Electrochromic, electroluminescent and electrochemiluminescent displays
First Claim
1. An electrochromic display pixel comprising a substrate, a pair of electrodes mounted face up and side by side on one side of said substrate and in close proximity to each other, at least one of said electrodes being coated on its face with a first chemical substance which is electrochromic, a layer of ionically conductive electrolyte over said electrode pair to complete an electrochemical cell so that when a bias is imposed between the electrodes of said pair, said first chemical substance changes its spectral absorption characteristics, a relatively non-conductive border region surrounding said pixel, and a transparent cover having a substantially non-conductive face in contact with said electrolyte layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A display having an array of matrix addressable pairs of electrodes mounted face up on the same substrate. The pairs of electrodes are derivatized with either electrochromic materials or electroluminescent material to form the pixels of the display. In the electrochromic embodiment of the invention, a layer of a solid polymer electrolyte is included. The air of electrodes may also be left clean of derivatizing material, but with an electroluminescent substance dissolved in the solid polymer electrolyte. An electrochemiluminescent embodiment is also provided where the electrochemiluminescent substance can be dissolved in the solid polymer electrolyte. A method of patterning the electrolyte layer to form relatively non-conductive borders around each of the pairs by selective exposure of the electrolyte layer in the region of the border to electromagnetic radiation to cause permanent change in the chemical composition of the electrolyte so that the exposed border regions are rendered relatively non-conductive is also provided. An electrically reconfigurable photomask having an area comprised of an arrangement of electrochromic covered electrode pairs constituting pixels, the opacity and transmissivity of which may be controlled by application of an electrical bias to yield complete control over the transmissivity and opacity of each pixel of the areas, is also provided.
89 Citations
63 Claims
- 1. An electrochromic display pixel comprising a substrate, a pair of electrodes mounted face up and side by side on one side of said substrate and in close proximity to each other, at least one of said electrodes being coated on its face with a first chemical substance which is electrochromic, a layer of ionically conductive electrolyte over said electrode pair to complete an electrochemical cell so that when a bias is imposed between the electrodes of said pair, said first chemical substance changes its spectral absorption characteristics, a relatively non-conductive border region surrounding said pixel, and a transparent cover having a substantially non-conductive face in contact with said electrolyte layer.
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19. A display comprising an array of matrix addressable pairs of electrodes, said array comprising:
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(a) a substrate; (b) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining columns of bus bars mounted on one side of said substrate, each of said column bus bars being electrically separate from the other column bus bars so that each is independently addressable by electrical biasing means; (c) a plurality of column electrode means mounted face up on said one side of said substrate and spaced at intervals along each of said column bus bars; (d) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining row bus bars on said one side of said substrate, said row bus bars crossing but being electrically insulated from said column bus bars, each of said row bus bars being electrically separate from the other row bus bars so that each of said row bus bars is independently addressable by electrical biasing means; (e) a plurality of row electrode means mounted face up on said one side of said substrate and spaced at intervals along each row bus bar, each of said row electrodes being positioned to have a column electrode in close proximity to and side by side therewith to define an electrode pair; and (f) a transparent cover having a substantially non-conductive face in contact with said electrolyte layer. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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- 40. A display pixel comprising a pair of first and second electrodes having faces in opposed and spaced apart relationship to each other, said first electrode including on its opposed face a coating of a first chemical substance which is electrochromic, said second electrode including on its opposed face a coating of a second chemical substance electrochemically complementary to said first chemical substance, a layer of electrolyte sandwiched between said coated first and second electrodes so that when a bias is imposed between said electrodes, said electrochromic first chemical substance changes its spectral absorption characteristics and a relatively non-conductive border region surrounding said pixel, said electrolyte including a metal complex that can photorelease a substance that reduces the mobility of the current supporting ions upon exposure to UV-light and said border region around said pixel being comprised of said electrolyte layer rendered relatively non-conductive in place by photorelease of said substance caused by selective exposure of said border region to UV-light.
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41. A display pixel comprising a first electrode and a second electrode in opposed and spaced apart relationship to each other, said first electrode including on its opposed face a coating of a first chemical substance which is electrochromic, a layer of electrolyte covering and electrolytically connecting said coated first and second electrodes, said electrolyte including a substance that can release a base upon exposure to UV-light to neutralize the protons that are responsible for charge transport in the electrolyte thereby rendering the exposed electrolyte relatively non-conductive, said electrolyte layer including a border region surrounding said pixel rendered relatively non-conductive by release of said base and having a central region substantially free of said released base.
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49. A display comprising an array of matrix addressable pixels, said display comprising:
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(a) a first substrate; (b) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart means defining columns of bus bars mounted on said first substrate, each of said column bus bars being independently addressable by electrical biasing means and having a plurality of column electrode means face up and at spaced intervals along the length of said column; (c) a second substrate in opposed and facing relationship to said first substrate but spaced apart therefrom, (d) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart means defining rows of bus bars mounted face up on said second substrate, each of said row bus bars being independently addressable by electrical biasing means and having a plurality of row electrode means at spaced intervals along its length so that each row electrode is in opposed and facing relationship to a corresponding column electrode means but spaced apart therefrom to define an electrode pair; (e) a coating of a first electrochromic material on the face of each of said column electrode means and a coating of a material electrochemically complementary to said first electrochromic material on each of said row electrode means; (f) a layer of electrolyte sandwiched between each said first and second electrodes, said electrolyte including a metal complex that can photorelease a substance that reduces the mobility of the current supporting ions upon exposure to UV-light, said layer of electrolyte being separated into individual zones by relatively non-conducting borders comprised of said electrolyte rendered relatively non-conducting by photorelease of said substance caused by selective exposure to UV light so that each electrode pair constitutes a substantially separate electrochemical cell defining a pixel. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A multilayer laminated display comprising at least first and second matrix addressable arrays of pixels, each of said arrays comprising:
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(a) a substrate; (b) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining columns of bus bars mounted on one side of said substrate, each of said column bus bars being electrically separate from the other column bus bars so that each is independently addressable by electrical biasing means; (c) a plurality of column electrode means mounted face up on said one side of said substrate and spaced at intervals along each of said column bus bars; (d) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining row bus bars on said one side of said substrate, said row bus bars crossing but being electrically insulated from said column bus bars, each of said row bus bars being electrically separate from the other row bus bars so that each of said row bus bars is independently addressable by electrical biasing means; (e) a plurality of row electrode means mounted face up on said one side of said substrate and spaced at intervals along each row bus bar, each of said row electrodes being positioned to have a column electrode in close proximity thereto and side by side therewith to define an electrode pair, at least one of said electrodes of each said pair being coated on its face with a first electrochromic material; and (f) a layer of ionically conductive electrolyte over said pairs of electrodes, to complete an electrochemical cell, said layer of electrolyte being separated by relatively non-conductive border regions into a plurality of zones, each of said zones being associated with one of said pair of electrodes.
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58. A multilayer laminated display comprising first and second matrix addressable arrays of pixels, each of said arrays comprising:
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(a) a first substrate; (b) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining columns of bus bars mounted on said first substrate, each of said column bus bars being independently addressable by electrical biasing means and having a plurality of transparent column electrode means mounted face up and at spaced intervals along the length of said column, each of said column electrode means being coated on its face with a first electrochromic material; (c) a second substrate in opposed and facing relationship to said first substrate but spaced apart therefrom, (d) a plurality of substantially parallel and spaced apart electronically conductive means defining rows of bus bars mounted face up on said second substrate, each of said row bus bars being independently addressable by electrical biasing means and having a plurality of transparent row electrode means mounted face up and at spaced intervals along the length of said row so that each row electrode is in opposed and facing relationship to a corresponding column electrode means but spaced apart therefrom to define a display pixel, each of said row electrode means being coated on its face with a material electrochemically complementary to said first electrochromic material; (e) a layer of electrolyte sandwiched between said coated first and second electrodes and a relatively non-conductive border separating said layer of electrolyte into substantially separate zones, each of zones being associated with one of said pixels. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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Specification