Asymmetric light diffuser and methods for manufacturing the same

• US 20110075262A1
• Filed: 09/28/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Entire Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Entire Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Jen-Huai, Lin, Chao-Ying, Cheng, Yung-Hsiung
• Application Number:
  US12/585,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075262A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/599
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00663 Production of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00798 Producing diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0242 by means of dispersed particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0257 creating an anisotropic diffusion characteristic, i.e. distributing output differently in two perpendicular axes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3083 Birefringent or phase retarding elements G02B5/3008, G02B5/3016 take precedence; systems for polarisation control G02B27/286; manufacturing phase modulating patterns by lithographic processes G03F7/001

Abstract

Asymmetric light diffuser and the methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The diffuser is preferably a transparent film made by a stress-stretch process. Particularly, a substrate doped with variant beads is formed as an anisotropic film layer after the stress-stretch process, so that the characteristics with birefringence and diffusion are incorporated. Further the asymmetric relief structure is formed on the surface of substrate by means of extrusion or co-extrusion process. A uniform light and anisotropic refraction can be formed through the diffuser, and even the partial polarization scattering can be formed due to the asymmetric refraction. The preferred embodiment of the diffuser includes a first step of preparing the mold for forming the basic surface structure of the asymmetric diffuser. Further, the substrate with surface micro-structure is formed by a roll-to-roll process. After that, the inside variant refractions and structure deformation are formed under the stress-stretch process.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an asymmetric light diffuser, comprising:

forming a surface structure of a plate mold or a roll on a substrate'"'"'s surface by a roll-to-roll extrusion process, wherein the substrate is formed by polymer material blended with transparent diffusing beads; and

performing a stretch process for stretching the substrate and a plurality of transparent beads in the substrate, so as to form a deformation of surface micro-structure;

wherein the substrate or the inside transparent beads has a refraction or an alignment, and a birefringence characteristic after the stretch process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of the plate mold has relief structure, which is formed by a spraying method.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of the plate mold has relief structure, on which a laser is used to form the relief structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of the plate mold has relief structure, which is formed by an etching process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface of the plate mold has relief structure, on which a diamond blade is mechanically used to form the relief structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the roll-to-roll process is used to form one surface'"'"'s structure of the substrate through a set of rolls covered with the mold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the roll-to-roll process is used to form the surface structure on two surfaces of the substrate through a plurality of sets of the rolls with micro-structure.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stretch process is used to form the deformation of the micro-structure through two sets of rolls with two different rolling rates to be adjusted.

9. A method for manufacturing an asymmetric light diffuser, by which a light diffuser with characteristics of birefringence and asymmetric diffusion is manufactured, comprising:

preparing a plate mold or a roll, wherein surface of the plate mold or the roll has relief structure, so as to make a mold required to form the surface structure of the asymmetric light diffuser;

providing a substrate blended with a plurality of transparent beads;

performing a roll-to-roll process to form the surface structure of the mold on the substrate through plural sets of rolls having surface micro-structure; and

performing a stretch process to form a deformation due to the substrate and the inside transparent beads subject to the variant stresses.

wherein the substrate has refraction or structure alignment, and the characteristic of birefringence after the substrate or the inside transparent beads is stretched.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the relief structure on the surface of the mold is formed by spraying.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the relief structure of the mold'"'"'s surface is made by a laser forming the relief texture thereon.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the relief structure on the surface of the mold is formed by a laser process or an etching process.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the stretch process adjusts a stretch ratio of a stretcher to deform the substrate and the inside transparent beads under the stress-stretch process.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the stretch process deforms the substrate and the inside transparent beads under variant stresses by adjusting rolling rates of plural sets of rolls.

15. An asymmetric light diffuser, comprising:

a transparent high-polymer substrate;

a plurality of transparent diffusing beads, which are blended in the substrate as manufacturing the diffuser; and

single or double surfaces with asymmetric relief structure of the diffuser;

wherein the light diffuser with polymer substrate blended with transparent diffusing beads has relief structure surface under a stretch process, and the surface structure has asymmetric and non-axisymmetric diffusion characteristics.

16. The diffuser of claim 15, wherein the surface structure of the diffuser is formed through an extrusion process.

17. The diffuser of claim 16, wherein the extrusion process is used mold the surface structure on single or double surfaces of the light diffuser through plural sets of rolls with surface micro-structure.

18. The diffuser of claim 17, wherein the beads inside the diffuser and the surface micro-structure of the substrate are deformed by variant stresses by adjusting rolling rates of the plural sets of rolls.

19. The diffuser of claim 15, wherein the transparent diffusing beads in the diffuser have birefringence characteristic after the stretch process.

20. The diffuser of claim 19, wherein the transparent diffusing beads are isotropic, and the beads become anisotropic after the stretch process.