Electrophoretic display

• US 20050179984A1
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink California, LLC (E Ink Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SiPix Imaging, Inc. (E Ink Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wu, Zarng-Arh George, Liang, Rong-Chang, Zang, HongMei, Tseng, Scott C-J
• Granted Patent: US 7,233,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/296
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133377 Cells with plural compartments or having plurality of liquid crystal microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. one microcell per pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1679 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells; Filling or closing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1681 having two or more microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. of microcup type

Abstract

This invention relates to an electrophoretic display comprising cells of well-defined shape, size and aspect ratio which cells are filled with charged pigment particles dispersed in a solvent, and novel processes for its manufacture.

Claims

1. An electrophoretic display which comprises a plurality of display cells wherein an electrophoretic fluid is filled and sealed between a polymeric sealing layer and a first conductive layer coated on the surface of the display cells.

2. An electrophoretic display which comprises an array of microcups on a first non-conducting substrate wherein said microcups have a surface coated with a first conductive layer and are filled with an electrophoretic fluid and the filled microcups are sealed with a polymeric sealing layer formed from a sealing composition having a specific gravity lower than that of the electrophoretic fluid.

3. The electrophoretic display of claim 2 wherein said array of filled and sealed microcups is laminated with a second conductive layer.

4. The electrophoretic display of claim 3 wherein said second conductor layer is laminated with a second non-conducting substrate.

5. The electrophoretic display of claim 3 further comprising a third conductive layer between the first non-conducting substrate and the array of filled and sealed microcups.

6. The electrophoretic display of claim 2 wherein said first conductive layer is patterned.

7. The electrophoretic display of claim 3 wherein said second conductive layer is patterned.

8. The electrophoretic display of claim 5 wherein said third conductive layer is patterned.

9. The electrophoretic display of claim 5 wherein said first conductive layer is of a discrete pattern.

10. The electrophoretic display of claim 2 wherein said first conductive layer is formed by thin film deposition.

11. The electrophoretic display of claim 10 wherein said thin film deposition is accomplished by sputtering or vapor deposition.

12. The electrophoretic display of claim 3 wherein said second conductive layer is formed by thin film deposition or lamination.

13. The electrophoretic display of claim 5 wherein said third conductive layer is formed by thin film deposition or lamination.

14. The electrophoretic display of claim 2 wherein said sealing composition is a radiation, heat or moisture curable composition.

15. The electrophoretic display of claim 2 wherein said sealing composition comprises a thermoplastic or thermoset precursor.

16. The electrophoretic display of claim 15 wherein said thermoplastic or thermoset precursor is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbon rubbers, butadiene rubbers, isoprene rubbers, thermoplastic elastomers, polyvalent acrylates, polyvalent methacrylates, cyanoacrylates, polyvalent vinyls, polyvalent epoxides, polyvalent isocyanates, polyvalent allyls and oligomers and polymers containing crosslinkable functional groups.