Display unit and its manufacturing method

• US 20040150329A1
• Filed: 10/22/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iwase, Yuichi, Urabe, Tetsuo, Asai, Nobutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,009,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/852 comprising a resonant cavity structure, e.g. Bragg reflector pair
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/858 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/876 comprising a resonant cavity structure, e.g. Bragg reflector pair
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/879 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses

Abstract

The invention provides a display unit which can improve emission efficiency of lights for image display, and assure luminance of display images. The display unit comprises micro prisms which are arranged in the positions corresponding to organic EL devices, and which have a high refraction index to refract a light, and auxiliary prisms with a low refraction index which are embedded in voids between each micro prism. A light volume of the light viewed as an image in the direction facing an organic EL display (facing direction) is a total of a light volume of a light essentially emitted from the organic EL device in the facing direction, and lights which are directed in the facing direction by utilizing refraction phenomenon based on differences of refraction index between the micro prism and the auxiliary prism. Compared to the case wherein the micro prisms and the auxiliary prisms are not provided, an emission volume of the light in the facing direction is increased by the light volumes of the lights.

Claims

1. A display unit, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting devices which generate lights for image display;

a plurality of first prisms which are arranged corresponding to each light emitting device, and refract the lights for image display; and

second prisms which are at least embedded in voids formed between the first prisms, and which have a smaller refraction index than that of the first prisms.

2. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein:

nonluminescent spaces are provided between each light emitting device; and

the first prism has an end face which is positioned corresponding to the light emitting device and two oblique faces which are positioned respectively corresponding to adjacent two nonluminescent spaces, and has a trapezoidal cross section wherein the end face is an upper base and the two oblique faces are oblique lines.

3. A display unit according to claim 1, further comprising optical filters which are arranged corresponding to each light emitting device, and which selectively transmit the lights for image display.

4. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein the first prisms include pigments whose colors correspond to the lights for image display, and have a function to selectively transmit the lights for image display.

5. A display unit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a support substrate to support the light emitting devices; and

a transparent substrate which is arranged on the opposite side of the light emitting devices sandwiching the first and the second prisms, and which constructs emission paths to emit the lights for image display outside, wherein

the first prisms have a function to bond the support substrate and the transparent substrate together, and a function to seal the light emitting devices between the support substrate and the transparent substrate.

6. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein the first prisms are made of a resin which has a water vapor permeability of 50 g/m²·

24 hours or less.

7. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting devices generate the lights for image display by utilizing organic light emitting phenomenon.

8. A display unit according to claim 7, wherein the light emitting device includes a light emitting layer which generates the lights for image display and two electrode layers sandwiching the light emitting layer, and has a resonator structure which makes the lights for image display generated in the light emitting layer resonate between the two electrode layers.

9. A method of manufacturing a display unit, including the steps of:

forming a prism precursor layer to form first prisms to cover a plurality of light emitting devices which are pattern-arranged on a support substrate;

pattern-forming a plurality of second prisms on a transparent substrate; and

forming the first prisms by placing the support substrate and the transparent substrate opposite so that the prism precursor layer and the second prisms are placed opposite to each other, and then pressure bonding the transparent substrate to the support substrate, and forming the prism precursor layer by utilizing a shape of the second prisms.