Coated light-turning feature with auxiliary structure

• US 8,866,757 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bita, Ion, Dhanens, Stephen P., Gousev, Evgeni P., Narayanan, Kollengode S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US12/979,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20110157058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 345/102, 345/156, 178/18.06, 359/290, 362615-629, 349 61- 71
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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: G02B 6/0045 by shaping at least a portion of the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0055 Reflecting element, sheet or layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0083 Details of electrical connections of light sources to drivers, circuit boards, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/225 in an optical waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for a front illumination device with metalized light-turning features. In one aspect, an illumination device includes a light guide having light-turning features that include recesses formed on the light guide and that extend down into the light guide. The recesses may be coated with a material where the material also forms an auxiliary structure outside of the recesses on the light guide. The auxiliary structure may be conductive and may form, for example, an electrode.

Claims

1. An illumination device comprising:

a light guide including light-turning features, wherein the light-turning features include recesses formed on the light guide and extending down into the light guide;

a material coating at least some of the recesses; and

an auxiliary structure formed outside of the recesses and on the light guide, the auxiliary structure at least partially formed of the material coating at least some of the recesses, and spaced apart from the material coating the at least some of the recesses,

wherein the light guide has a top surface,

wherein the light-turning features are formed on the top surface of the light guide, and

wherein the auxiliary structure contacts the top surface of the light guide.

2. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the material includes a metal.

3. The illumination device of claim 2, wherein the auxiliary structure is an electrode.

4. The illumination device of claim 3, wherein the electrode is electrically connected to an electronic system.

5. The illumination device of claim 4, wherein the electronic system is a touch sensor system capable of sensing the proximity of a conductive body and the electrode is part of the touch sensor system.

6. The illumination device of claim 5, wherein

the touch sensor system includes the electrode extending in one direction and another electrode extending in another, non-parallel direction;

the electrode has a gap with two sides formed to prevent the intersection of the electrode and the other electrode, the gap breaking the electrode into a first side and a second side; and

the electrode and the other electrode are formed on a single surface.

7. The illumination device of claim 5, wherein

the touch-sensing electrode system includes the electrode extending in one direction and another electrode extending in another, non-parallel direction;

the electrode has a gap with two sides formed to prevent the intersection of the electrode and the other electrode, the gap breaking the electrode into a first side and a second side; and

the electrode and the other electrode are formed on a single surface.

8. The illumination device of claim 7, wherein the first side of the electrode is electrically connected to the second side of the electrode across the gap through a conductive bridge on a level different from a level of the electrode and the other electrode, wherein vertically extending contact structures electrically connect the bridge to the first and second sides of the electrode.

9. The illumination device of claim 7, wherein the conductive bridge includes a reflective conductor.

10. The illumination device of claim 7, wherein the contact structures include a reflective conductor.

11. The illumination device of claim 8, wherein the contact structures comprise a reflective conductor.

12. The illumination device of claim 6, wherein the electronic system is capable of sensing the proximity of a human finger.

13. The illumination device of claim 3, wherein the auxiliary structure forms a passive electric device.

14. The illumination device of claim 3, wherein the auxiliary structure forms an active electric device.

15. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the material coating at least some of the recesses is part of a plurality of layers of different materials extending into the at least some of the recesses.

16. The illumination device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of layers form an interferometric structure.

17. The illumination device of claim 16, wherein the auxiliary structure includes an interferometric stack formed of a stack of materials corresponding to the plurality of layers forming the interferometric structure in the at least some of the recesses.

18. The illumination device of claim 17, wherein the interferometric stack is configured to be more reflective of light striking a bottom surface of the interferometric stack than light striking a top surface of the interferometric stack

19. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary structure is spaced apart from the light-turning features.

20. The illumination device of claim 1, wherein the light guide is disposed over a reflective display.

21. The illumination device of claim 20, wherein the reflective display includes display elements including interferometric modulators.

22. The illumination device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display which can be illuminated by the light guide;

a processor that is configured to communicate with the display, the processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device that is configured to communicate with the processor.

23. The illumination device as recited in claim 22, further comprising a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display.

24. The illumination device as recited in claim 23, further comprising a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

25. The illumination device as recited in claim 22, further comprising an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

26. The illumination device as recited in claim 25, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, transceiver, or transmitter.

27. The illumination device as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

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

28. A method of manufacturing an integrated illumination device, the method comprising:

depositing a material on a light guide including light-turning features, the light- turning features including recesses formed on the light guide and extending down into the light guide; and

etching the deposited material to form an auxiliary structure and simultaneously leaving some of the material in at least some of the recesses formed on the light guide, wherein the light guide has a top surface,

wherein the light-turning features are formed on the top surface of the light guide, and the material is deposited on the top surface of the light guide, and

wherein the auxiliary structure contacts the top surface of the light guide and is spaced apart from the material coating the at least some of the recesses formed on the light guide.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the material includes a metal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein etching the material to form the auxiliary structure includes etching the material to form an elongate electrode.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising connecting the electrode to a touch-sensing electrode system capable of sensing the proximity of a conductive body.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the electrode system is capable of sensing the proximity of a human finger.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein the auxiliary structure includes a conductive electric trace extending across an entire viewable surface of a display.

34. An illumination device comprising:

a guiding means for guiding light including turning means for turning light out of the guiding means;

a coating means for coating at least some of the turning means to render the turning means reflective; and

a conductive means for conducting electricity, the conductive means formed outside of the turning means, contacting the guiding means, spaced apart from the coating means, and formed of the same material as the coating means.

35. The illumination device of claim 34, wherein:

the guiding means includes a light guide;

the turning means includes a light-turning facet;

the coating means includes a reflective material;

or

the conductive means includes a conductive material.

36. The illumination device of claim 34, wherein the coating means and the conductive means include an anti-reflection means.

37. The illumination device of claim 36, wherein the anti-reflection means includes a stack of layers of different materials.

38. The illumination device of claim 37, wherein the layers of different materials form an interferometric stack.

39. The illumination device of claim 34, wherein the coating means and the conductive means each include a metal.