Backplanes with hexagonal and triangular electrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020089035-A1
Application number	US-201916572022-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 16, 2019
Priority date	Sep 17, 2018
Publication date	Mar 19, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Active matrix backplanes including an array of hexagonal electrodes or an array of triangular electrodes. Because the backplane designs route the gate lines along the periphery of the electrodes there is less cross talk with the surface of the electrode. The disclosed designs simplify construction and control of the electrodes and improve the regularity of the electric field above the electrode. Such backplane electrode designs may be particularly useful in electrowetting on dielectric (EWoD) devices and electrophoretic displays (EPD).

First claim

1 . A pixel electrode backplane comprising:
a plurality of scan lines; a plurality of gate lines; a plurality of storage capacitors having a capacitance greater than 0.5 pF; a plurality of thin film transistors; and a plurality of hexagonal electrodes, the hexagonal electrodes being arranged in a honeycomb structure, and each hexagonal electrode being operatively coupled to a storage capacitor and a thin film transistor, wherein the voltage potential of each hexagonal electrode is controllable with only one scan line and only one gate line.

2 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of scan lines is coupled to a scan controller, and the plurality of gate lines is coupled to a gate controller.

3 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 2 , wherein the pixel electrode backplane is substantially rectangular in shape, and the scan controller is disposed along a first edge of the pixel electrode backplane and the gate controller is disposed along a second edge of the pixel electrode backplane.

4 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 1 , wherein the gate lines are routed parallel to the edges of the hexagonal electrodes.

5 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 4 , wherein the scan lines are routed perpendicular to the gate lines.

6 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 1 , further comprising a dielectric coating over the plurality of hexagonal electrodes.

7 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 6 , further comprising a hydrophobic layer disposed on the dielectric coating.

8 . A microfluidic device comprising a pixel electrode backplane of claim 7 , a light-transmissive electrode, and a spacer disposed between the pixel electrode backplane of claim 7 and the light-transmissive electrode.

9 . An electrophoretic display comprising a pixel electrode backplane of claim 1 , an electrophoretic medium, and a light-transmissive electrode, wherein the electrophoretic medium is disposed between the pixel electrode backplane of claim 1 and the light-transmissive electrode.

10 . The electrophoretic display of claim 9 , wherein the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of charged pigment particles in a non-polar solvent.

11 . A pixel electrode backplane comprising:
a plurality of scan lines; a plurality of gate lines; a plurality of storage capacitors having a capacitance greater than 0.5 pF; a plurality of thin film transistors; and a plurality of triangular electrodes, each triangular electrode being operatively coupled to a storage capacitor and a thin film transistor, wherein four triangular electrodes are arranged as a square and the voltage potential of each triangular electrode is controllable with only one scan line and only one gate line.

12 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of scan lines is coupled to a scan controller, and the plurality of gate lines is coupled to a gate controller.

13 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 12 , wherein the pixel electrode backplane is substantially rectangular in shape, and the scan controller is disposed along a first edge of the pixel electrode backplane and the gate controller is disposed along a second edge of the pixel electrode backplane.

14 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , wherein the gate lines are routed parallel to the edges of the triangular electrodes.

15 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 14 , wherein the scan lines are routed perpendicular to the gate lines.

16 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , wherein the scan lines are routed parallel to the edges of the triangular electrodes.

17 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , further comprising a dielectric coating over the plurality of hexagonal electrodes.

18 . The pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , further comprising a hydrophobic layer disposed on the dielectric coating.

19 . A microfluidic device comprising a pixel electrode backplane of claim 18 , a light-transmissive electrode, and a spacer disposed between the pixel electrode backplane of claim 18 and the light-transmissive electrode.

20 . An electrophoretic display comprising a pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 , an electrophoretic medium, and a light-transmissive electrode, wherein the electrophoretic medium is disposed between the pixel electrode backplane of claim 11 and the light-transmissive electrode.

21 . The electrophoretic display of claim 20 , wherein the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of charged pigment particles in a non-polar solvent.

Assignees

• E Ink Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Annie
• French Ian
• Visani Cristina
• Zhitomirsky David
• Paolini Jr Richard J

Classifications

• G09G3/344

  based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices (electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167) · CPC title

• G09G2300/0426

  Layout of electrodes and connections · CPC title

• G09G2300/0421

  Structural details of the set of electrodes · CPC title

• G09G3/3648

  using an active matrix (G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B26/026

  based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays (based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167) · CPC title