Electrowetting display device and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9684160-B2
Application number	US-201414584769-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 8, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrowetting display device and a manufacturing method for the same, using a UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer. The UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can include a UV-cured fluorine based material positioned above a cured UV reactive material. In an embodiment, the electrowetting display device can also include a substrate with a layer of pixel electrodes formed over the substrate, and partition walls formed over at least a portion of the layer of pixel electrodes. In one embodiment, the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can be formed between the partition walls and above an inter-layer insulation film. In another embodiment, the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer can be formed between the partition walls and above the layer of pixel electrodes. The electrowetting display can also include a water repellent layer formed over the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrowetting display device, comprising:
a substrate;
a layer of pixel electrodes disposed on the substrate;
partition walls;
fluorosurfactant disposed between the partition walls and on the layer of pixel electrodes, the fluorosurfactant including:
a first hydrophobic layer comprising a first material; and
a hydrophilic layer, wherein at least a portion of the hydrophilic layer is beneath the first hydrophobic layer, and wherein the fluorosurfactant comprises fluorine based materials and photoactive materials; and

a second hydrophobic layer on the first hydrophobic layer, wherein the second hydrophobic layer comprises a non-fluid material different from the first material.

2. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein the fluorosurfactant further comprises a UV light reactive material layer and the photoactive materials are included within the UV light reactive material layer.

3. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein the fluorosurfactant further includes an oligomer that comprises at least one of (i) a fluoro group, (ii) a hydrophilic group, (iii) a lipophilic group, and (iv) a UV reactive group.

4. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein the fluorosurfactant further comprises compounds comprising at least one of (i) a perfluoro alkyl group and (ii) a UV reactive acrylic material.

5. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an oil layer disposed between the partition walls and on the second hydrophobic layer.

6. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , further comprising an inter-layer insulation film disposed on the layer of pixel electrodes and under the fluorosurfactant.

7. The electrowetting display of claim 6 , wherein the partition walls are disposed on the inter-layer insulation film.

8. The electrowetting display of claim 1 , wherein the partition walls are disposed on the layer of pixel electrodes.

9. The electrowetting display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the partition walls are disposed on the layer of pixel electrodes and the photoactive materials are adhered along sides of the partition walls.

10. A method of manufacturing an electrowetting display device, the method comprising:
providing pixel electrodes on a substrate;
exposing first portions of a ultra violet (UV) light reactive fluorosurfactant layer on the pixel electrodes to UV light to provide a fluorosurfactant layer on the pixel electrodes, wherein a first portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is hydrophobic and a second portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is hydrophilic;
removing unexposed second portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer by etching the unexposed second portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer with a developing solution; and
forming partition walls in areas where the second portions of UV light reactive fluorosurfactant have been removed, wherein the areas are hydrophilic.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer acts as at least a portion of a water repellent layer.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer comprises at least one of (i) a UV light reactive material and (ii) fluorine based materials.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein exposing first portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer comprises phase separating the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer when the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is exposed to the UV light such that the fluorine based materials are positioned substantially above a cured layer of the UV light reactive material.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant includes an oligomer comprising at least one of (i) a fluoro group, (ii) a hydrophilic group, (iii) a lipophilic group, and (iv) a UV reactive group.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer comprises compounds containing at least one of (i) a perfluoro alkyl group and (ii) a UV reactive acrylic material.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing an oil layer between the partition walls.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing an inter-layer insulation film on the pixel electrodes after providing the pixel electrodes and before exposing first portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising placing a hydrophobic layer on the first portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer, wherein the hydrophobic layer comprises a non-fluid material different from the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer.

19. A method of manufacturing an electrowetting display device, the method comprising:
providing pixel electrodes on a substrate;
exposing first portions of an ultra violet (UV) light reactive fluorosurfactant layer on the pixel electrodes to UV light to provide a fluorosurfactant layer on the pixel electrodes, wherein a first portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is hydrophobic and a second portion of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is hydrophilic, and wherein the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer comprises a UV light reactive material and a fluorine based material, wherein exposing the first portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer comprises phase separating the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer when the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer is exposed to the UV light such that the fluorine based material is positioned substantially above a cured layer of the UV light reactive material;
removing unexposed second portions of the UV light reactive fluorosurfactant layer; and
forming partition walls in areas where the second portions of UV light reactive fluorosurfactant have been removed, wherein the areas are hydrophilic.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Kodaira Taimei

Classifications

• G02B26/00

  Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements (control of light by modification of the optical properties of the media of the elements involved therein G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G02B26/005 Primary

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G02B1/12

  by surface treatment, e.g. by irradiation · CPC title