Light emitting composition, light source device, and display device

• US 7,737,615 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2007
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kusunoki, Tsuneo, Igarashi, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo; Peter J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Glenn
• Application Number:
  US11/743,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20070267965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 313/48, 313/498, 313/496, 313/110, 313/486, 313/489, 313/502, 313/503, 313/509, 313/582, 313/483, 257/98, 252/500, 252/301.4 R, 252/301.4 S, 428/403, 428/404, 428/690, 362/84, 349/70, 349/71
• US Class Current: 313/483
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/025 non-luminescent particle coatings or suspension media
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/7731 with alkaline earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133614 using photoluminescence, e.g. phosphors illuminated by UV or blue light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/14 characterised by the chemical or physical composition or the arrangement of the electroluminescent material , or by the simultaneous addition of the electroluminescent material in or onto the light source
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/2991 Coated

Abstract

A light emitting composition, light source device, and display device are provided. The light emitting composition has a phosphor, including a glass layer containing at least silicon (Si) and oxygen (O) formed on the surface of the phosphor. Exposed regions of the phosphor are made discrete by the glass layer.

Claims

1. A light emitting composition prepared using a sol-gel process, the light emitting composition comprising:

a phosphor in the form of particles; and

a plurality of glass layers, each one of the glass layers substantially coating the surface of a respective one of the phosphor particles and containing at least silicon and oxygen;

wherein each glass layer is formed about the respective phosphor particle and includes openings that define exposed regions of said respective phosphor particle, the exposed regions are made discrete from one another by the glass layer.

2. The light emitting composition according to claim 1, wherein the average thickness of said glass layer is 20 nm or more.

3. The light emitting composition according to claim 1, wherein said phosphor contains an alkaline earth metal sulfide.

4. The light emitting composition according to claim 1, wherein said phosphor is excited by blue light.

5. A light source device comprising:

a first light emitting composition;

a second light emitting composition; and

a blue light source;

wherein at least one of said first light emitting composition and said second light emitting composition is prepared using a sol-gel process and has a phosphor in the form of particles to be excited by blue light emitted from said blue light source; and

wherein the surfaces of each of said phosphor particles are substantially coated with a respective glass layer containing at least silicon and oxygen, each of the glass layers formed about the respective phosphor particles and including openings that define exposed regions of said respective phosphor particles, the exposed regions being made discrete from one another by said glass layer.

6. The light source device according to claim 5, wherein said first light emitting composition has a first phosphor to be excited by blue light emitted from said blue light source;

and said second light emitting composition has a second phosphor to be excited by blue light emitted from said blue light source.

7. A display device comprising:

a light source device having a first light emitting composition, a second light emitting composition, and a blue light source; and

an optical device for performing predetermined modulation to light emitted from said light source device to thereby output predetermined light;

wherein at least one of said first light emitting composition and said second light emitting composition is prepared using a sol-gel process and has a phosphor in the form of particles to be excited by blue light emitted from said blue light source; and

the surfaces of each of said phosphor particles are substantially coated with a respective glass layer containing at least silicon and oxygen, each glass layer formed about the respective phosphor particles including openings that define exposed regions of said respective phosphor particles, the exposed regions being made discrete from one another by the glass layer.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein said first light emitting composition has a first phosphor for emitting light in a green region, and said second light emitting composition has a second phosphor for emitting light in a red region.

9. A method of producing a light emitting composition including a phosphor in the form of particles, the method comprising:

dispersing the phosphor in ethanol, tetraethyoxysilane and water to form a mixture;

heating and stirring the mixture for a determined period of time;

filtering the mixture to produce a residue, and drying the residue, wherein each of the phosphor particles in the resulting residue includes a respective glass layer substantially coating the surface of the respective phosphor particle and containing at least silicon and oxygen, and wherein each glass layer formed about the respective phosphor particle includes openings that define exposed regions of the respective phosphor particle, the exposed regions are made discrete from one another by the glass layer.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the phosphor is in particulate form, and a thickness of the glass layer ranges from about 20 nm to less than about an average diameter of the phosphor particles.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the proportion of water is four times the number of moles of tetraethyoxysilane.