Liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus including a plurality of microlenses separated by a liquid crystal layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9551896-B2
Application number	US-201414161144-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2014
Priority date	Feb 5, 2013
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate that is arranged on a light input side; a second substrate that is arranged on a light output side; a liquid crystal layer that is arranged between the first and second substrates; a first microlens that is provided on the first substrate such that an optical axis is tilted to a normal line direction of the first substrate; and a second microlens that is provided on the second substrate such that an optical axis is tilted to a normal line direction of the second substrate, in which a focal point of the first microlens is located on a curved surface of the second microlens, or on the light output side rather than the curved surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal device comprising:
a first substrate that is arranged on a light input side;
a second substrate that is arranged on a light output side;
a liquid crystal layer that is arranged between the first and second substrates;
a first microlens that is provided on the first substrate such that an optical axis of the first microlens is tilted to a normal line direction of the first substrate;
a second microlens that is provided on the second substrate such that an optical axis of the second microlens is tilted to a normal line direction of the second substrate;
a first light-blocking layer that is provided closer to a liquid crystal layer side than the first microlens, and has a first opening portion in each pixel included in a plurality of pixels; and
a second light-blocking layer that is provided closer to the liquid crystal layer side than the second microlens, and has a second opening portion in each pixel included in the plurality of pixels,
wherein:
a focal point of the first microlens is located beyond a curved surface of the second microlens in a direction away from the liquid crystal layer,
the optical axis of the first microlens and the optical axis of the second microlens are each tilted at approximately a same angle from the normal line direction, and
a section of the first opening portion does not overlap a section of the second opening portion in plan view.

2. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first microlens has a positive refractive power, and the second microlens has a negative refractive power.

3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an edge portion of the first opening portion of the first light-blocking layer and an edge portion of the second opening portion of the second light-blocking layer are each separated from at least one of the optical axis of the first microlens and the optical axis of the second microlens by approximately a same distance.

4. An electronic apparatus comprising:
the liquid crystal device according to claim 1 .

5. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the optical axis of the first microlens approximately matches the optical axis of the second microlens.

6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an area of the first opening portion is approximately the same as an area of the second opening portion.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nimura Toru

Classifications

• G02F1/133526 Primary

  Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses · CPC title

• G02B2003/0093

  characterised by the shape · CPC title

• G02B3/04

  with continuous faces that are rotationally symmetrical but deviate from a true sphere {, e.g. so called "aspheric" lenses} · CPC title