Light source module including transparent member with meta-surface and electronic device comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10920957-B2
Application number	US-201916367423-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2019
Priority date	Apr 4, 2018
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

In an embodiment, a light source module may include a substrate, a light emitter comprising a light source disposed on one surface of the substrate and including an array of light emitting elements configured to emit light, a support disposed on the one surface of the substrate and accommodating at least a portion of the light emitter, and a transparent member comprising transparent material disposed over the support. The transparent member may include a pattern layer disposed on a first surface of the transparent member and configured to change a pattern of the light output from the light emitting elements, and a first meta-surface disposed on a second surface of the transparent member and including a plurality of first unit structures configured to change an angle of the light that passed through the pattern layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light source module comprising:
a substrate;
a light emitter comprising a light source disposed on one surface of the substrate and including an array of light emitting elements configured to emit light;
a support disposed on the one surface of the substrate and accommodating at least a portion of the light emitter; and
a transparent member comprising transparent material disposed over the support,
wherein the transparent member includes:
a pattern layer disposed on a first surface of the transparent member facing surfaces of the array of light emitting elements configured to emit the light, the pattern layer configured to change a pattern of the light output from the light emitting elements, and
a first meta-surface disposed on a second surface of the transparent member opposite the first surface and including a plurality of first unit structures, each comprising a refractor, configured to change an angle of the light that passed through the pattern layer.

2. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the first unit structures are disposed at intervals smaller than wavelength of the light.

3. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the pattern layer comprises a metal sheet having a hole.

4. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the pattern layer comprises a second meta-surface having second unit structures.

5. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the light emitter and the pattern layer are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, the light output from the light emitting elements is configured to provide a planar light source having substantially uniform brightness and intensity on the pattern layer, and a thickness of the transparent member is greater than the predetermined distance.

6. The light source module of claim 5 , wherein the predetermined distance is in a range of 0.2 to 0.3 mm.

7. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the transparent member comprises at least one of glass or polymer.

8. The light source module of claim 1 , wherein the transparent member has a thickness in a range of 0.9 to 1.5 mm.

9. A light source module comprising:
a substrate;
a light emitter comprising a light source disposed on one surface of the substrate and including an array of light emitting elements configured to emit light;
a support disposed on the one surface of the substrate and accommodating at least a portion of the light emitter, wherein the light emitter is configured to output the light toward at least a portion of the support; and
a transparent member disposed over the support,
wherein the transparent member includes:
a pattern layer disposed on a first surface of the transparent member facing the light emitter and configured to provide an image-side focal point and change a pattern of the light output from the light emitting elements; and
a first meta-surface disposed on a second surface of the transparent member opposite to the first surface and including a plurality of first unit structures, each comprising a refractor, configured to change an angle of the light that passed through the pattern layer, wherein the transparent member includes a thickness corresponding to an image-side focal length, and the thickness of the transparent member and characteristics of the first meta-surface defines an object-side focal length.

10. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the light emitter includes at least one of an edge emitting layer or a distributed feedback laser.

11. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the at least a portion of the support has a slope of a specified angle with respect to the light emitter to reflect the light output from the light emitter toward the transparent member.

12. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the support includes a reflection layer configured to provide total reflection.

13. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the pattern layer comprises a metal sheet including a hole.

14. The light source module of claim 9 , wherein the pattern layer comprises a second meta-surface having second unit structures.

15. A light source module comprising:
a substrate;
a first light emitter comprising a first light source disposed in a first region on one surface of the substrate and including an array of first light emitting elements configured to emit light of a first infrared wavelength band;
a second light emitter comprising a second light source disposed in a second region on the one surface of the substrate and including an array of second light emitting elements configured to emit light of a second infrared wavelength band;
a support disposed on the one surface of the substrate and accommodating at least a portion of the first and second light emitters; and
a transparent member comprising transparent material disposed over the support,
wherein the transparent member includes:
a pattern layer disposed on a first surface of the transparent member facing surfaces of the first and second arrays of light emitting elements configured to emit the light, the pattern layer configured to change a pattern of the light output from the first light emitting elements, and
a first meta-surface disposed on a second surface of the transparent member opposite to the first surface and including a plurality of first unit structures, each comprising a refractor, configured to change an angle of the light that passed through the pattern layer.

16. The light source module of claim 15 , wherein the pattern layer and the first meta-surface are disposed over at least a part of the first region.

17. The light source module of claim 15 , wherein the pattern layer comprising a metal sheet having a hole.

18. The light source module of claim 15 , wherein the pattern layer comprises a second meta-surface having second unit structures.

19. The light source module of claim 15 , wherein the transparent member further includes a third meta-surface disposed on the second surface of the transparent member and including a plurality of third unit structures configured to change an angle of the light output from the second light emitting elements.

20. The light source module of claim 15 , wherein the first unit structures have at least one dimensional element smaller in length than the first infrared wavelength band.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Keh Yongchan
• Park Byeonghoon
• Yoon Youngkwon

Classifications

• G02B5/1809

  with pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength · CPC title

• G02B1/002 Primary

  made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials · CPC title

• F21Y2115/30

  Semiconductor lasers · CPC title

• F21V3/04 Primary

  characterised by materials, surface treatments or coatings · CPC title

• F21V5/00

  Refractors for light sources (characterised by cooling arrangements F21V29/504) · CPC title