KR20190112168A - Device including integrated backlight unit and display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an integrated device comprising a backlight assembly and a display assembly. The backlight assembly includes a patterned optical element comprising a light guide plate and at least one light transmissive region, and the display assembly includes at least one light transmissive opening. The light transmitting area and the light transmitting opening are at least partially aligned.

Description

Device including integrated backlight unit and display panel

This application claims priority to US Provisional Application No. 62 / 461,339, filed February 21, 2017, under 35 U.S.C. §119, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth below.

The present disclosure relates generally to an apparatus comprising an integrated backlight unit and a display panel, and more particularly to a thin integrated display device.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are commonly used in various electronic devices such as mobile phones, laptops, electronic tablets, televisions, and computer monitors. However, LCDs may be limited compared to other display devices in terms of brightness, contrast ratio, efficiency, and viewing angle. For example, to compete with other display technologies, the demand for higher contrast ratio, color gamut, and brightness in traditional LCDs continues to be maintained, while also balancing power requirements and device size (eg, thickness). .

LCDs typically include a backlight unit (BLU) and a display panel. Such BLUs may include several optical elements such as light guide plates (LGPs), one or more diffuser films, and one or more collimating films. Each of the diffusing film and collimating film requires an air gap between adjacent layers to function properly. Such additional element air gaps can increase the thickness of the entire LCD display and hinder effective integration of the BLU and display panel. Attempts to integrate such BLUs and display panels involved bonding the optical components of the BLUs and display panels only along the edges. However, these methods undesirably result in weak bonding strength. In addition, warping may occur within the device if the optical film expands or contracts differently at variable operating temperatures. "Sheetless" BLUs, such as BLUs without collimating films, were also contemplated. However, such a BLU requires an air gap that is poor in brightness uniformity and / or still hinders full integration with the display panel.

Thus, for example, it would be advantageous to provide a display device comprising a BLU integrated with a display panel without an air gap between these two elements. It would also be advantageous to provide a BLU comprising as few optical films as possible to reduce the overall thickness of the BLU. Moreover, it would be advantageous to provide a display with a reduced number of elements, reduced overall thickness and / or weight, reduced overall cost, and / or improved mechanical strength.

The present disclosure is to provide a device including an integrated backlight unit and a display panel, in particular a thin integrated display device.

The present disclosure, in various embodiments, relates to an integrated device that includes a backlight assembly and a display assembly. The backlight assembly includes a light guide plate (LGP) having a first major surface of light emission and an opposite second major surface, and a patterned optical element optically coupled to the first major surface of the light guide plate, the optical element being at least One light reflecting region and at least one light transmitting region. The display assembly includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and a light modulation layer disposed therebetween, and at least one light transmitting opening, wherein the at least one light transmitting opening is at least one of the patterned optical elements. Is at least partially aligned with the light transmitting region of.

According to various embodiments, the unitary device may include at least one polarizer, such as an absorbing or reflective polarizer. In certain embodiments, the light modulation layer may comprise a liquid crystal layer. The first and second substrates of the display assembly may have different thicknesses, for example, the first substrate may be thicker than the second substrate. In non-limiting embodiments, the patterned optical element may be bonded or deposited on the first major surface of the LGP. The patterned optical element may comprise a stack of dielectric layers having alternating higher and lower refractive indices, and may optionally also comprise a metal layer. The LGP may include at least one light extraction function, at least one microstructure, or both. Exemplary light extraction functions include a diffused particle layer or a plurality of individual prism elements.

The backlight assembly and the display assembly may be bonded together, for example by at least one intervening layer. The intervening layer may comprise an adhesive layer, a polarizer, a color converting layer, or a combination thereof. In various embodiments, no collimating film and / or diffusion film is present between the display assembly and the backlight assembly. According to further embodiments, there is no air gap between the display assembly and the backlight assembly.

In certain embodiments, the unitary device may further comprise at least one light source optically coupled to the LGP capable of emitting blue light or white light. The unitary device may also include at least one of a color filter layer, a color conversion layer, or a TFT array. Example monolithic devices may include displays, lighting, or electronic devices.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious to those skilled in the art from such a description, or as described herein, including the following description, claims, and appended drawings. Will be recognized by practicing.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are intended to present various embodiments of the disclosure and to provide an overview or basis for understanding the nature and features of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the disclosure.

According to the present invention, an apparatus including an integrated backlight unit and a display panel can be provided.

The following detailed description may be better understood when read in connection with the following figures, which are not drawn to scale.
1A-D show example configurations of an integrated device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;
2 illustrates an example light reflecting element in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;
3 illustrates a display assembly including a color filter layer in accordance with further embodiments of the present disclosure.

Disclosed herein is an integrated device comprising a backlight assembly and a display assembly. The backlight assembly includes a light guide plate having a second major surface opposite the first major surface of the light emission, and a patterned optical element optically coupled to the first major surface of the light guide plate, wherein the optical element is at least one light. And a reflecting region and at least one light transmitting region. The display assembly includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a light modulation layer disposed therebetween, and at least one light transmitting aperture, wherein the at least one light transmitting aperture is at least one of the patterned optical elements. Is at least partially aligned with the light transmitting region of. The unitary devices described herein include displays, lights, and electronic devices, such as televisions, computers, telephones, tablets, and other display panels, luminaires, solid-state lights, billboards, and other architectural elements. can do.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-3 showing the unitary device and these components. The following general description is intended to provide an overview of the claimed apparatus, and various forms will be discussed in more detail throughout this disclosure with reference to the non-limiting illustrated embodiments, which examples are in the context of this disclosure. Interchangeable within

1A shows an integrated device 100 that includes a backlight assembly 100A and a display assembly 100B. The backlight assembly 100A includes a light guide plate 110 including a first major surface 115 of light emission, a light incident edge surface 120, and a second major surface 125 opposing the first major surface 115. ) May be included. As used herein, a "luminescent" major surface is intended to represent a surface facing the user or viewer, such as a "face facing" surface, while an opposite major surface is a surface away from the user, such as " Back-facing "surface.

In some embodiments, at least one light source 130 is positioned adjacent, for example, to edge surface 120 of LGP 110 to provide an edge-lit configuration. 120 may be optically coupled. Additional light sources (not shown) may also be optically coupled to other edge surfaces of the LGP 110 such as adjacent or opposite edge surfaces. In other embodiments, one or more light sources may be optically coupled to the second major surface 125 of the LGP 110 to provide a direct-lit configuration. The LGP 110 is also, in some embodiments, filed, for example, on January 31, 2017, and described in US patent application Ser. No. 62 / 452,470, entitled “BACKLIGHT UNIT WITH 2D LOCAL DIMMING,”. As one or more light sources may comprise one or more recesses or holes in which it can be placed, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The light source 130 emits blue light, UV light or near-UV light (˜100-500 nm) in various embodiments, or the light source 130 is white light, such as It can emit light having a combination of visible wavelengths (˜420-750 nm).

The patterned optical element 135 may be optically coupled to the first major surface 115 of the LGP 110. The patterned optical element 135 includes at least one light reflecting region 135a configured to reflect light received from the LGP 110 and at least one configured to transmit light received from the LGP 110. It may include a light transmission region 135b. In some embodiments, the patterned optical element 135 may be bonded, deposited, or otherwise attached to the first major surface 115. As used herein, the term “patterned” refers to the first element in any given pattern or design, such that the optical elements may be random or arranged, repetitive or non-repetitive, uniform or non-uniform. It is intended to indicate the presence on the major surface. Such a pattern may define reflective and transmissive regions, for example, to form light transmissive regions 135b at desired locations, such as at least partially aligned with light transmissive openings 165b of display panel 100B. Reflective material suitable for the present may be present in some regions and not in other regions. 1A-D show light reflecting regions 165a and light transmitting regions 165b (ie, light transmitting apertures) in a uniformly alternating regular alternating pattern, but these regions can be arranged in any desired order and It can have any size and / or spacing.

The term “optically coupled” as used herein is intended to indicate that the element is positioned relative to the LGP such that light can travel from the element to the LGP or vice versa. For example, a light source may be located at or near the surface of the LGP to introduce light into the LGP, while the optical element is adapted to receive light from and / or transmit light to the LGP. It may be located at or near the surface of the LGP. The light source or optical element may be optically coupled to the LGP even without direct physical contact with the LGP.

The light reflecting region 135a of the patterned optical element 135 is, in various embodiments, for example greater than about 90%, greater than about 95%, greater than about 98%, or greater than about 99%, such as about 85%. Light reflectance (including both the range therebetween and subranges thereof) in the range of about 99%. In some embodiments, for example, when the LGP 110 is optically coupled to a light source that emits blue light, the light reflecting region 135a may be configured to have a high reflectance for blue light. The terms "light reflection", "optical reflection", and variations thereof, as used herein, indicate that the region or element reflects at least 85% of the incident light, such as light having visible wavelength (˜420-750 nm). it means.

The light transmissive region 135b of the patterned optical element 135 has a light transmittance greater than about 80%, such as from about 80% to about 95%, such as greater than about 85%, greater than about 90%, or greater than about 95%. (Including both ranges between and subranges thereof). As used herein, the terms “light transmissive”, “optically transmissive”, and variations thereof refer to at least 80% of the light at which an area, aperture, or element is incident, such as light having a visible wavelength (˜420-750 nm). It means to transmit. Thus, the light transmissive region or opening may, in some embodiments, have a light absorption and / or light reflectance of less than about 20%.

The light reflective region 135a of the patterned optical element 135 may comprise any reflective material known in the art for use in a display device. For example, such a reflective material may be a mirror reflector such as Vikuiti ^™ ESR sold by 3M. Additional materials may include metal films or foils such as gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, titanium, aluminum, alloys thereof, and the like. In alternative embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the reflective region 135a may include an alternating stack of low and high refractive index materials (H). Such materials L and H may comprise a dielectric material. Such a stack may also include a metal layer M to improve the reflectance of region 135a. Of course, the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example and is not intended to limit the accompanying claims. For example, more or less layers L and H may be included in any order, and optional metal M may not be present if desired.

An exemplary light emission direction from the light source 130 is shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 1A-D. Light injected into the LGP may propagate along the length of the LGP due to total internal reflection (TIR) until it hits the interface at an angle of incidence less than the critical angle. The total internal reflection (TIR) is a second material (eg, air, etc.) in which light propagating from a first material (eg, glass, plastic, etc.) including the first refractive index has a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index. This is a phenomenon that can be completely reflected at the interface with the. TIR can be described using Snell's law:

는 인터페이스에 대한 법선에 대해 상기 인터페이스에 입사되는 광의 각도(입사각)이고, Θ_r은 법선에 대한 굴절된 광의 굴절각이다. 굴절각(Θ_r)이 90°일 때, 예컨대

일 때, 스넬의 법칙은 아래와 같이 표현될 수 있다:The above equation describes the refraction of light at the interface between two materials of different refractive indices. According to Snell's law, n ₁ is the refractive index of the first material, n ₂ is the refractive index of the second material,

Is the angle (incidence angle) of light incident on the interface with respect to the normal to the interface, and Θ _r is the angle of refraction of the refracted light with respect to the normal. When the angle of refraction Θ _r is 90 °, for example

Snell's law can be expressed as:

Under these conditions, the angle of incidence Θ _i may be related to the critical angle Θ _c . Light having an incidence angle θ _i > Θ _c greater than a critical angle is internally reflected within the first material as a whole, while light having an incidence angle θ _i ≦ Θ _c below a critical angle is mostly transmitted by the first material. Can be.

For the exemplary interface between air ( n ₁ = 1) and glass ( n ₂ = 1.5), the critical angle Θ _c can be calculated at 42 °. Thus, if light propagating in the glass strikes the air-glass interface at an angle of incidence greater than 42 °, all incident light will be reflected from the interface at the same angle as the angle of incidence. If the reflected light encounters a second interface that has the same refractive index relationship as the first interface, light incident on the second interface will again be reflected at the same angle of incidence as the incident angle.

At least one light extracting function 140 may be formed in the matrix of the LGP 110 on the second major surface 125 of the LGP 110 or below the second major surface 125, for example. For example, the second main surface 125 of the LGP 110 may be patterned into a plurality of light extraction functions 140. The light extraction function 140 may be distributed on the surface as a structural form constituting a rough or raised (ie, containerized) surface, or within or throughout the LGP 110, or For example as a laser-damaged form. Light extraction function 140 may, in some embodiments, include a light diffusing particle layer, such as light diffusing particles or diffuse white paint. When a near Lambertian distribution is produced, it may be possible to create an integrated display without employing a collimating film such as BEF.

In other embodiments, the light extraction function 140 includes individual prismatic elements or multiple such elements that redirect light in a substantially normal direction to the first major surface 115 of the LGP 110. can do. The light extraction function unit 140 may have any cross-sectional profile capable of redirecting the light inside the LGP mainly in the normal direction. In various embodiments, this may enable the production of integrated displays without collimating films such as BEF. One non-limiting example of such a cross-sectional profile is a concave prism having two fundamental and peak angles (also called included angles) which may be the same or different. In certain embodiments, such a base angle may be about 50 ° and the peak angle may be about 80 °. According to further embodiments, the base angle may be in the range of about 48 ° to about 52 ° (including both the range therebetween and subranges thereof), such as about 49 ° to about 51 ° Angles range from about 76 ° to about 83 °, including from about 77 ° to about 82 °, about 78 ° to about 81 °, or about 79 ° to about 80 ° May be). In various embodiments, the concave prism may be asymmetric, ie the two fundamental angles may have different values. The concave prism may be formed, for example, in a matrix of the LGP extending inwardly from the second surface, or may be formed on or within a coating, layer, or film applied to the second major surface of the LGP.

The light extraction function 140 may have a range of less than about 75 μm, less than about 50 μm, less than about 25 μm, less than about 10 μm, or even less, such as from about 1 μm to about 100 μm (range between and At least one dimension (eg, width, height, length, etc.) of less than about 100 μm, such as inclusive of all subranges thereof. According to various embodiments, the extraction function 140 may be patterned to an appropriate density to produce a substantially uniform light output intensity across the light emitting surface 115 of the LGP 110. In certain embodiments, the light extraction function 140 close to the light source 130, such as a gradient from one end to the other end, to be suitable for generating a desired light output distribution across the LGP 110. Can be lower than the density of the light extraction functions 140 at points further away from the light source 130 (as shown in FIGS. 1A-D), or vice versa.

Suitable methods for generating such light extraction functions include printing, texturing, mechanical roughening, etching, injection molding, coating, laser damage, or these, such as inkjet printing, screen printing, microprinting, and the like. And any combination of The light extraction function 140 may be formed, for example, using the methods disclosed in co-pending and co-owned International Patent Application Nos. PCT / US2013 / 063622 and PCT / US2014 / 070771, each of which is a whole. The contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Non-limiting examples of suitable methods may also include laser damaging the substrate or layer, for example by acid etching the surface, coating the surface with TiO ₂ , and focusing the laser on or in the matrix.

Exemplary lasers include, but are not limited to, Nd: YAG lasers, CO ₂ lasers, and the like. The operating parameters of the laser, such as laser power, pulse duration, pulse energy, and other variables, may vary depending on the desired light extraction functional profile. In some embodiments, the pulse duration is from about 1 Hz to about 500 Hz, from about 10 Hz to about 200 Hz, from about 20 Hz to about 100 Hz, or from about 30 Hz to about 50 Hz It may be in the range of about 100 ms (including both ranges between them and subranges thereof). In addition, the laser power may be in the range of about 1 W to 100 W (including both ranges and subranges thereof), such as about 5 W to about 50 W, or about 10 W to about 35 W. The laser energy ranges from, and ranges from about 0.01 mJ to about 100 mJ, such as, for example, about 0.1 mJ to about 10 mJ, about 0.5 mJ to about 5 mJ, or about 1 mJ to about 2 mJ. Inclusive).

In addition, the second main surface 125 of the LGP 110 may include at least one microstructure or a plurality of microstructures (not shown). As used herein, the terms “fine structure”, “fine structured” and variations thereof extend in a given direction (eg, parallel or orthogonal to the direction of light propagation) and have at least one dimension (eg, height, width, etc.) Wherein the at least one dimension is less than about 400 μm, less than about 300 μm, less than about 200 μm, less than about 100 μm, about 50 μm, or even less, such as Less than about 500 μm, such as in the range of about 10 μm to about 500 μm, including both the range therebetween and subranges thereof. Such microstructures may have a regular or irregular shape in certain embodiments, which may be the same or different within a given array.

Light from the light source 130 can quickly diffuse into the LGP 110, which makes it difficult to cause local dimming, especially when the light source 130 is located along the edge surface of the LGP. can do. However, by providing one or more microstructures that extend in the direction of light propagation, it may be possible to limit the diffusion of light such that each light source effectively illuminates only the narrow strip of the LGP. Such illuminated strips may extend, for example, from the origin of the light incident edge surface 120 to a similar endpoint on the opposite edge surface. As such, various microstructure configurations can be used to collimate light and affect 1D local dimming of at least a portion of the LGP 110 in a relatively efficient manner.

In certain embodiments, the LGP may be configured to achieve 2D local dimming. For example, one or more additional light sources can be optically coupled to adjacent (eg, orthogonal) edge surfaces. Any one of the plurality of microstructures may extend in the light propagation direction, and another number of the microstructures may extend in the direction orthogonal to the light propagation direction. Thus, 2D local dimming can be achieved by selectively blocking one or more light sources along each edge surface.

Combinations of microstructure shapes and / or sizes may be used, and such combinations may be arranged in a regular (periodic) or irregular (non-periodic) manner. Exemplary microstructure shapes include prisms, round prisms, and lenticular lenses. Of course, these shapes are merely examples and are not intended to limit the accompanying claims. Other microstructure shapes are possible and are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. The size and / or shape of such microstructures may also vary depending on the desired light output and / or optical function of the LGP 110. In addition, a combination of microstructure and light extraction function may be used.

Different microstructure shapes can lead to different local dimming efficiencies, also called local dimming indices (LDI). Such local dimming indices are described, for example, in Jung et al., "Local dimming design and optimization for edge-type LED backlight unit," SID Symp. Dig. Tech. Papers, 42 (1), pp. It may be determined using the methods described in 1430-1432 (June 2011). As a non-limiting example, a periodic array of prismatic microstructures can result in LDI values up to about 70%, while a periodic array of lenticular lenses can result in LDI values up to about 83%. Of course, the microstructure size and / or shape and / or spacing can be varied to achieve different LDI values. Different microstructure shapes can also provide additional optical functionality. For example, a prism array with a 90 [deg.] Prism angle can result in more efficient local dimming as well as partially focus light in a direction perpendicular to the prismatic ridge due to the recirculation and redirecting of the light beam.

The display assembly 100B may include a first substrate 170, a second substrate 155, and a light modulation layer 160 disposed therebetween. In some embodiments, the light modulation layer 160 may be switchable to allow light to pass through in selected areas corresponding to pixels of the display, such as in response to one or more electrical signals. By way of non-limiting example, the light modulation layer 160 may include a liquid crystal layer that may include any type of liquid crystal material arranged in any configuration known in the art. In a few words, exemplary configurations include twisted nematic (TN) mode, vertically aligned (VA) mode, in plane switching (IPS) mode, and blue phase (BP) mode. , Fringe Field Switching (FFS) mode, and Advanced Super Dimension Switch (ADS) mode.

The display assembly 100B may also include at least one light transmissive opening 165b that may be at least partially aligned with at least one light transmissive region 135b of the patterned optical element 135. At least one opening 165b is formed on elements 165a (shown) or on second substrate 155 disposed on first substrate 170, such as, for example, a thin film transistor (TFT), an electrode, a sensor. It may be defined by disposed elements (not shown), or by any other non-transmissive element patterned on such substrates. For example, a TFT array can be patterned on the first substrate 170 or the second substrate 155, thus forming openings 165b between the TFT elements 165a through which light can pass. . Individual elements of a TFT array, such as sensors or electrodes, may also be patterned separately on the first and second substrates 170, 155, and these elements 165a may together form openings 165b. Light incident on the openings 165b may be transmitted by the display assembly 100B, but light incident on the peripheral elements 165a may be absorbed or reflected.

As shown in FIGS. 1A-D, at least one light transmissive opening 165b may be at least partially aligned with at least the light transmissive region 135b. In some embodiments, such opening (s) 165b may be located at a location that overlaps with region (s) 135b. 1A-D show complete alignment, it should be understood that the light transmissive openings 165b and regions 135b need not be perfectly aligned. For example, these elements may substantially overlap, for example at least 90%, or partially, for example, at least 50%, or any other variation between them (50%, 60%) that may provide the desired light output. , 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 99%, or 100% overlap). In certain embodiments, the opening (s) 165b and region (s) 135b are at least partially aligned (eg, 50-100% overlap) or at least substantially aligned (eg, 90-100%). Overlap).

The display assembly 100B may also include at least one polarizer. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the first absorption polarizer 185 may be positioned adjacent to the main surface 175 of the emission of the first substrate 170. The second absorption polarizer 150 may be positioned adjacent to the second substrate 155, for example, between the second substrate 155 and the LGP 110 as shown in FIG. 1A. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 1B-C, the reflective polarizer 150 ′ may be positioned adjacent to the second substrate 155, for example, between the second substrate 155 and the LGP 110. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1D, the reflective polarizer 150 ′ may be positioned between the second substrate 155 and the light modulation layer 160. In certain embodiments, the first absorption polarizer 185 may be bonded or otherwise attached to the first substrate 170, and the second absorption polarizer 150 or the reflective polarizer 150 ′ may be formed of the first absorption polarizer 185. The second substrate 155 may be bonded or otherwise attached.

Reflective polarizers may reflect light back toward the backlight assembly, which is directed to undesirable polarization for recycling through the LGP. Exemplary reflective polarizers include prismatic films and wire grid polarizers, such as, for example, dual brightness enhancing film (DBEF) commercially available at 3M. Absorbing polarizers can absorb light directed to undesirable polarization and transmit the remaining light. Nitto Polarizing Film (NPF) available from Nitto Denko is a non-limiting example of an absorbing polarizer.

Referring to FIG. 3, the display assembly 100B may include a color filter layer 198. For example, such a color filter layer 198 may be located between the light modulation layer 160 and the first substrate 170 (as shown). The color filter layer 198 may also be located between the second substrate 155 and the light modulation layer 160 (not shown). According to various embodiments, the color filter layer 198 or a portion thereof may be deposited, bonded, or attached to the first substrate 170 or the second substrate 155, or both.

In certain embodiments, the color filter layer 198 is in the region corresponding to the openings 165, for example between the elements 165a, on the first substrate 170, on the second substrate 155. It may include an array of color filters disposed on or in both. As such, light transmitted through opening 165b may be filtered to produce the desired light output. For example, for a light source that emits white light W (not shown), the red filter element 198r can absorb green and blue light and transmit only red light R, while the green filter element ( 198g may absorb red and blue light and transmit only green light (G), and blue filter element 198b may absorb red and green light and transmit only blue light (B). Color filter layer 198 may also be used with a light source that emits blue light. For example, a color conversion layer 195 (see FIG. 1C) can then be included in the device to convert blue light to another different wavelength that can be filtered by the color filter layer 198.

In alternative embodiments (not shown), the color filter layer 198 may be replaced with a color conversion layer, for example a portion of the color conversion layer may be located in an area corresponding to the openings 165b. For example, for a light source that emits blue light, a color conversion layer can be used. In certain embodiments, the color conversion layer can include red and green quantum dots (QDs). Thus, the light transmitted through the aperture can be converted to a desired wavelength (eg red or green), or can pass through the non-converting portion, for example in the region where there is no QD.

1A-D, in some embodiments, the unitary device 100 can be used to bond or otherwise attach various elements within the backlight assembly 100A and / or the display assembly 100B. It may include additional elements such as the adhesive layer 145 above. The adhesive layer 145, if present, includes any adhesive known in the art, such as an optically clear adhesive (OCA) such as sold by 3M and an ionomer polymer such as sold by DuPont. can do. Exemplary thicknesses for such adhesive layers are, for example, from about 50 μm to about 500 μm, from about 10 μm to about 400 μm, from about 25 μm to about 300 μm, from about 50 μm to about 250 μm, or from about 100 μm to And a thickness in the range of about 200 μm (including both the range therebetween and subranges thereof).

The unitary device 100 may also include a reflector 190 positioned adjacent to the second major surface 125 of the LGP 110. The reflector 190 may function to recycle light back to the backlight assembly 100A. Exemplary materials include metallic substrates or foils as well as non-metallic substrates coated with metallic films or reflective inks.

As used herein, the term " adjacently located " and variations thereof means that the element or layer is located on or near a particular surface of the listed element but is not necessarily in direct physical contact with that surface. For example, the reflector 190 is shown in FIGS. 1A-D as positioned adjacent to the second major surface 125 of the LGP 110, with an air gap between these two elements. A first absorbing polarizer 185 is shown in FIGS. 1A-D, which may be in direct physical contact with the first substrate 170, but which may be " located " to the first substrate 170, with other elements between these two elements. Layers or films (such as adhesive layers) are present. As such, element A "located adjacent to" the surface of element B may or may not be in direct physical contact with element B. In some embodiments, elements located adjacent to a surface may be in direct physical contact with the surface. In other embodiments, the film, layer, or air gap may be between two elements located adjacent to each other.

Similarly, element A "located between elements B and C" may be located between elements B and C, but is not necessarily in direct physical contact with these elements. For example, the second absorbing polarizer 150 is positioned between the backlight assembly 100A and the display assembly 100B and, for example, the adhesive layer 145 is not in direct physical contact with the first major surface 115. Is attached to the first major surface 115 of the LGP 110 by way of example. However, in certain embodiments, the first element A located between the second element B and C may be in direct physical contact with at least one of the second element B and / or C.

Referring to FIG. 1C, the unitary device 100 may further include, for example, a color conversion layer 195 positioned between the LGP 110 and the reflective polarizer 150 ′. Of course, the color conversion layer 195 may be located at another location within the unitary device 100. In addition, the color conversion layer 195 can be used for any combination of the configurations of FIGS. 1A-D without limitation. In certain embodiments, color converting layer 195 may include, in some words, QDs encapsulated between two protective layers, such as glass layers or plastic films. This may be useful for integrating the color conversion layer 195 into an integrated device optically coupled to a light source that emits blue light. For example, the color conversion layer 195 may be used to convert some of the blue light to a desired wavelength, such as red or green.

The QDs can have various shapes and / or sizes depending on the emitted light of the desired wavelength. For example, as the size of a quantum dot decreases, the frequency of emitted light may increase, i.e. the color of such emitted light may change from red to blue as the size of the quantum dot decreases. When irradiated with blue, UV or near-ultraviolet light, the quantum dots can convert the light into longer red, yellow, green, or blue wavelengths. According to various embodiments, the QDs may emit red and green wavelengths when irradiated with blue, UV or near-ultraviolet light. Of course, other color conversion elements, such as phosphors and lumiphors, may also be included in the color conversion layer (s) of the integrated device as suitable for the desired application.

Referring again to FIGS. 1A-D, the LGP 110, the first substrate 170, and the second substrate 155 may have any desired size and / or shape suitable for generating a desired light distribution. . In certain embodiments, the major surface of the LGP and / or substrate may be planar or substantially planar and / or parallel. In various embodiments, at least one major surface may also have a radius of curvature along at least one axis. The LGP 110, the first substrate 170, and / or the second substrate 155 may include four edges or may include more than four edges, such as a polygon. In other embodiments, the LGP and / or substrates may include fewer than four edges, such as triangles. As a non-limiting example, the LGP 110, the first substrate 170 and / or the second substrate 155 may be composed of rectangular, square, or rhomboid sheets having four edges, Other forms and configurations are included within the scope of the present disclosure, including those having one or more curved portions or edges.

In certain embodiments, the LGP 110 is about 3 mm or less, for example about 0.1 mm to about 2.5 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm, or about 0.7 mm to It may have a thickness in the range of about 1 mm (including both the range therebetween and subranges thereof). According to non-limiting embodiments, the LGP 100 may have at least one other dimension, such as in the range of about 50 mm to about 500 mm, about 100 mm to about 400 mm, or about 200 mm to about 300 mm (between them). It can have a length or width (including both the range and subranges thereof). In various embodiments, the LGP 100 may have a length of less than 100 mm.

In various embodiments, the first substrate 170 and the second substrate 155 have different thicknesses. The first substrate 170 may be thicker than the second substrate 155. For example, the first substrate 170 may have a range of about 0.3 mm or less, such as about 0.1 mm to about 2.5 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm, or about 0.7 mm to about 1 mm. It can have a thickness (including both ranges between and subranges thereof). The second substrate 155 may have a range of about 1.5 mm or less, such as about 0.02 mm to about 1.5 mm, about 0.05 mm to about 1 mm, about 0.1 mm to about 0.7 mm, or about 0.3 mm to about 0.5 mm (between them). Range and all of its subranges).

The LGP 110, first substrate 170 and second substrate 155 may comprise any material known in the art for use in display devices and other similar devices. For example, the LGP and / or the first or second substrate may be made of plastic, such as polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), methylmethacrylate styrene (MS), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), to name a few; Plastic, or micro-structured material, polymers, or glass. In some embodiments, the LGP 110 may comprise glass. In other embodiments, the first and / or second substrates 170 and 155 may include glass. In other embodiments, the LGP 110, the first substrate 170, and the second substrate 155 may include glass.

Exemplary glasses may include, but are not limited to, aluminosilicates, alkali-aluminosilicates, borosilicates, alkali-borosilicates, aluminoborosilicates, alkali-aluminoborosilicates, soda limes, and other suitable glasses. It doesn't work. Non-limiting examples of commercially available glasses suitable for use as glass light guides include, for example, Corning Incorporated EAGLE XG ^® , Lotus ^TM , Willow ^® , Iris ^TM , and Gorilla ^® glass. In non-limiting embodiments, the LGP 110 may be a composite LGP that includes both glass and plastic elements, so that any particular embodiments described herein with reference to glass LGP alone may be claimed in the claims accompanying this application. Do not limit the scope of the scope.

Some non-limiting glass compositions include from about 50 mol% to about 90 mol% SiO ₂ , from 0 mol% to about 20 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , from 0 mol% to about 20 mol% B ₂ O ₃ , 0 mol% to about 20 mol% P ₂ O ₅ , and 0 mol% to about 25 mol% R _x O, wherein R is any one or more of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs and x is 2 or Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba and x is 1. In some embodiments, R _x O-Al ₂ O ₃ >0; _{0 <R x O - Al 2} O 3 <15; x = 2 and R ₂ 0-Al ₂ 0 ₃ <15; R ₂ O—Al ₂ O ₃ <2; x = 2 and R ₂ O-Al ₂ O ₃ -MgO>-15; 0 <(R _x O-Al ₂ O ₃ ) <25, -11 <(R ₂ O-Al ₂ O ₃ ) <11, and -15 <(R ₂ O-Al ₂ O ₃ -MgO) <11; And / or _{-1 <(R 2 O - Al} 2 O 3) <2 and -6 <a _{(R 2 O - - Al 2} O 3 MgO) <1. In some embodiments, the glass comprises less than 1 ppm each of Co, Ni, and Cr. In some embodiments, the concentration of Fe is <about 50 ppm, <about 20 ppm, or <about 10 ppm. In other embodiments, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 60 ppm, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 40 ppm, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 20 ppm, or Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 10 ppm to be. In other embodiments, the glass comprises from about 60 mol% to about 80 mol% SiO ₂ , from about 0.1 mol% to about 15 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , from 0 mol% to about 12 mol% B ₂ O ₃ , and between about 0.1 mol% and about 15 mol% R ₂ O and between about 0.1 mol% and about 15 mol%, wherein R is any one or more Li, Na, K , Rb, Cs and x is 2 or Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba and x is 1.

In other embodiments, the glass composition is between about 65.79 mol% and about 78.17 mol% SiO ₂ , between about 2.94 mol% and about 12.12 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , between about 0 mol% and about 11.16 mol% Of B ₂ O ₃ , between about 0 mol% and about 2.06 mol% Li ₂ O, between about 3.52 mol% and about 13.25 mol% Na ₂ O, between about 0 mol% and about 4.83 mol% K ₂ O , Between about 0 mol% and about 3.01 mol% ZnO, between about 0 mol% and about 8.72 mol%, between about 0 mol% and about 4.24 mol% CaO, between about 0 mol% and about 6.17 mol% Of SrO, between about 0 mol% and about 4.3 mol% BaO, and between about 0.07 mol% and about 0.11 mol% SnO ₂ .

In further embodiments, the glass may comprise a glass having an R _x O / Al ₂ O ₃ ratio between 0.95 and 3.23, wherein R is any one or more Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs x is two. In other embodiments, the glass can comprise an R _x O / Al ₂ O ₃ ratio between 1.18 and 5.68, where R is any one or more Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs and x is 2 Or Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba and x is 1. In yet other embodiments, the glass may comprise between -4.25 and 4.0 R _x O-Al ₂ O ₃ -MgO, where R is any one or more Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs x is two. In yet other embodiments, the glass comprises from about 66 mol% to about 78 mol% SiO ₂ , from about 4 mol% to about 11 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , from about 4 mol% to about 11 mol% Between B ₂ O ₃ , between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% Li ₂ O, between about 4 mol% and about 12 mol% Na ₂ O, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% K ₂ O, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% ZnO, between about 0 mol% and about 5 mol% MgO, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% CaO, between about 0 mol% and about 5 mol% Between SrO, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% BaO, and between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% SnO ₂ .

In further embodiments, the glass comprises from about 72 mol% to about 80 mol% SiO ₂ , from about 3 mol% to about 7 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , from about 0 mol% to about 2 mol% Between B ₂ O ₃ , between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% Li ₂ O, between about 6 mol% and about 15 mol% Na ₂ O, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% K ₂ O, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% ZnO, between about 2 mol% and about 10 mol% MgO, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% CaO, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% Glass materials comprising SrO in between, between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% BaO, and between about 0 mol% and about 2 mol% SnO ₂ . In certain embodiments, the glass comprises between about 60 mol% and about 80 mol% SiO ₂ , between about 0 mol% and about 15 mol% Al ₂ O ₃ , between about 0 mol% and about 15 mol% of B ₂ O _3, and from about 2 mol% to may comprise a R _x O between about 50 mol%, where R is any one or more of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs a or x is 2, or Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr or Ba and x is 1, where Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 60 ppm.

In some embodiments, the glass ranges from about -0.005 to about 0.05, or from 0.005 to about 0.015 (eg, about -0.005, -0.004, -0.003, -0.002, -0.001, 0, 0.001, 0.002, 0.003 , 0.004, 0.005, 0.006, 0.007, 0.008, 0.009, 0.010, 0.011, 0.012, 0.013, 0.014, 0.015, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, or 0.05). In other embodiments, the glass may comprise a color conversion of less than 0.008. According to certain embodiments, the glass has a wavelength in the range of 420-750 nm, less than about 3 dB / m, less than about 2 dB / m, less than about 1 dB / m, less than about 0.5 dB / m, about Less than 0.2 dB / m, or even less, light attenuation α ₁ (eg, due to absorption and / or scattering losses) of less than about 4 dB / m, such as in the range of about 0.2 dB / m to about 4 dB / m. Can have

Attenuation can specify to measure the light transmission T _L (□) of the input source through the transparent substrate of length L and normalize this transmission by the source spectrum T ₀ (□). In dB / m units, the attenuation is given by □ (□) = -10 / L * log ₁₀ (T _L (□) / T _L (□)), where L is the meter length and T _L (□) and T _L (□) is measured in units of radiation measurement.

In some embodiments, the glass can be chemically strengthened, such as by ion exchange. During the ion exchange process, ions in the glass sheet at or near the surface of the glass sheet may be exchanged from larger metal ions, for example salt baths. The incorporation of such larger ions into the glass can create compressive stress in nearby surface areas to strengthen the glass sheet. To balance such compressive stress a corresponding tensile stress can be induced in the central region of the glass sheet.

Ion exchange can be performed, for example, by immersing the glass in a molten salt bath for a predetermined time. Exemplary salt baths include, but are not limited to, KNO ₃ , LiNO ₃ , NaNO ₃ , RbNO ₃ , and combinations thereof. The temperature and treatment time of the molten salt bath may vary. It is within the ability of those skilled in the art to determine time and temperature according to the desired application. By way of non-limiting example, although other temperature and time combinations are envisaged, the temperature of the molten salt bath may range from about 400 ° C. to about 800 ° C., such as from about 400 ° C. to about 500 ° C., and the predetermined time is about 4 And from about 24 hours, such as about 4 hours to about 10 hours. As a non-limiting example, the glass may be immersed in a KNO ₃ bath, for example at about 450 ° C. for about 6 hours to obtain a K-rich layer that imparts surface compressive stress.

In certain embodiments, a variety of integrated devices 100, such as the LGP 110, the first substrate 170, the second substrate 155, and / or the adhesive layer (s) 145 (if present), may be used. The element may be transparent or substantially transparent. The term “transparent” as used herein is intended to indicate that the element has a light transmission greater than about 80% in the visible region (˜420-750 nm) of the spectrum for a transmission length of 500 mm or less. For example, the exemplary transparent material may have a transmission greater than about 85%, such as greater than about 90%, or greater than about 95% in the visible region, including both ranges and subranges therebetween. Can be.

In some embodiments, exemplary transparent materials may include less than 1 ppm of Co, Ni, and Cr, respectively. In some embodiments, the concentration of Fe is <about 50 ppm, <about 20 ppm, or <about 10 ppm. In other embodiments, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 60 ppm, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 40 ppm, Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 20 ppm, or Fe + 30Cr + 35Ni <about 10 ppm to be. According to further embodiments, the exemplary transparent material may include Δy <0.015, or in some embodiments include color conversion <0.008.

Color conversion measures the change in the x and y chromaticity coordinates of the extracted light along the length L of the LGP illuminated by standard white LED (s), such as the Nichia NFSW157D-E, using the CIE 1931 standard for color measurement. By characterization. The nominal color point of the LED (s) is selected as y = 0.28 and x = 0.29. For free LGP, the color conversion Δy can be reported as Δy = y (L ₂ ) -y (L ₁ ), where L ₂ and L ₁ are in the direction of the panel or substrate away from the source launch. Along the Z positions, and L ₂ -L ₁ = 0.5 meters. Example free LGPs have Δy <0.05, Δy <0.01, Δy <0.005, Δy <0.003 or Δy <0.001.

The integrated devices disclosed herein can provide a variety of advantages characteristics over conventional devices. For example, the display assembly and the backlight assembly may be fully integrated, eg bonded to each other. In certain embodiments, such display assembly and backlight assembly may be bonded together in series by at least one intervening layer. The term "continuously bonded" as used herein means that the first major surface of the backlight assembly is bonded to the second major surface of the display assembly, such that substantially all of the first major surface uses intervening layers or It is intended to represent bonding to substantially all of the second major surface without use. Such a configuration can improve the mechanical strength of such a unitary device, especially compared to devices bonded only at the edges.

1A-B, the second substrate 155 is attached to an absorbing polarizer 150 or a reflective polarizer 150 ′ that may be continuously bonded to the patterned optical element 135 through an adhesive layer 145. It can be bonded continuously. In FIG. 1C, the second substrate 155 may be continuously bonded to the reflective polarizer 150 ′ which may be continuously bonded to the color conversion layer 195, and the color conversion layer 195 may be bonded to the patterned layer. The optical element 135 may be continuously bonded by an optional adhesive layer between these elements (not shown). Referring to FIG. 1D, the second substrate 155 may be continuously bonded to the patterned optical element 135 through an adhesive layer 145. In various embodiments, the front surface of all elements in the unitary device may be continuously bonded to the back surface of adjacent elements.

The unitary devices disclosed herein may also be thinner and / or lighter than conventional devices, for example, because there is no one or more optical films and / or air gap (s) between the elements of such devices. Eliminating one or more of these factors can effectively reduce the overall cost and / or complexity of the device. In some embodiments, the unitary device, backlight assembly, and / or display assembly may not include a collimating film. In other embodiments, the unitary device, backlight assembly, and / or display assembly may not include a diffusion film. In other embodiments, the unitary device, backlight assembly, and / or display assembly may not include a collimating film or a diffusion film. In still other embodiments, the unitary device may not include an air gap. In yet other embodiments, the unitary device, backlight assembly, and / or display assembly may not include any of the collimating film, diffuser film, or air gap.

1A-D, the backlight assembly 100A and the display assembly 100B may be bonded together without the diffuser and / or collimating film present between these two elements. In further embodiments, there may be no air gap between the backlight assembly 100A and the display assembly 100B. It should be noted that the peripheral bonding method, such as bonding along the edges of the elements, does not provide an integrated device without air gaps as described herein.

It should be understood that various disclosed embodiments can include particular features, elements, or steps described in connection with the specific embodiment. Although described in connection with one particular embodiment, it should be understood that certain features, elements or steps may be exchanged or combined with alternative embodiments in various combinations or permutations not shown.

It is also to be understood that the terms “such”, “one” or “one” as used herein mean “at least one” and should not be limited to “one” unless expressly indicated otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a light source" includes examples having two or more such light sources unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Likewise, "multiple" or "array" is intended to represent "one or more". As such, "a plurality of light extraction functions" includes two or more such functions, such as three or more such functions, and an "array of light extraction functions" includes two or more such functions, such as three or more such features, and the like. It includes a functional part.

A range can be expressed herein as "about" one particular value and / or as "about" another particular value. When such a range is expressed, examples include from one particular value and / or to another specific value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations using “about” as a preceding, it will be understood that certain values form another aspect. It should be further understood that the endpoint of each range is important in relation to and independent of the other endpoints.

The terms "substantially", "substantially", and variations thereof, as used herein, are intended to indicate that the features described are the same or approximately the same as the value or description. For example, a "substantially planar" surface is intended to represent a planar or approximately planar surface. Also, as defined above, "substantially similar" is intended to indicate that the two values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, “substantially similar” may represent values within about 10% of each other, such as within about 5% of each other or within about 2% of each other.

Unless expressly stated to the contrary, any method presented herein is not to be construed as requiring that the steps be performed in a particular order. Accordingly, there is no intention to infer a particular order unless the method claim actually refers to the order following the steps or otherwise specifically states in the claims or description that the steps should be limited to a particular order.

Various features, elements, or steps of certain embodiments may be disclosed using the transitional expression "comprising", but include those that may be described using the transitional expression "consisting of" or "consisting essentially of." It is to be understood that alternative embodiments are implied. Thus, for example, implied alternative embodiments for an assembly comprising A + B + C include embodiments in which the assembly consists of A + B + C and implementations in which the assembly consists essentially of A + B + C. Include an example.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Since modifications, subcombinations, and variations of the disclosed embodiments, including the spirit and gist of the present disclosure, may occur to those skilled in the art, the present disclosure should be construed to include all that is within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. .

Claims (20)

The unitary device, wherein the unitary device is:
(a) a backlight assembly; And
(b) includes a display assembly,
The backlight assembly is:
A light guide plate including a second major surface opposite to the first major surface of light emission; And
A patterned optical element optically coupled to a first major surface of the light guide plate,
The patterned optical element comprises at least one light reflecting region and at least one light transmitting region,
The display assembly is:
A first substrate, a second substrate, and a light modulation layer disposed therebetween; And
At least one light transmitting aperture,
And the at least one light transmissive region of the patterned optical element is at least partially aligned with at least one light transmissive opening of the display assembly. The method according to claim 1,
And at least one polarizer. The method according to claim 2,
The at least one polarizer is an absorbing polarizer positioned adjacent to a major surface of light emission of the first substrate and positioned between the second substrate and the light guide plate, or both. The method according to claim 2,
The at least one polarizer is a reflective polarizer positioned between the second substrate and the light modulation layer or between the second substrate and the light guide plate. The method according to claim 1,
The light modulating layer comprises a liquid crystal layer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first substrate is thicker than the second substrate. The method according to claim 1,
The patterned optical element is bonded or deposited on the first major surface of the light guide plate. The method according to claim 1,
The patterned optical element includes an stack of dielectric layers that in turn includes a higher and lower refractive index. The method according to claim 8,
The patterned optical element further comprises a metal layer. The method according to claim 1,
The light reflecting region of the patterned optical element has a light reflectance of greater than about 85%. The method according to claim 1,
The second major surface of the light guide plate comprises at least one light extraction function, at least one microstructure, or both. The method according to claim 1,
The at least one light extraction function comprises a light diffusing particle layer or a plurality of individual prism elements. The method according to claim 1,
And the second substrate of the display assembly is bonded to the patterned optical element of the backlight assembly. The method according to claim 1,
The backlight assembly is bonded to the display assembly by at least one intervening layer. The method according to claim 14,
The at least one intervening layer comprises an adhesive layer, a polarizer, a color converting layer, or a combination thereof. The unitary device of claim 14, wherein the unitary device does not include a diffusion film or collimating film positioned between the display assembly and the backlight assembly. The method according to claim 14,
The air gap does not exist between the display assembly and the backlight assembly. The method according to claim 1,
And at least one light source optically coupled to a light incident edge surface of the light guide plate or to a second major surface of the light guide plate. The method according to claim 18,
The at least one light source emits white light or blue light. The method according to claim 1,
The unitary device is a display, lighting, or electronic device.

Images