Methods and apparatus for providing display components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9618680-B2
Application number	US-201314389931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2013
Priority date	Apr 5, 2012
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for providing one or more components for a display system, particularly for producing diffused light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
a glass sheet having first and second spaced apart, planar surfaces;
at least one scattering layer having a plurality of sub-micron sized light scattering elements disposed on the first surface of the glass sheet;
a binder disposed on the first surface of the glass sheet and at least partially filling voids between adjacent scattering elements;
a plurality of electronic display elements disposed in an array on or above the binder and operating to produce an image for viewing at the first surface of the glass sheet; and
at least one light source positioned along one or more edges of the glass sheet or borders of the second surface of the glass sheet, wherein light from the at least one light source is diffused and scattered as it propagates toward the display elements.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the light scattering elements are formed from one or more of individual particles, agglomerates, and aggregates of particles; and
an approximate diameter of each scattering element is one of: (i) between about 100 nm to about 500 nm, (ii) between about 200 nm to about 300 nm, and (iii) about 250 nm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the light scattering elements have a refractive index substantially higher than a refractive index of the glass sheet; and
the light scattering elements have a refractive index of one of: (i) between about 1.5 and about 4.0, (ii) between about 1.7 and about 2.5, and (iii) at least 2.0.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the light scattering elements are one or more of: agglomerates of Titania (TiO 2 ), Cerium Oxide (Ce 2 0 3 ), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), and Zirconium Dioxide (ZrO 2 ).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the binder has a refractive index substantially similar to a refractive index of the glass sheet; and
the binder has a refractive index of one of: (i) between about 1.2and about 1.7, (ii) between about 1.3 and about 1.6, and (iii) about 1.5.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the binding material is taken from one or more of: polymerized or partially cured poly alkyl siloxane, poly-dimethyl-siloxane, poly-diphenyl-siloxane, polymerized alkyl or aryl silsesquioxane T-resins, poly-methyl-silsesquioxane, poly-methyl-phenyl-silsesquioxane, poly-phenyl-silsequioxane, and uv curable poly siloxanes or silsesquioxanes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the binder completely fills the voids and covers the scattering elements to produce a planarization layer.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus exhibits at least one of the following optical characteristics: (i) a transmission ratio of between about 70% to about 90%; and (ii) a haze ratio of between about 50% to about 80%.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:
the collection of individual display elements define a large number of pixel sites for manipulating light in accordance with electronic control signaling in order to produce the image; and
each display element is an individual MEMS component, or an individual OLED component.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one light source includes one or more light generating elements disposed along one or more edges or one or more borders of the glass sheet.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one light source includes at least one light diffusing fiber extending along one or more edges of the glass sheet.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more reflectors at one or more edges of the glass sheet to redirect any light propagating within the glass sheet in one or more directions that reduce the escape of light out of the at least one edge.

13. A method of producing a light diffusing component, comprising:
providing a glass sheet having first and second spaced apart, planar surfaces;
applying a slurry comprising at least one surfactant and a plurality of sub-micron sized light scattering elements on the first surface of the glass sheet such that the light scattering elements adsorb to the first surface of the glass sheet;
disposing a viscous binder material onto the first surface of the glass sheet such that the binder material at least partially fills voids between adjacent scattering elements; and
curing the binder material.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:
the step of applying the slurry includes: (i) employing a dip coating or spin coating process to apply the slurry onto the first surface of the glass sheet, and (ii) heat treating the glass sheet to drive off excess liquids;
the step of disposing the viscous binder material includes employing a dip coating or spin coating process to apply the binder material onto the first surface of the glass sheet.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein a plurality of coats of binder material are applied in order to build up a thickness of the binder layer.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the number of coats varies in different areas of the glass sheet to produce higher scattering at one or more central areas and lower scattering at one or more peripheral areas of the glass sheet.

17. An apparatus comprising:
a display layer having first and second spaced apart major sides, a plurality of display elements disposed within the display layer in an array and operating to produce an image for viewing at the first major side thereof;
a light diffusing backplane having first and second spaced apart major sides and operating to produce diffused light out of the first major side thereof, wherein:
the light diffusing backplane comprises:
a glass sheet having first and second spaced apart, planar surfaces;
at least one scattering layer having a plurality of sub-micron sized light scattering elements disposed on the first surface of the glass sheet; and
a binder disposed on the first surface of the glass sheet and at least partially filling voids between adjacent scattering elements;

the light diffusing backplane is oriented such that the first major side thereof is directed toward the second major side of the display layer such that the diffused light is a source of light for the plurality of display elements,
the display layer is: (i) at least semi-transparent in one or more portions thereof when the display elements in such portions are in an off-state, and (ii) substantially opaque in such portions when the display elements in such portions are in an on-state, and the light diffusing backplane is substantially transparent such that objects behind the apparatus are visible through both the display layer and the light diffusing backplane.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the light scattering elements are formed from silica (SiO 2 ).

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the light diffusing backplane further comprises at least one light source disposed proximate to the glass sheet such that light therefrom is coupled into the glass sheet, propagates within the glass sheet in a waveguide mode, and at least a portion of light is diffused and scattered by the scattering layer toward the display layer.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the light source includes one or more light generating elements disposed along one or more edges or one or more borders of the glass sheet.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein at least one edge of the glass sheet includes a reflective surface, which is beveled at an angle sufficient to redirect any light propagating within the glass sheet in one or more directions th

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Baker David Eugene
• Etienne Michael
• Logunov Stephan Lvovich
• Nolan Daniel Aloysius
• Senaratne Wageesha
• Zenteno Luis Alberto

Classifications

• G02B6/0065

  Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects · CPC title

• G02B6/0031

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• G02B6/0028

  Light guide, e.g. taper · CPC title

• G02B6/0043 Primary

  provided on the surface of the light guide · CPC title

• G02B5/0278

  used in transmission · CPC title