Spatial light modulator including nano-antenna electrode and display apparatus including the spatial light modulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9897733-B2
Application number	US-201514614912-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2015
Priority date	May 16, 2014
Publication date	Feb 20, 2018
Grant date	Feb 20, 2018

Abstract

A spatial light modulator including an electrode having a nano-antenna structure, and a display apparatus including the spatial light modulator are provided. The spatial light modulator includes a refractive index changing layer, and a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are configured to apply an electric field to the refractive index changing layer, and at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode include a nano-antenna pattern structure configured to resonate light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spatial light modulator comprising:
a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate that face each other;
a refractive index changing layer which is disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate and has a refractive index distribution that changes according to an electric field; and
a nano-antenna pattern structure comprising a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are configured to apply the electric field to the refractive index changing layer, at least the pixel electrode being arranged on the first transparent substrate,
wherein the nano-antenna pattern structure is configured to resonate light and has an opening which is provided in the pixel electrode or between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, and which exposes the first transparent substrate to the refractive index changing layer.

2. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein the refractive index changing layer comprises at least one of liquid crystal, potassium tantalite niobate (KTN), lithium niobate (LiNbO 3 ), and lead zirconate titanate (PZT).

3. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode comprises nano-antennas that are arranged in parallel to each other,
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the common electrode comprises nano-antennas arranged in parallel to each other, and
the nano-antennas of the pixel electrode and the nano-antennas of the common electrode are alternately arranged in an interdigitated manner.

4. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode comprises nano-antennas arranged in parallel to each other,
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the common electrode comprises nano-antennas arranged in parallel to each other,
at least one of an interval between two adjacent nano-antennas of the pixel electrode and an interval between two adjacent nano-antennas of the common electrode is shorter than a resonance wavelength while a length of each of the nano-antennas of the pixel electrode and the nano-antennas of the common electrode is longer than ⅓ of the resonance wavelength.

5. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein the pixel electrode and the common electrode are formed of a conductive metal comprising at least one of gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al).

6. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , further comprising a polarizing plate disposed on at least one of a light-incident surface and a light-exit surface of the spatial light modulator.

7. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein the refractive index changing layer comprises a thickness between 20 to 500 nanometers.

8. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein the nano-antenna pattern structure of the at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode is configured to generate a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) at an interface with the first transparent substrate and the refractive index changing layer.

9. The spatial light modulator of claim 1 , wherein the common electrode is arranged on the first transparent substrate.

10. The spatial light modulator of claim 9 , wherein the pixel electrode and the common electrode comprise an embossed structure protruding from a surface of the first transparent substrate into the refractive index changing layer, and
the opening is formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode that are disposed within the refractive index changing layer.

11. The spatial light modulator of claim 9 , wherein the pixel electrode and the common electrode comprise an engraved structure embedded in a surface of the first transparent substrate, and
the opening is formed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode that are disposed within the first transparent substrate.

12. The spatial light modulator of claim 9 , wherein the common electrode comprises a transparent electrode.

13. The spatial light modulator of claim 9 , wherein the opening is formed through the pixel electrode, and
a width and a length of the opening are smaller than a resonance wavelength.

14. A spatial light modulator comprising:
a refractive index changing layer having a refractive index distribution that changes according to an electric field;
a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are configured to apply the electric field to the refractive index changing layer, at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode comprising a nano-antenna pattern structure configured to resonate light; and
a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate that face each other,
wherein the refractive index changing layer is disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate,
the pixel electrode is disposed on the first transparent substrate and the common electrode is disposed on the second transparent substrate, and
the pixel electrode comprises the nano-antenna pattern structure,
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode comprises an opening that is formed through the pixel electrode and which exposes the first transparent substrate, and a width and a length of the opening are smaller than a resonance wavelength, and
the common electrode is partially formed in an area of the second transparent substrate which faces the opening.

15. A display apparatus comprising:
a pixel array that comprises a plurality of pixels that are two-dimensionally arranged;
a backlight configured to transmit light to the pixel array; and
a polarizing plate disposed on a light-incident surface or a light-exit surface of the pixel array,
wherein each of the plurality of pixels comprises:
a first transparent substrate and a second transparent substrate that face each other,
a refractive index changing layer which is disposed between the first transparent substrate and the second transparent substrate, and
a nano-antenna pattern structure comprising a pixel electrode and a common electrode which are configured to apply an electric field to the refractive index changing layer, at least the pixel electrode being arranged on the first transparent substrate,
wherein the nano-antenna pattern structure is configured to resonate light and has an opening which is provided in the pixel electrode or between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, and which exposes the first transparent substrate to the refractive index changing layer.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the pixel array comprises a red pixel, a green pixel, and a blue pixel,
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode and the common electrode that are disposed in the red pixel is configured to resonate the light at a red wavelength band,
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode and the common electrode that are disposed in the green pixel is configured to resonate the light at a green wavelength band, and
the nano-antenna pattern structure of the pixel electrode and the common electrode that are disposed in the blue pixel is configured to resonate the light at a blue wavelength band.

17. The display apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising a lenticular lens sheet or a parallax barrier disposed on a front surface of the pixel array.

18. The display apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the display apparatus comprises a holographic display apparatus, and the backlight is configured to transmit coherent light to the pixel array.

19. The

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Han Seunghoon
• Won Kanghee
• Lee Hongseok

Classifications

• G02B5/3058

  comprising electrically conductive elements, e.g. wire grids, conductive particles · CPC title

• Y10S977/952

  Display · CPC title

• G02B5/30 Primary

  Polarising elements (light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G03H2001/0224

  Active addressable light modulator, i.e. Spatial Light Modulator [SLM] · CPC title

• G02F1/134363

  for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS] · CPC title