagonal FOV, a 669 mm² eye-box (measured in 20 mm, by national standard), 6.85% total optical efficiency, and 2.5% uniformity in the center of the eye-box, representing significant improvements in balance of FOV, efficiency, uniformity, and eye-box size compared to conventional designs. The out-coupling image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 13.98 dB, and the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) is 33.26 dB. The proposed approach provides a practical pathway toward compact and high-performance AR waveguide displays.</jats:p>