Optical apparatus and display apparatus provided with same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658491-B2
Application number	US-201414785699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2014
Priority date	Apr 24, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

An optical device ( 100 ) includes a first substrate ( 10 ) and a second substrate ( 20 ), and an optical layer ( 30 ) interposed therebetween. The first substrate includes a first electrode ( 11 ) and a second electrode ( 12 ), to which respectively different potentials can be applied. The optical layer ( 30 ) contains a medium ( 31 P) and anisotropically-shaped particles ( 32 ) whose alignment direction changes in accordance with the direction of an electric field applied to the optical layer. The medium is a liquid crystal material. When no electric field is applied to the optical layer, the anisotropically-shaped particles are aligned substantially vertically with respect to the substrate plane.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical device comprising:
a first substrate and a second substrate opposing each other; and
an optical layer between the first substrate and the second substrate,
the first substrate including a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode and second electrode being capable of having respectively different potentials applied thereto,
the optical layer containing a medium and anisotropically-shaped particles dispersed in the medium, the anisotropically-shaped particles having shape anisotropy, wherein,
an alignment direction of the anisotropically-shaped particles changes in accordance with a direction of an electric field applied to the optical layer;
the medium is a liquid crystal material having a negative dielectric anisotropy;
when no electric field is applied to the optical layer, the anisotropically-shaped particles are aligned substantially vertically with respect to the substrate plane, and
the second substrate includes no electrode opposing the first electrode or the second electrode.

2. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate includes a vertical alignment film provided on the optical layer side.

3. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein, when a lateral field is generated in the optical layer by the first electrode and the second electrode, the anisotropically-shaped particles are aligned substantially in parallel to the substrate plane.

4. The optical device of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is an active matrix substrate including a thin film transistor.

5. The optical device of claim 4 , wherein,
the first substrate further includes a gate line and a source line which are electrically connected to the thin film transistor; and
a voltage which is supplied from the source line to the thin film transistor is inverted in polarity with a predetermined cycle.

6. The optical device of claim 4 , wherein the thin film transistor comprises an oxide semiconductor layer.

7. The optical device of claim 6 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is made of an In—Ga—Zn—O-type semiconductor.

8. A display device comprising the optical device of claim 1 .

9. The display device of claim 8 capable of displaying in a reflection mode by utilizing light which is incident from the exterior.

10. The display device of claim 9 , wherein,
the anisotropically-shaped particles are light reflective; and
one of the first substrate and the second substrate that is located on a rear face side includes an optical absorption layer which absorbs light.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Moriwaki Hiroyuki
• Hanaoka Kazutaka

Classifications

• G02F1/133502

  Antiglare, refractive index matching layers · CPC title

• G02F1/1368

  in which the switching element is a three-electrode device {(G02F1/136277 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G02F1/133553

  Reflecting elements (associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605) · CPC title

• G02F1/1337 Primary

  Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers · CPC title

• G02F2001/133742

  Physics · mapped topic