REFLECTIVE COLOR DISPLAY

• US 20140198373A1
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Original Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Inventors: Ray, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/291
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/007 the movable or deformable optical element controlling the colour, i.e. a spectral characteristic, of the light
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0858 the reflecting means being moved or deformed by piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/21 by interference
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/23 for the control of the colour G02F1/03 - G02F1/21 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/29 for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/12 spatial light modulator
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/50 Wavelength conversion elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/502 Wavelength conversion materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/60 Reflective elements

Abstract

A reflective color display is disclosed. A substrate supports a first conductor layer and pixel wells. A piezoelectric segment is formed in each pixel well over the first conductor layer. A second conductor layer overlies the piezoelectric segments, wherein an electric field created across any piezoelectric segment causes the piezoelectric segment to expand or contract under control of the electric field. A Bragg reflector segment overlies each piezoelectric segment and is compressible by expansion of the underlying piezoelectric segment. A white light LED layer overlies the Bragg reflector segments. By varying the electric field across each piezoelectric segment, the overlying Bragg reflector segment is controlled to reflect a selected wavelength for each pixel of the display. The walls of the pixel wells provide acoustic isolation between adjacent pixel wells. An acoustic membrane isolates the Bragg reflector segment from high frequency vibrations of the piezoelectric segment.

Claims

1. A reflective color display comprising:

a substrate;

a first conductor layer supported by the substrate;

an array of pixel wells formed overlying the first conductive layer;

a piezoelectric layer formed overlying the first conductor layer, the piezoelectric layer being segmented such that there is a piezoelectric segment in each pixel well;

a second conductor layer overlying the piezoelectric layer, wherein an electric field created across any piezoelectric segment causes the piezoelectric segment to expand or contract under control of the electric field;

a photonic crystal layer overlying the piezoelectric layer, the photonic crystal layer being segmented such that there is a photonic crystal segment overlying each piezoelectric segment in each pixel well; and

a light source layer overlying the photonic crystal layer, the light source layer generating a multi-wavelength light emission impinging on each photonic crystal segment, wherein varying the electric field across each piezoelectric segment causes the photonic crystal segment above the associated piezoelectric segment to reflect a selected wavelength, whereby each pixel well can be controlled to reflect a selected color within the multi-wavelength light emission.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein walls of the pixel wells provide acoustic isolation between adjacent pixel wells.

3. The display of claim 1 further comprising an acoustic membrane between each piezoelectric segment and its associated photonic crystal segment for isolating the photonic crystal segment from high frequency vibrations of the piezoelectric segment.

4. The display of claim 1 wherein the photonic crystal segment is a Bragg reflector segment.

5. The display of claim 1 wherein the light source is a layer of light emitting diodes.

6. The display of claim 1 further comprising a standoff layer overlying the photonic crystal layer for substantially blocking movement of the photonic crystal layer, allowing an expansion of the piezoelectric segment to compress its overlying photonic crystal layer to reflect the selected color.

7. The display of claim 1 wherein the light source comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), distributed across a surface of the display, emitting light in the direction of the photonic crystal layer, wherein reflected light from the photonic crystal layer passes through spaces between the LEDs.

8. The display of claim 1 wherein each pixel well is controllable by the electric field to selectively reflect any of red light, green light, and blue light.

9. The display of claim 1 wherein each pixel well is controllable by the electric field to selectively reflect any of red light, green light, blue light, and no visible light.

10. The display of claim 1 wherein the pixel wells are black.

11. The display of claim 1 further comprising a black layer underlying the photonic crystal layer to absorb light passing through the photonic crystal layer.

12. The display of claim 1 wherein at least the piezoelectric layer and the photonic crystal layer are printed layers.

13. The display of claim 12 wherein the light source layer is also a printed layer.

14. The display of claim 1 wherein the light source layer comprises a layer of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit light having a peak wavelength of blue or shorter, wherein the LEDs have a wavelength-conversion layer that creates the multi-wavelength light emission.

15. The display of claim 1 wherein the light source layer comprises:

a layer of light emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit light having a peak wavelength of blue or shorter; and

a separate wavelength-conversion layer, between the LEDs and the photonic crystal layer, that creates the multi-wavelength light emission.

16. The display of claim 1 wherein the light source layer comprises a combination of a layer of light emitting diodes (LEDs), generating light having a peak wavelength, and a wavelength-conversion material for generating the multi-wavelength light emission.

17. The display of claim 16 wherein the wavelength-conversion material comprises at least one of phosphor and quantum dots.

18. A method performed by a color reflective display comprising:

receiving a multi-wavelength light emission from a light source;

controlling an electric field across a piezoelectric layer segment, wherein a piezoelectric layer is divided into an array of piezoelectric layer segments, with each piezoelectric layer segment being in an associated pixel well;

compressing and expanding the piezoelectric layer segment pursuant to the electric field; and

selectively reflecting color components of the multi-wavelength light emission by a photonic crystal layer segment overlying the piezoelectric layer segment, wherein a photonic crystal layer is divided into an array of photonic crystal layer segments, with each photonic crystal layer segment being in an associated pixel well, the compressing and expanding of the piezoelectric layer segment causing the photonic crystal layer segment to compress and expand to adjust a wavelength reflection characteristic of the photonic crystal layer segment.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein each pixel well is controllable by the electric field to selectively reflect any of red light, green light, blue light, and no visible light.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the light source comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs), distributed across a surface of the display, the method further comprising:

energizing the LEDs to cause the LEDs to emit light in the direction of the photonic crystal layer, wherein reflected light from the photonic crystal layer segment passes through spaces between the LEDs.

21. The method of claim 18 further comprising an acoustic membrane, between each piezoelectric layer segment and its associated photonic crystal layer segment, isolating the photonic crystal layer segment from high frequency vibrations of the piezoelectric layer segment.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the photonic crystal segment is a Bragg reflector segment.

23. The method of claim 18 further comprising absorbing light that passes through the photonic crystal layer segment by a black layer underlying the photonic crystal layer segment.

24. The method of claim 18 further comprising controlling electric fields across respective piezoelectric layer segments, in the array of piezoelectric layer segments, to create different color pixels across the display by selective compression and expansion of associated photonic crystal layer segments overlying the piezoelectric layer segments.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the light source comprises a combination of a layer of light emitting diodes (LEDs), generating light having a peak wavelength, and a wavelength-conversion material for generating the multi-wavelength light emission, wherein the light source is deposited overlying the photonic crystal layer.