Optical interference type of color display

• US 7,038,752 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Prime View International Company Limited (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lin, Wen-Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, George Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/711,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20050024557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 349/86, 349/139, 349104-106, 359/263, 359/622, 359/237, 359/618, 359/885, 362/260
• US Class Current: 349/139
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/29 for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection

Abstract

An optical interference color display comprising a transparent substrate, an inner-front optical diffusion layer, a plurality of first electrodes, a patterned support layer, a plurality of optical films and a plurality of second electrodes is provided. The inner-front optical diffusion layer is on the transparent substrate and the first electrodes are on the inner-front optical diffusion layer. The patterned support layer is on the inner-front optical diffusion layer between the first electrodes. The optical film is on the first electrodes and the second electrodes are positioned over the respective first electrodes. The second electrodes are supported through the patterned support layer. Furthermore, there is an air gap between the second electrodes and their respective first electrodes.

Claims

1. An optical interference color display, comprising:

a transparent substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes on the transparent substrate;

a patterned support layer on the transparent substrate, wherein the patterned support layer is between the first electrodes;

a plurality of optical films on the first electrodes;

a plurality of second electrode over the first electrodes, wherein the second electrodes are supported by the patterned support layer and that there are first air gaps, second air gaps and third air gaps having different air gap thicknesses between the second electrodes and the respective first electrodes; and

an optical diffusion layer on the second electrodes facing the respective surfaces of the first electrodes.

2. The color display of claim 1, wherein the optical diffusion layer is supported through the patterned support layer.

3. The color display of claim 1, wherein the optical diffusion layer further includes:

a third film over the first electrodes and supported by the patterned support layer; and

a fourth film over the third film, wherein the interface between the third film and the fourth film forms a dispersive surface.

4. The color display of claim 3, wherein the third film is fabricated using a material including indium-tin-oxide and the fourth film is fabricated using a material including silicon nitride or silicon oxide.

5. The color display of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes are transparent electrode and that the first electrodes are fabricated using a material including indium-tin-oxide.

6. The color display of claim 1, wherein the second electrodes are metallic electrodes and that the second electrodes are fabricated using a material selected from a group consisting of molybdenum, molybdenum alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, chromium or a combination of them.

7. The color display of claim 1, wherein the transparent substrate includes a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

8. The color display of claim 1, wherein each optical film includes:

at least a first dielectric film; and

at least a second dielectric film, wherein the second dielectric film and the second dielectric film are alternately stacked over each other and that the second dielectric film has a dielectric constant different from the first dielectric film.

9. The color display of claim 1, wherein the air gap thickness of the first air gaps is smaller than that of the second air gaps and the air gap thickness of the second air gaps is smaller than that of the third air gaps, wherein red light is emitted through the first air gaps, blue light is emitted through the second air gaps and green light is emitted through the third air gaps.