Electro-optical device with transmissive and reflection display regions where the reflection display region has a scatter-reflection and mirror-reflection region

• US 7,889,294 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2006
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kamijo, Kimitaka, Takizawa, Keiji, Kato, Tatsuya, Nakano, Tomoyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms; David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Merlin; Jessica M
• Application Number:
  US11/351,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,832 Days
• Field of Search: 349106-111, 349113-115
• US Class Current: 349/114
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133504 Diffusing, scattering, diffracting elements associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133606
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136222 Colour filters incorporated in the active matrix substrate

Abstract

An electro-optical device includes a pair of substrates that hold an electro-optical material therebetween and include a plurality of pixels each having a reflective display region and a transmissive display region; a reflective film that is provided in the reflective display region and has a flat surface in a portion of the reflective display region adjacent to the transmissive display region, the portion of the reflective display region serving as a first mirror-reflection region; and colored layers each of which is formed in only the first mirror-reflection region and the transmissive display region.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device comprising:

a pair of substrates that hold an electro-optical material therebetween and include a pixel having a reflective display region and a transmissive display region;

a reflective film provided in the reflective display region, the reflective film having;

a first mirror-reflection region that has a flat surface in a portion of the reflective display region adjacent to the transmissive display region;

a scatter-reflection region that has an uneven surface other then where the flat surface is located; and

a colored layer disposed in the first mirror-reflection region and the transmissive display region in the pixel without overlapping the uneven surface of the scatter-reflection region,

wherein the reflective film provided in the first mirror-reflection region is formed of a different material from that forming the reflective film provided in the scatter-reflection region; and

the reflective film of the first mirror-reflection region consists of a metallic material and the reflective film of the scatter-reflection region consists of a metallic material different from that of the first mirror-reflection region.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising another pixel provided adjacent to the pixel;

wherein the reflective film has a second mirror-reflection region that has a flat surface, the second mirror-reflection region being located in the pixel near the transmissive display region of the other pixel.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

another pixel provided adjacent to the pixel; and

a first light shielding layer provided between the transmissive display region of the pixel and a reflective display region of the other pixel, the reflective display region of the other pixel being adjacent to the transmissive display region of the pixel.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 3, wherein the colored layer includes a plurality of colored layers having a plurality of colors, and

the first light shielding layer is formed by laminating the plurality of colored layers having different ones of the plurality of colors.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective film is provided on one of the pair of substrates, and

a light shielding layer is provided in a region of the other substrate of the pair of substrates corresponding to the first mirror-reflection region.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a side of the first mirror-reflection region adjacent to the transmissive display region has a linear shape.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective film is provided in an island shape in the pixel, or the transmissive display region is an aperture provided in the reflective film.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the first mirror-reflection region has a width of about 1 to 10 μ

m.

9. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an underlayer that has an uneven surface and is formed between one of the substrates and the reflective film in the scatter-reflection region.

10. Electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein an underlayer is provided between one of the substrates and the reflective film, and

the underlayer has a flat surface in the first mirror-reflection region and an uneven surface in the scatter-reflection region.

11. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein an underlayer having an uneven surface is provided between one of the substrates and the reflective film, and

a planarizing film for planarizing the uneven surface of the underlayer is formed in the first mirror-reflection region between the underlayer and the reflective film.

12. An electro-optical device comprising:

a pair of substrates that hold an electro-optical material therebetween and include a pixel having a reflective display region and a transmissive display region;

a reflective film provided in the reflective display region, the reflective film having;

a first mirror-reflection region that has a flat surface in a portion of the reflective display region adjacent to the transmissive display region;

a scatter-reflection region that has an uneven surface other than where the flat surface is located; and

a colored layer disposed in the first mirror-reflection region and the transmissive display region in the pixel without overlapping the uneven surface of the scatter-reflection region,

wherein the reflective film provided in the first mirror-reflection region consists of a first material and the scatter-reflection region consists of a second material, the first material being different from the second material; and

the reflective film of the first mirror-reflection region consists of a metallic material and the reflective film of the scatter-reflection region consists of a metallic material different from that of the first mirror-reflection region.