Polarizer and display device including the same

• US 10,261,359 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2018
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Seon Uk, Kim, Min Su, Park, Jae Cheol, Yoon, Yeo Geon, Jin, You Young, Hong, Wang Su
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phu
• Application Number:
  US15/958,384
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/14 Protective coatings, e.g. hard coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3058 comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133548 Wire-grid polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133617 Illumination with ultraviolet light; Luminescent elements or materials associated to the cell
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1337 Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/121 common or background
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel

Abstract

Provided are a polarizer and a display device including a polarizer. The polarizer comprises: a base; a wire grid pattern layer disposed on the base and including wire patterns extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction; and a capping layer which is disposed on the wire grid pattern layer and comprises a first inorganic capping layer containing an inorganic material and an organic capping layer containing an organic material, wherein the first inorganic capping layer comprises inorganic capping patterns which are disposed on the wire grid pattern layer, extend in the first direction and are spaced apart from each other in the second direction and being disposed at positions corresponding to the wire patterns, and at least a portion of the organic capping layer is inserted into a space between adjacent inorganic capping patterns.

Claims

1. A polarizer comprising:

a base;

a wire grid pattern layer which is disposed on the base and the wire grid pattern layer comprises a plurality of wire patterns extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction; and

a capping layer which is disposed on the wire grid pattern layer and comprises a first inorganic capping layer containing an inorganic material and an organic capping layer containing an organic material formed on the first inorganic capping layer,

wherein the first inorganic capping layer comprises a plurality of inorganic capping patterns which are disposed on the wire grid pattern layer, extend in the first direction and are spaced apart from each other in the second direction, the inorganic capping patterns being disposed at positions corresponding to the wire patterns, and

at least a portion of the organic capping layer is inserted into a space between adjacent inorganic capping patterns.

2. The polarizer of claim 1,

wherein the wire patterns of the wire grid pattern layer have a first width in the second direction and the inorganic capping patterns have a second width in the second direction, the second width being greater than the first width.

3. The polarizer of claim 2, further comprising a second inorganic capping layer which is disposed on the organic capping layer and contains an inorganic material,

wherein a thickness of the second inorganic capping layer is substantially uniform.

4. The polarizer of claim 1,

wherein a distance between the adjacent inorganic capping patterns is about 15 nanometers (nm) to about 50 nm and is smaller than a distance between the wire patterns.

5. The polarizer of claim 4, wherein a thickness of the inorganic capping patterns is about 800 Å

to about 1,500 Å

.

6. The polarizer of claim 1, wherein the inorganic capping patterns are partially in contact with side surfaces of the wire patterns.

7. The polarizer of claim 6, wherein the inorganic capping patterns are partially in contact with the base.

8. The polarizer of claim 1,

wherein the inorganic capping patterns are in contact with upper surfaces of the wire patterns, and

the organic capping layer is in contact with upper surfaces of the inorganic capping patterns.

9. The polarizer of claim 8, wherein the organic capping layer is partially in contact with side surfaces of the inorganic capping patterns.

10. The polarizer of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the organic capping layer is inserted into a space between adjacent wire patterns.

11. The polarizer of claim 10, wherein the organic capping layer is partially in contact with the base.

12. The polarizer of claim 1, wherein the wire patterns comprise,

first wire patterns which contain a metallic material, and

second wire patterns which are disposed between the first wire patterns and the inorganic capping patterns and contain a non-metallic inorganic material,

wherein a width of the first wire patterns is greater than or equal to a width of the second wire patterns.

13. The polarizer of claim 12, wherein a thickness of the first wire patterns is greater than that of the second wire patterns.

14. The polarizer of claim 12, wherein the inorganic capping patterns are partially in contact with side surfaces of the first wire patterns and side surfaces of the second wire patterns.

15. The polarizer of claim 1, wherein a void is defined in a space surrounded by the base, adjacent wire patterns, and the inserted organic capping layer.

16. A polarizer comprising:

a base;

a wire grid pattern layer which is disposed on the base and the wire grid pattern layer comprises a plurality of wire patterns extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction; and

a capping layer which is disposed on the wire grid pattern layer and comprises a first portion containing an inorganic material and a second portion containing an organic material,

wherein the first portion and the second portion are arranged alternately along the second direction.

17. The polarizer of claim 16,

wherein the first portions are disposed at positions corresponding to the wire patterns, and

the second portions are disposed at positions corresponding to spaces between adjacent wire patterns.

18. The polarizer of claim 17, wherein a width of the first portions in the second direction is greater than that of the second portions in the second direction.

19. A display device comprising:

a first panel which comprises a polarizer;

a second panel which faces the first panel; and

a liquid crystal layer which is interposed between the first panel and the second panel,

wherein the polarizer comprises;

a wire grid pattern layer which comprises a plurality of wire patterns extending in a first direction and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction;

an inorganic capping layer which is disposed on the wire grid pattern layer and comprises a plurality of inorganic capping patterns extending in the first direction and spaced apart from each other in the second direction, the inorganic capping patterns being disposed at positions corresponding to the wire patterns; and

an organic capping layer which is disposed on the inorganic capping layer,

wherein at least a portion of the organic capping layer is inserted into a space between adjacent inorganic capping patterns.

20. The display device of claim 19,

wherein the first panel comprises,

a first base substrate,

a color conversion pattern layer which is disposed on a surface of the first base substrate,

an inorganic protective layer which is disposed on the color conversion pattern layer and contains an inorganic material,

the wire grid pattern layer which is disposed on the inorganic protective layer,

the inorganic capping layer which is disposed on the wire grid pattern layer and made of a different material from the inorganic protective layer,

the organic capping layer which is disposed on the inorganic capping layer, and

a common electrode which is disposed on the organic capping layer, and

the second panel comprises,

a second base substrate,

a switching element which is disposed on a surface of the second base substrate, and

a pixel electrode which is disposed on the switching element.