Optical element, light-emitting device, lighting device, and method for manufacturing optical element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751267-B2
Application number	US-201213371418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2012
Priority date	Feb 14, 2011
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

An optical element comprises an organic resin and bubbles distributed to have a number density increasing from a first plane of the optical element toward a second plane of the optical element, where a diameter of the bubbles is less than or equal to a wavelength of light which enters the optical element. At least one of the first plane and the second plane may have an uneven structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light-emitting device comprising:
an organic EL element over a substrate;
an optical element;
a sealant configured to bond the substrate and the optical element; a terminal electrically connected to the organic EL element between the substrate and the sealant; and
a filler to fill a space formed by the substrate, the optical element, and the sealant,
wherein the optical element includes an organic resin and bubbles each having a diameter of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 10 μm,
wherein the bubbles are distributed to have a number density increasing from a first plane of the optical element toward a second plane of the optical element so that a refractive index of the optical element decreases from the first plane toward the second plane,
wherein the organic EL element is a planar light source,
wherein at least one of the first plane and the second plane includes an uneven structure,
wherein the uneven structure is a hemispherical structure, and
wherein a refractive index of the hemispherical structure concentrically decreases from a center of a hemisphere toward an outside.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 , wherein the second plane has a refractive index greater than 1.0 and less than 1.1.

3. A lighting device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 1 .

4. A light-emitting device comprising:
an organic EL element over a substrate;
an optical element;
a sealant configured to bond the substrate and the optical element; a terminal electrically connected to the organic EL element between the substrate and the sealant; and
a filler to fill a space formed by the substrate, the optical element, and the sealant,
wherein the optical element includes a material and bubbles each having a diameter of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 10 μm,
wherein the material is one of glass, indium oxide, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, zinc oxide, zinc oxide to which gallium is added, and graphene,
wherein the bubbles are distributed to have a number density increasing from a first plane of the optical element toward a second plane of the optical element so that a refractive index of the optical element decreases from the first plane toward the second plane,
wherein the organic EL element is a planar light source,
wherein at least one of the first plane and the second plane includes an uneven structure,
wherein the uneven structure is a hemispherical structure, and
wherein a refractive index of the hemispherical structure concentrically decreases from a center of a hemisphere toward an outside.

5. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 , wherein the second plane has a refractive index greater than 1.0 and less than 1.1.

6. A lighting device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 4 .

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the organic EL element includes a transparent electrode in contact with the optical element, a light-emitting region over the transparent electrode, and a reflective electrode over the light-emitting region.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the organic EL element includes a transparent electrode in contact with the optical element, a light-emitting region over the transparent electrode, and a reflective electrode over the light-emitting region.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a diameter of the uneven structure is 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,
wherein a diameter of the uneven structure is 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first uneven structure is provided for the first plane and a second uneven structure is provided for the second plane,
wherein a distance from a valley to a peak of the first uneven structure is 0.1 μm to 100 μm and a distance between adjacent peaks of the first uneven structure is 1 μm to 100 μm, and
wherein a diameter of the second uneven structure is 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

12. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the organic resin is one of a polyester resin, a polyacrylonitrile resin, a polyimide resin, a polymethyl methacrylate resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polyether sulfonate resin, a polyamide resin, a cycloolefin resin, a polystyrene resin, and a polyvinyl chloride resin.

13. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,
wherein a first uneven structure is provided for the first plane and a second uneven structure is provided for the second plane,
wherein a distance from a valley to a peak of the first uneven structure is 0.1 μm to 100 μm and a distance between adjacent peaks of the first uneven structure is 1 μm to 100 μm, and
wherein a diameter of the second uneven structure is 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

14. The light-emitting device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first plane of the optical element is closer to the organic EL element than the second plane of the optical element.

15. The light-emitting device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the first plane of the optical element is closer to the organic EL element than the second plane of the optical element.

16. A light-emitting device comprising:
an optical element;
an organic EL element over the optical element;
a substrate;
a sealant configured to bond the substrate and the optical element; a terminal electrically connected to the organic EL element between the optical element and the sealant; and
a filler to fill a space formed by the substrate, the optical element, and the sealant,
wherein the optical element includes an organic resin and bubbles each having a diameter of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 10 μm,
wherein the bubbles are distributed to have a number density increasing from a first plane of the optical element toward a second plane of the optical element so that a refractive index of the optical element decreases from the first plane toward the second plane,
wherein the organic EL element is a planar light source,
wherein at least one of the first plane and the second plane includes an uneven structure,
wherein the uneven structure is a hemispherical structure, and
wherein a refractive index of the hemispherical structure concentrically decreases from a center of a hemisphere toward an outside.

17. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 , wherein the second plane has a refractive index greater than 1.0 and less than 1.1.

18. A lighting device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 16 .

19. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the organic EL element includes a transparent electrode in contact with the optical element, a light-emitting region over the transparent electrode, and a reflective electrode over the light-emitting region.

20. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 ,
wherein a first uneven structure is provided for the first plane and a second uneven structure is provided for the second plane,
wherein a distance from a valley to a peak of the first uneven structure is 0.1 μm to 100 μm and a distance between adjacent peaks of the first uneven structure is 1 μm to 100 μm, and
wherein a diameter of the second uneven structure is 0.1 mm to 10 mm.

21. The light-emitting device according to claim 16 ,
wherein the organic resin is one of a polyester resin, a polyacrylonitrile resin, a polyimide resin, a polymethyl methacrylate resin, a polycar

Assignees

• Tanaka Koichiro
• Yanagawa Katsuki
• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Tanaka Koichiro
• Yanagawa Katsuki

Classifications

• B29C44/0438

  using flotation · CPC title

• G02B5/0247

  by means of voids or pores · CPC title

• B29D11/00009 Primary

  Production of simple or compound lenses · CPC title

• G02B5/0231

  the surface having microprismatic or micropyramidal shape (macroscopic prism arrays G02B5/045) · CPC title

• G02B5/0278

  used in transmission · CPC title