Embodiments described herein relate to three dimensional (3D) display apparatus. In one embodiment, the 3D display apparatus include a polychromatic backlight unit comprising an emissive light source, a collimator comprising a plurality of collimating features coupled to and in optical communication with the backlight unit, and a diffractive element comprising a plurality of gratings coupled to and in optical communication with the collimator. In other embodiments, the 3D display apparatus includes a monochromatic backlight unit, an LCD module, and a quantum dot containing film.