Optical films for directing light towards active areas of displays

• US 7,561,323 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IDC, LLC
• Inventors: Gally, Brian J., Cummings, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang; Hung X.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tra; Tuyen Q
• Application Number:
  US11/156,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20060077154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 359/291, 359/260, 359/290, 359/247, 359/302, 359/337.22, 359/346, 359/370, 359/398, 359/498, 359/577, 359/293, 359/295, 359/298, 359/292, 359/245, 359/254, 359/320, 359/322, 359/323
• US Class Current: 359/291
• 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: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

In various embodiments of the invention, an interferometric display device is provided having an external film with a plurality of structures that redirect light from an inactive area of the display to an active area of the display. Light incident on the external film that would normally continue towards an inactive area of the display is either reflected, refracted, or scattered towards an active area of the display comprising moveable and static reflective surfaces that form an optical cavity.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a light-modulating array comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements and a substrate, the substrate on a side of the light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating array spaced apart by substantially non-reflective portions; and

an optical layer on said side of the light-modulating elements, the optical layer including a plurality of optical elements separated by gaps, wherein the gaps between the optical elements are above the active reflector areas and the optical elements are above the substantially non-reflective portions, the optical elements being configured to re-direct light propagating from above the optical layer and the substrate and incident on the optical elements into the active reflector areas.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the optical layer is disposed between the light-modulating elements and the substrate.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the substrate is disposed between the optical layer and the light-modulating elements.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise reflecting surfaces.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements have a different refractive index than said gaps between said optical elements.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise scatter elements that scatter light incident thereon.

7. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise lenses.

8. The display of claim 7, wherein said optical elements comprise lenses having negative power.

9. The display of claim 8, wherein said optical elements comprise concave surfaces that form concave lenses.

10. The display of claim 7, wherein said optical elements comprise Fresnel lenses.

11. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise diffractive optical elements.

12. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise holographic regions.

13. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise sloped surfaces.

14. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements comprise opposing sloped surfaces.

15. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements have widths between about 2 and 10 microns.

16. The display of claim 1, wherein said optical elements are spaced apart by a distance of between about 125 and 254 microns.

17. The display of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor that is in electrical communication with the light-modulating array, said processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device in electrical communication with said processor.

18. The display of claim 17, further comprising:

a first controller configured to send at least one signal to the light-modulating array; and

a second controller configured to send at least a portion of said image data to said first controller.

19. The display of claim 17, further comprising:

an image source module configured to send said image data to said processor.

20. The display of claim 19, wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

21. The display of claim 17, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

22. The display of claim 1, wherein said light-modulating elements comprise interferometric modulators.

23. A method of manufacturing a display, the method comprising:

forming a light-modulating array comprising a plurality of light-modulating elements and a substrate, the light-modulating elements formed on the substrate, the substrate on a side of the light-modulating elements, said light-modulating elements including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating array spaced apart by substantially non-reflective portions; and

forming an optical layer on said side of the light-modulating elements, the optical layer including a plurality of optical elements separated by gaps, wherein the gaps between the optical elements are above the active reflector areas and the optical elements are above the substantially non-reflective portions, the optical elements being configured to re-direct light propagating from above the optical layer and the substrate and incident on the optical elements into the active reflector areas.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the optical layer is disposed between the light-modulating elements and the substrate.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the substrate is disposed between the optical layer and the light-modulating elements.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said optical elements comprise reflecting surfaces.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein said optical elements have a different refractive index than said gaps between said optical elements.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein said optical elements comprise scatter elements that scatter light incident thereon.

29. A display formed by the method of manufacturing of claim 23.

30. A display comprising:

means for modulating light, the light-modulating means including movable reflective surfaces and static reflective surfaces that define active reflector areas of the light-modulating means spaced apart by substantially non-reflective portions;

means for supporting the light-modulating means, said light supporting means on a side of the light-modulating means; and

means for directing light propagating from above the light directing means and the supporting means and incident on the light directing means into the active reflector areas, the light directing means on said side of the light-modulating means, said light directing means separated by gaps, wherein the gaps are above the active reflector areas and the light directing means are above the substantially non-reflective portions.

31. The display of claim 30, wherein the supporting means comprises a substrate.

32. The display of claim 30, wherein the light-modulating means comprises a plurality of light-modulating elements.

33. The display of claim 30, wherein the light directing means comprises a plurality of optical elements.