Polarizer, liquid crystal display, and manufacturing method thereof

• US 9,195,093 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2013
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nam, Jung Gun, Lee, Dae-Young, Jang, Dae Hwan, Jo, Gug Rae, Takakuwa, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, HUYEN LE
• Application Number:
  US13/896,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20140098330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/201 in the form of arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3058 comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133371 Cells with varying thickness of the liquid crystal layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133536 Reflective polarizers G02F1/13362 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133548 Wire-grid polarisers

Abstract

A polarizer includes an opening defined in the polarizer and through which light transmits; a non-opening which is adjacent to the opening and blocks the light; a plurality of metal lines elongated in a first direction, and separated from each other in a second direction different than the first direction, in the opening; and a plate-type pattern in the non-opening. A height of the metal lines is smaller than a height of the plate-type pattern, from a same reference; and an interval in the second direction and between adjacent metal lines is smaller than a wavelength of visible light rays.

Claims

1. A polarizer comprising:

an opening defined in the polarizer and through which light transmits;

a non-opening which is adjacent to the opening and blocks the light;

a plurality of metal lines elongated in a first direction, and separated from each other in a second direction different than the first direction, in the opening; and

a plate-type pattern in the non-opening,

wherein

a height of the plurality of metal lines is smaller than a height of the plate-type pattern, from a same reference; and

an interval in the second direction and between adjacent metal lines is smaller than a wavelength of visible light rays.

2. The polarizer of claim 1, wherein

the plate-type pattern comprises:

a plate-type metal pattern, and

an additional plate-type pattern on the plate-type metal pattern,

wherein a height of the plate-type metal pattern is the same as the height of the plurality of metal lines, from the same reference.

3. The polarizer of claim 2, wherein

the additional plate-type pattern comprises a metal or a dielectric material, and

the dielectric material comprises TiO2 or SiO2, or has a highly reflective characteristic or an anti-reflective characteristic.

4. The polarizer of claim 3, wherein

the additional plate-type pattern has a dual-layered structure.

5. The polarizer of claim 3, further comprising:

a second minute additional layer above the plurality of metal lines; and

a second plate-type additional layer between the plate-type metal pattern and the additional plate-type pattern,

wherein a height of the second minute additional layer and a height of the second plate-type additional layer are the same, from the same reference.

6. The polarizer of claim 5, wherein

the second minute additional layer and the second plate-type additional layer comprise the metal or the dielectric material.

7. The polarizer of claim 3, further comprising:

a first minute additional layer under the plurality of metal lines; and

a first plate-type additional layer under the plate-type metal pattern,

wherein a height of the first minute additional layer and a height of the first plate-type additional layer are the same, from the same reference.

8. The polarizer of claim 7, wherein

the first minute additional layer and the first plate-type additional layer comprise the metal or the dielectric material.

9. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a lower panel comprising;

a lower insulation substrate, and a lower polarizer on a surface of the lower insulation substrate;

an upper panel comprising;

an upper insulation substrate, and an upper polarizer on a surface of the upper insulation substrate;

a light blocking member, and an opening defined in the light blocking member through which light transmits; and

a liquid crystal layer between the upper panel and the lower panel,

wherein

the lower polarizer or the upper polarizer is a reflective polarizer,

the reflective polarizer comprising;

an opening defined in the reflective polarizer and through which the light transmits,

a non-opening which is adjacent to the opening and blocks the light,

a plurality of metal lines elongated in a first direction, and separated from each other in a second direction different than the first direction, in the opening, and

a plate-type pattern in the non-opening,

wherein the opening defined in the reflective polarizer has a same plane shape as the opening defined in the light blocking member.

10. The liquid crystal display of claim 9, wherein

a height of the metal lines is smaller than a height of the plate-type pattern, from a same reference, and

an interval between adjacent metal lines is smaller than a wavelength of visible light rays.

11. The liquid crystal display of claim 10, wherein

the plate-type pattern comprises:

a plate-type metal pattern, and

an additional plate-type pattern on the plate-type metal pattern,

wherein a height of the plate-type metal pattern is the same as the height of the metal lines, from the same reference.

12. The liquid crystal display of claim 11, wherein

the lower polarizer is a first reflective polarizer, and

further comprising a first opposing insulating layer covering the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type pattern of the lower polarizer,

wherein

the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type metal pattern of the lower polarizer are between the lower insulation substrate and the upper panel,

within the lower polarizer, the additional plate-type pattern is on the plate-type metal pattern, and

the first opposing insulating layer is on the additional plate-type pattern of the lower polarizer.

13. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, wherein

the first opposing insulating layer is separated from the plurality of metal lines by a predetermined distance, in a cross-section.

14. The liquid crystal display of claim 13, wherein

the additional plate-type pattern comprises a metal or a dielectric material, and

the dielectric material comprises TiO2 or SiO2, or has a highly reflective characteristic or an anti-reflective characteristic.

15. The liquid crystal display of claim 14, wherein

the additional plate-type pattern has a dual-layered structure.

16. The liquid crystal display of claim 14, wherein

the upper polarizer is an absorption-type polarizer.

17. The liquid crystal display of claim 14, wherein

the upper polarizer is a second reflective polarizer, and

further comprising a second opposing insulating layer covering the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type pattern of the upper polarizer,

wherein

the upper insulation substrate is between the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type metal pattern of the upper polarizer, and the lower panel,

in the upper polarizer, the additional plate-type pattern is on the plate-type metal pattern, and

the second opposing insulating layer is on the additional plate-type pattern of the upper polarizer.

18. The liquid crystal display of claim 14, wherein

the upper polarizer is a second reflective polarizer, and

further comprising a second opposing insulating layer covering the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type pattern of the upper polarizer,

wherein

the plurality of metal lines and the plate-type pattern of the upper polarizer are between the upper insulation substrate, and the lower panel,

in the upper polarizer, the additional plate-type pattern and the transparent region are under the plate-type pattern and the plurality of metal lines, respectively, and

the second opposing insulating layer is under the additional plate-type pattern and the transparent region of the upper polarizer.

19. A method manufacturing a polarizer, the method comprising:

sequentially providing a metal layer, a first hard mask material and a polymer layer, on a supporting member;

compressing the polymer layer by using a mold, to form a linear pattern in the polymer layer;

etching the first hard mask material by using the linear pattern in the polymer layer as a mask, to form a first hard mask pattern;

providing a photoresist on the first hard mask pattern in an opening area and on a non-opening area of the polarizer, and exposing the photoresist by using an exposure mask to remove the photoresist in the non-opening area of the polarizer;

sequentially providing an additional plate-type pattern material on the metal layer and the photoresist, and a second hard mask material on the additional plate-type pattern material;

lifting the photoresist to remove the additional plate-type pattern material and the second hard mask material on the photoresist together, and to form a second hard mask pattern; and

etching the metal layer and the additional plate-type pattern material by using the first hard mask pattern and the second hard mask pattern as a mask.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein

the first hard mask pattern comprises a plurality of elongated portions separated from each other by an interval which is smaller a wavelength of visible light rays.