Reflective display device using photonic crystals

• US 7,145,614 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2003
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hong-seok, Kim, Ji-deog, Lee, Suk-han, Moon, Il-kwon
• Primary Examiner(s): Schechter, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Richard H
• Application Number:
  US10/413,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20030218704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 349/106, 349/113, 349/115, 359/599, 359/587, 428/577
• US Class Current: 349/106
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133521 Interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133553 Reflecting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals

Abstract

A reflective display device using photonic crystals includes a plurality of reflective color filters, each reflective color filter reflects a predetermined wavelength range of an incident visible light; and a plurality of optical switches disposed adjacent to and facing a corresponding one of the plurality of reflective color filters, each of the plurality of optical switches extracts a predetermined color by adjusting an intensity or on/off-frequency of light reflected from the corresponding one of the plurality of reflective color filters. Accordingly, a reflective display device using photonic crystals may have a simplified structure requiring no conventional reflecting mirror.

Claims

1. A reflective display device using photonic crystals, comprising:

a plurality of reflective color filters, each reflective color filter reflects a predetermined wavelength range of an incident visible light, each of the plurality of reflective color filters including three-dimensional photonic crystals of inverse opal structure having colloids of varying sizes; and

a plurality of optical switches disposed adjacent to and facing a corresponding one of the plurality of reflective color filters, each of the plurality of optical switches extracts a predetermined color by adjusting an intensity or on/off-frequency of light reflected from the corresponding one of the plurality of reflective color filters.

2. The reflective display device using photonic crystals as claimed in claim 1, wherein the colloids are spheres having diameters of several hundred of nanometers and repeatedly arranged in at least ten (10) layers to form a sufficient band gap.

3. The reflective display device using photonic crystals as claimed in claim 1, wherein the colloids of the red (R) reflective color filter have the largest size to reflect the light of the longest wavelength among red (R), green (G), and blue (B).