Light guides
First Claim
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1. A light guide device comprising:
- a base substrate having a first refractive index, wherein one or more light sources are mounted upon a first surface of the base substrate;
a first guide layer having a second refractive index that is less than or equal to the first refractive index and which comprises a light output surface, the first guide layer being arranged so as to encapsulate the one or more light sources upon the first surface, wherein the base surface and the first guide layer form a composite transparent structure, wherein light produced by the one or more light sources is guided within both the base substrate and the first guide layer over the first surface; and
a heat sink plate attached to a lower surface of the base substrate via discrete portions of thermal bonding material positioned in line with the one or more light sources such that the discrete portions of thermal bonding material are completely blocked from view by the one or more light sources when viewed from the light output surface of the first guide layer, and there are one or more air gaps formed between the heat sink plate and the base substrate.
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Abstract
This invention relates to light guide devices and methods of manufacture. The light guide device is suitable for use in a range of applications, particularly in connection with the backlighting of displays, for example, liquid crystal displays.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A light guide device comprising:
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a base substrate having a first refractive index, wherein one or more light sources are mounted upon a first surface of the base substrate; a first guide layer having a second refractive index that is less than or equal to the first refractive index and which comprises a light output surface, the first guide layer being arranged so as to encapsulate the one or more light sources upon the first surface, wherein the base surface and the first guide layer form a composite transparent structure, wherein light produced by the one or more light sources is guided within both the base substrate and the first guide layer over the first surface; and a heat sink plate attached to a lower surface of the base substrate via discrete portions of thermal bonding material positioned in line with the one or more light sources such that the discrete portions of thermal bonding material are completely blocked from view by the one or more light sources when viewed from the light output surface of the first guide layer, and there are one or more air gaps formed between the heat sink plate and the base substrate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method of producing a light guide device, the method comprising:
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i. mounting one or more light sources onto a first surface of a base substrate having a first refractive index; ii. adding a first guide layer, having a second refractive index that is less than or equal to the first refractive index, to the first surface so as to encapsulate the one or more light sources upon the first surface, wherein the base substrate and the first guide layer form a composite transparent structure, wherein light produced by the one or more light sources is guided within both the base substrate and the first guide layer over the first surface; iii. applying one or more scattering, reflective or refractive structures or any combination thereof on the first guide layer or the substrate before the substrate and the first guide layer are combined, such that said one or more scattering, reflective or refractive structures or any combination thereof are located at the interface between the substrate and the first guide layer;
or applying one or more scattering, reflective or refractive structures or any combination thereof on a lower surface of the base substrate; andiv. adding a heat sink plate to the lower surface of the base substrate which is opposite the first surface of the base substrate, wherein the heat sink plate is in contact with said base substrate via discrete portions of thermal bonding material positioned in line with the one or more light sources, such that the discrete portion of thermal bonding material are completely blocked from view by the one or more light sources when viewed from the light output surface of the first guide layer.
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Specification