JP2010002450A - Microlens substrate, electro-optical device, and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate designing and manufacturing of a microlens substrate, and to display a high-quality image in an electro-optical device. <P>SOLUTION: The microlens substrate includes a condenser lens face (310) which is provided on a substrate for each of a plurality of pixels and on which a plurality of condenser lenses for condensing incoming light are arranged, and a diffusion lens face (320) which is provided for each of a plurality of pixels and on which a plurality of diffusion lenses for diffusing the incoming light are arranged. The condenser lens and the diffusion lens in the microlens substrate are formed so that: the centers of both lenses are shifted mutually to refract the incoming light in the distinct vision direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technical field of a microlens substrate used in, for example, a liquid crystal device, an electro-optical device including the microlens substrate, and an electronic apparatus such as a liquid crystal projector including the electro-optical device.

  This type of microlens substrate is provided as a counter substrate in a liquid crystal device constituting a light valve in a projector, for example. On such a microlens substrate, for example, a microlens having a spherical lens curved surface is formed corresponding to each pixel. In a liquid crystal device, a microlens substrate is disposed such that each microlens is opposed to a pixel electrode as a counter substrate, and a liquid crystal is interposed between the counter substrate and a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) array substrate in which the pixel electrode and the like are formed. Is pinched.

  In such a liquid crystal device, light such as projection light incident on the liquid crystal device is refracted and condensed by a microlens and incident on each pixel, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency and providing a bright display. Realized.

  On the other hand, the liquid crystal device typically exhibits contrast anisotropy, and the contrast changes depending on the direction in which light enters. For this reason, it is preferable that the light incident on the liquid crystal device is incident in the direction in which the contrast increases (that is, the clear viewing direction). For this reason, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which an optical central axis of a microlens is formed by being inclined from a vertical direction.

JP-A-2005-70157

  However, the microlens according to Patent Document 1 has a comparatively complicated shape, unlike a normal hemispherical lens surface. In addition, the setting of the angle at which the optical center axis is tilted is complicated, and extremely high accuracy is required. That is, the above-described technique has a technical problem that the design and manufacturing process of the microlens is complicated and advanced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, for example, and is a microlens substrate that can be easily designed and manufactured and can display a high-quality image, and an electro-optical device including the microlens substrate. It is an object to provide an apparatus and an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a microlens substrate of the present invention is a microlens substrate in which a plurality of lenses that refract light incident on a plurality of pixels are arranged, and is provided on the substrate for each of the plurality of pixels. A plurality of condensing lens surfaces on which a plurality of condensing lenses for condensing the incident light are arranged, and a plurality of diffusion lenses that are provided for each of the plurality of pixels and diffuse the incident light. The condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed so that the centers of the lenses are deviated from each other so that the incident light is refracted in the clear vision direction.

  According to the microlens substrate of the present invention, a condensing lens surface on which a plurality of condensing lenses that condense incident light are arranged and a plurality of diffusion lenses that diffuse incident light are arranged on the substrate. And a diffusing lens surface. The condensing lens and the diffusing lens are provided for each of a plurality of pixels in an electro-optical device using a microlens substrate, for example. In other words, the condenser lens and the diffusion lens are arranged so as to correspond to each of the plurality of pixels. Therefore, the light that is about to enter the pixel is collected by the condenser lens and diffused by the diffusion lens.

  In addition, as for a condensing lens and a diffusion lens, any lens may be arrange | positioned at the incident side of light. In other words, the light that has entered the condensing lens and has been condensed may be incident on the diffusing lens and diffused, or conversely, the light that has entered the diffusing lens and diffused may be diffused. The light may be incident on and condensed. The condensing lens and the diffusing lens may each be a convex lens or a concave lens.

  Particularly in the present invention, the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed so that the centers of the lenses are shifted from each other so that incident light is refracted in the clear vision direction. Here, the “clear vision direction” means a light incident direction that improves contrast in a pixel on which light is incident. For example, an electro-optic such as a liquid crystal exhibiting contrast anisotropy. The incident direction of light that can display an image with higher contrast in a substance. In addition, “so as to be refracted in the clear vision direction” does not require the direction in which the refracted light is most improved in contrast, as long as the contrast can be improved as compared with the case where the light is not refracted. It is. Further, the “lens center” does not indicate the exact center position of the lens but means the optical center of the condenser lens and the diffusion lens.

  If comprised as mentioned above, the light which injects into a micro lens board | substrate will first enter into one lens among a condensing lens and a diffusion lens, and will be condensed or spread | diffused. Subsequently, the incident light is incident on the other lens of the condenser lens and the diffusing lens. At this time, the centers of the lenses of the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are shifted, so that the incident light is condensed or diffused and refracted in a direction corresponding to the shift (that is, the clear viewing direction). Therefore, the contrast of an image displayed by incident light can be improved.

  Incidentally, if the incident light is only refracted in the clear vision direction, it is possible to change the shape of the lens, but in this case, the design and manufacturing process of the lens become complicated. However, according to the microlens substrate of the present invention, for example, even if the lens has a normal hemispherical shape, light can be refracted by utilizing the shift between the two lenses. That is, a simple lens shape is sufficient. Furthermore, since the refraction direction can be adjusted as appropriate depending on the amount of deviation (that is, how much the center of the lens is displaced), light can be refracted more favorably in the clear vision direction.

  In addition, it is possible to refract incident light in the clear vision direction, even if both of the two lenses used are condensing lenses. If the collected light is further collected), light may be leaked due to excessive collection of the light. In contrast, according to the present invention, the collected light is diffused or the diffused light is collected, so that the collection and diffusion of the light can be canceled each other. Therefore, it is possible to suitably prevent light leakage.

  As described above, according to the microlens substrate of the present invention, it is possible to design and manufacture relatively easily, and it is possible to effectively improve the image quality.

  In one aspect of the microlens substrate of the present invention, the condenser lens surface is formed on the incident side of the incident light with respect to the diffuser lens surface.

  According to this aspect, since the condensing lens surface is formed on the incident side of the light incident on the diffusing lens surface, the incident light is first condensed by the condensing lens and then diffused by the diffusing lens. The

  Assuming that the condensing lens surface is formed on the light exit side of the light incident on the diffusing lens surface, the diffused light does not fit in the condensing lens, and the light use efficiency decreases. There is a fear.

  However, in this aspect, since the light incident on the microlens substrate is first condensed by the condenser lens, the incident light can be efficiently incident on the diffusion lens. Therefore, it is possible to reliably refract light in the clear vision direction.

  In another aspect of the microlens substrate of the present invention, the condensing lens surface is formed of a first layer and a second layer having different refractive indexes, and the diffusing lens surface has a refractive index different from each other. The second layer and the third layer are formed.

  According to this aspect, the condensing lens surface is formed by the first layer and the second layer having different refractive indexes. That is, the incident light is refracted and collected when entering the first lens from the first layer or the second layer to the first layer on the condensing lens surface. Further, the diffusion lens surface is formed by a second layer and a third layer having different refractive indexes.

  With this configuration, incident light is refracted and diffused on the surface of the diffusing lens when it is incident from the second layer to the third layer or from the third layer to the second layer. Note that the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are transparent members containing, for example, glass, resin, or the like.

  In this aspect, since the condensing lens surface and the diffusing lens surface can be formed by the three layers of the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer, they can be manufactured relatively easily and reliably. The light incident on the light can be collected and diffused.

  In the aspect in which the condensing lens surface is formed by the first layer and the second layer and the diffusion lens surface is formed by the second layer and the third layer, the first layer and the third layer are formed. Of the layers, one of the layers formed on the exit side of the incident light may have a refractive index higher than that of the second layer.

  In this case, of the first layer and the third layer, the layer positioned on the light emission side of the incident light (that is, the light emission side of the most of the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer). The refractive index of the layer located at (2) is higher than that of the second layer.

  The emission side of the microlens substrate is disposed to face a member having a relatively high refractive index (for example, a transparent electrode containing ITO (Indium Tin Oxide)) in an electro-optical device or the like. For this reason, by increasing the refractive index of the layer on the emission side of the microlens substrate, it is possible to reduce interface reflection when light is emitted from the microlens substrate. Therefore, it can prevent that the utilization efficiency of light falls. Therefore, a higher quality image can be displayed.

  In another aspect of the microlens substrate of the present invention, the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed to have different curvatures.

  According to this aspect, since the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed so as to have different curvatures, the degree of condensing by the condensing lens and the degree of diffusion by the diffusing lens are different from each other. Can do. As a result, light incident on the microlens substrate can be condensed or diffused as a result and emitted.

  For example, if the curvature of the condensing lens is made larger than that of the diffusing lens, the degree of condensing becomes larger than the degree of diffusing, so that the light incident on the microlens substrate is condensed and emitted. Therefore, light can be efficiently incident on the pixel, and a higher quality image can be displayed.

  In another aspect of the microlens substrate of the present invention, the condensing lens and the diffusing lens have the same shape.

  According to this aspect, since the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed in the same shape, the manufacturing process can be made relatively easy. That is, since the condensing lens and the diffusing lens can be formed by substantially the same manufacturing process, the microlens substrate can be manufactured more suitably. The “same shape” here does not need to be exactly the same, and may be any shape that is close to the extent that the above-described effects can be obtained. In other words, the above-described effects can be obtained accordingly by bringing the shapes of the condenser lens and the diffusing lens closer to each other.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the electro-optical device of the present invention includes the above-described microlens substrate of the present invention (including various aspects thereof).

  According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, since the microlens substrate according to the present invention described above is provided, light is refracted and incident in the clear vision direction. Therefore, it is possible to display a higher quality image. Further, as described above, if the condensing lens and the diffusing lens have different curvatures so as to condense light, the light utilization efficiency is improved. Therefore, it is possible to display a higher quality image.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described electro-optical device according to the present invention (including various aspects thereof).

  According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, since the electro-optical device according to the present invention described above is provided, a projection display device, a television, a mobile phone, an electronic notebook, and a word processor capable of displaying a high-quality image. Various electronic devices such as a viewfinder type or a monitor direct view type video tape recorder, a workstation, a videophone, a POS terminal, and a touch panel can be realized. Further, as the electronic apparatus of the present invention, for example, an electrophoretic device such as electronic paper can be realized.

  The operation and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the best mode for carrying out the invention described below.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Electro-optical device>
First, an electro-optical device to which the microlens substrate according to this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the following embodiments, a TFT active matrix driving type liquid crystal device with a built-in driving circuit, which is an example of the electro-optical device of the present invention, is taken as an example.

  The overall configuration of the electro-optical device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of the electro-optical device according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH ′ of FIG. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, illustration of a microlens substrate, which will be described in detail later, is omitted for convenience of explanation.

  1 and 2, in the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, a TFT array substrate 10 and a counter substrate 20 are disposed to face each other. The TFT array substrate 10 is, for example, a transparent substrate such as a quartz substrate or a glass substrate, a silicon substrate, or the like. The counter substrate 20 is a transparent substrate such as a quartz substrate or a glass substrate. A liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. Note that the microlens substrate according to the present embodiment is provided as a part of the counter substrate. Alternatively, it is provided between the counter substrate and the liquid crystal layer 50. The liquid crystal layer 50 is made of, for example, a liquid crystal in which one or several types of nematic liquid crystals are mixed, and takes a predetermined alignment state between the pair of alignment films. The TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded to each other by a sealing material 52 provided in a sealing region located around the image display region 10a provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes.

  The sealing material 52 is made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin, a thermosetting resin, or the like for bonding the two substrates, and is applied on the TFT array substrate 10 in the manufacturing process and then cured by ultraviolet irradiation, heating, or the like. It is. In the sealing material 52, a gap material such as glass fiber or glass bead is dispersed for setting the distance between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 (that is, the inter-substrate gap) to a predetermined value. Note that the gap material may be arranged in the image display region 10a or a peripheral region located around the image display region 10a in addition to or instead of the material mixed in the seal material 52.

  A light-shielding frame light-shielding film 53 that defines the frame area of the image display area 10a is provided on the counter substrate 20 side in parallel with the inside of the seal area where the sealing material 52 is disposed. A part or all of the frame light shielding film 53 may be provided as a built-in light shielding film on the TFT array substrate 10 side.

  A data line driving circuit 101 and an external circuit connection terminal 102 are provided along one side of the TFT array substrate 10 in a region located outside the sealing region in which the sealing material 52 is disposed in the peripheral region. The scanning line driving circuit 104 is provided along two sides adjacent to the one side so as to be covered with the frame light shielding film 53. Further, in order to connect the two scanning line driving circuits 104 provided on both sides of the image display area 10 a in this way, a plurality of the pixel lines are covered along the remaining side of the TFT array substrate 10 and covered with the frame light shielding film 53. Wiring 105 is provided.

  On the TFT array substrate 10, in a region facing the four corners of the counter substrate 20, vertical conduction terminals 106 for connecting the two substrates with a vertical conduction material are arranged. Thus, electrical conduction can be established between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

  In FIG. 2, on the TFT array substrate 10, a laminated structure in which pixel switching TFTs as drive elements, wiring lines such as scanning lines and data lines are formed is formed. Although the detailed structure of this laminated structure is not shown in FIG. 2, pixel electrodes 9a made of a transparent material such as ITO are formed in an island shape in a predetermined pattern for each pixel on the laminated structure. Has been.

  The pixel electrode 9 a is formed in the image display area 10 a on the TFT array substrate 10 so as to face the counter electrode 21. On the surface of the TFT array substrate 10 facing the liquid crystal layer 50, that is, on the pixel electrode 9a, an alignment film 16 is formed so as to cover the pixel electrode 9a.

  A light shielding film 23 is formed on the surface of the counter substrate 20 facing the TFT array substrate 10. For example, the light shielding film 23 is formed in a lattice shape when viewed in plan on the facing surface of the facing substrate 20. In the counter substrate 20, a non-opening area is defined by the light shielding film 23, and an area partitioned by the light shielding film 23 is an opening area that transmits light emitted from, for example, a projector lamp or a direct viewing backlight. The light shielding film 23 may be formed in a stripe shape, and the non-opening region may be defined by the light shielding film 23 and various components such as data lines provided on the TFT array substrate 10 side.

  On the light shielding film 23, a counter electrode 21 made of a transparent material such as ITO is formed so as to face the plurality of pixel electrodes 9a. Further, in order to perform color display in the image display region 10a, a color filter (not shown in FIG. 2) may be formed on the light shielding film 23 in a region including a part of the opening region and the non-opening region. Good. An alignment film 22 is formed on the counter electrode 21 on the counter surface of the counter substrate 20.

  1 and 2, on the TFT array substrate 10, in addition to the drive circuits such as the data line drive circuit 101 and the scanning line drive circuit 104, the image signal on the image signal line is sampled to obtain data. Sampling circuit that supplies lines, precharge circuit that supplies pre-charge signals of a predetermined voltage level to multiple data lines in advance of image signals, inspection of quality, defects, etc. of the electro-optical device during production or shipment An inspection circuit or the like may be formed.

  Next, the arrangement of the microlens substrate in the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the configuration of the electro-optical device according to this embodiment together with incident light.

  3, in the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, during the operation, an image is displayed when light from the light source 400 is incident from the counter substrate 20 side. Here, the microlens substrate 200 according to the present embodiment is provided as a part of the counter substrate 20 as described above, and condenses the light incident on the counter substrate 20 before entering the liquid crystal layer 50. And diffuse. Specifically, incident light is condensed and diffused by two microlenses, a condensing lens that condenses light and a diffusion lens that diffuses light. A more specific configuration of the microlens substrate and an operation in the electro-optical device will be described in detail below.

<Microlens substrate>
The microlens substrate according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

<First Embodiment>
First, the configuration and operation of the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an optical path of light incident on the microlens substrate. In FIGS. 4 and 5, for convenience of explanation, a portion corresponding to one pixel in the microlens substrate is illustrated in an enlarged manner, and in fact, the configuration described later is continuous for each pixel. In addition, the scales and the like of each member are appropriately changed and illustrated, and the same applies to the subsequent drawings.

  In FIG. 4, the microlens substrate 200 according to the first embodiment is configured to include a first layer 210, a second layer 220, and a third layer 230.

  The first layer 210 is, for example, a glass substrate, and is formed to be relatively thick (about 1000 μm) compared to the other layers. The second layer 220 is a resin layer, for example, and has a refractive index different from that of the first layer 210. The thickness of the second layer 220 is 10 to 100 μm. A condensing lens surface 310 is formed between the first layer 210 and the second layer 220.

  The third layer 230 is, for example, a glass substrate and has a refractive index different from that of the second layer 220 (note that the third layer 230 and the first layer 210 have the same refractive index). Also good). The thickness of the third layer 230 is 10 to 100 μm. A diffusing lens surface 320 is formed between the second layer 220 and the third layer 230.

  Here, in particular, the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens 320 are in directions corresponding to the clear vision direction and the reverse clear vision direction of the liquid crystal layer 50 (see FIG. 2 or 3) (that is, the horizontal direction in the drawing). The centers of the lenses are formed so as to be shifted from each other by a width w.

  In FIG. 5, for example, the refractive index n1 of the first layer 210 is 1.5, the refractive index n2 of the second layer 220 is 1.7, and the refractive index n3 of the third layer 230 is 1.5. And In this case, the light incident on the microlens substrate 200 first passes through the condensing lens surface 310 from the first layer 210 having a refractive index of 1.5 to the second layer 220 having a refractive index of 1.7. The light is refracted when incident, and is collected as a result. Subsequently, the incident light is refracted when entering through the diffusion lens surface 320 from the second layer 220 having a refractive index of 1.7 to the third layer 230 having a refractive index of 1.5. As a result, it is diffused.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the centers of the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens 320 are formed so as to deviate from each other, light is incident upon being diffused on the diffusing lens surface 310 surface. In this case, the light is not refracted in the direction (that is, the direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface of the microlens substrate 200) but is refracted in the clear viewing direction (that is, in the right direction in the drawing). Thereby, the light emitted from the microlens substrate 200 enters the liquid crystal layer 50 in the clear viewing direction. Therefore, it is possible to display a higher quality image in the electro-optical device.

  The direction of the light emitted from the microlens substrate 200 can be adjusted by the direction and amount of shifting the lens centers of the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320. According to the research of the present inventor, under the condition that the pixel pitch is 12.5 μm and the radius of the condenser lens and the diffusing lens is 8 μm, the contrast displayed when the center of the lens is not shifted is 360. Has been obtained. On the other hand, when the center of the lens is shifted by 20 μm under the same conditions, the result is that the contrast of the displayed image is improved to 500. That is, according to the microlens substrate 200 according to the present embodiment, the contrast can be improved extremely effectively.

  Next, modified examples of the microlens according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12 are cross-sectional views showing modifications of the microlens according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320 of the microlens substrate 200 have opposite shapes (that is, if the lens shown in FIG. 5 is a convex lens, like a concave lens). It may be formed. However, the relationship of the refractive indexes of the first layer 210, the second layer 220, and the third layer 230 in this case changes from the case shown in FIG. Specifically, the refractive index n1 of the first layer 210 is higher than the refractive index n2 of the second layer. The refractive index n3 of the third layer 230 is also higher than the refractive index n2 of the second layer. Therefore, for example, as shown in the figure, each layer may be formed of a material that satisfies n1 = 1.5, n2 = 1.2, and n3 = 1.5.

  The light incident on the microlens substrate 200 is condensed when entering from the low refractive index through the convex lens to the high refractive index, and when entering through the convex lens from the high refractive index through the convex lens. Diffused. Further, the light is diffused when entering from the low refractive index through the concave lens to the high one, and is condensed when entering from the high refractive index through the concave lens.

  7 and 8, if the above-described relationship is used, a convex lens and a concave lens can be used in combination. In FIG. 7, the refractive index n1 of the first layer 210 is 1.7, the refractive index n2 of the second layer 220 is 1.5, and the refractive index n3 of the third layer 230 is 1.2. Therefore, the light is condensed on the condensing lens surface 310 that is a concave lens, and the light is diffused on the diffusing lens surface that is a convex lens. In FIG. 8, the refractive index n1 of the first layer 210 is 1.2, the refractive index n2 of the second layer 220 is 1.5, and the refractive index n3 of the third layer 230 is 1.7. Therefore, the light is collected by the condensing lens surface 310 that is a convex lens, and the light is diffused by the diffusion lens surface that is a concave lens.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 to 12, the diffusing lens surface 320 may be formed closer to the light incident side than the condensing lens surface 310. That is, the third layer 230, the second layer 220, and the first layer 210 may be formed in this order from the light incident side (that is, the downward direction in the drawing). In this case, the light incident on the microlens substrate 200 is first diffused on the diffusion lens surface 320 and then collected on the condenser lens surface 310. As a result, the light is shown in FIGS. Similar to the configuration, light refracted in the clear vision direction is emitted from the microlens substrate 200. Therefore, it is possible to display a higher quality image in the electro-optical device.

  As described above, even if the shape and arrangement of the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens 320 are changed, it can be dealt with by changing the refractive indexes of the first layer 210, the second layer 220, and the third layer 230. . Therefore, the configuration can be appropriately selected according to the device configuration and application. Note that the counter electrode 21 (see FIG. 2) to which light emitted from the microlens substrate enters is typically made of ITO and has a refractive index of about 1.9. Therefore, by making the refractive index of the layer closest to the emission side in the microlens substrate 200 close to 1.9, it is possible to suppress interface reflection when light enters the counter electrode 21.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view conceptually showing the first manufacturing method of the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment. 14 to 17 are process cross-sectional views sequentially showing the second method for manufacturing the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 13, in the first manufacturing method of the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment, the first layer 210 is first subjected to patterning, for example, by etching to form a condensing lens surface 310. Similarly, the third layer 230 is patterned by etching or the like to form a diffusion lens surface.

  Subsequently, the first layer 210 and the third layer 230 are bonded through resins having different refractive indexes. At this time, the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320 are bonded so that the center of the lens is shifted. As a result, the resin as the adhesive layer that bonds the first layer 210 and the third layer 230 becomes the second layer 220, and the microlens substrate 200 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is formed.

  In FIG. 14, in the second manufacturing method of the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment, the first layer 210 is first subjected to patterning by etching, for example, to form a condensing lens surface 310. Then, a resin having a different refractive index is applied on the first layer 210 by spin coating or the like to form the second layer 220.

  In FIG. 15, the surface of the second layer 220 that does not face the first layer 210 is nearly flat at the applied stage. For this reason, a press die 500 a having the shape of the diffusion lens surface 320 is pressed against the second layer 220, thereby forming a diffusion lens surface on the second layer 220.

  In FIG. 16, on the surface of the second layer 220 on which the diffusion lens surface 320 is formed, a resin having a refractive index different from that of the second layer is applied by spin coating or the like to form the third layer 230. The

  In FIG. 17, finally, a press die 500b having a flat shape is pressed against the third layer 230, and the surface of the third layer 230 is flattened. Thereby, a microlens substrate 200 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is formed.

  The first manufacturing method and the second manufacturing method described above include relatively simple and easy operations. For example, it is extremely easy as compared with the case where the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320 are formed as complex shapes. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the design and manufacturing process from becoming complicated and sophisticated.

  As described above, the microlens substrate according to the first embodiment can be designed and manufactured relatively easily, and effectively refracts incident light in the clear vision direction. It is possible to improve the image quality.

Second Embodiment
Next, a microlens substrate according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the microlens substrate according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the microlens substrate according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the curvature of the lens is different from that of the first embodiment described above, and other configurations and operations are generally the same. Therefore, in the second embodiment, portions different from the first embodiment will be described in detail, and descriptions of other overlapping portions will be omitted as appropriate. 18 and 19, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as the components according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and the like.

  In FIG. 18, in the microlens substrate 200 according to the second embodiment, the curvature of the condensing lens surface 310 is larger than the curvature of the diffusion lens surface 320. As a result, the degree of condensing on the condensing lens surface 310 is greater than the degree of diffusion on the diffusing lens surface 320. Therefore, the light emitted from the microlens substrate 200 is collected and emitted more than the incident light.

  By collecting and emitting the light, it is possible to reduce the light emitted from the microlens substrate 200 from being blocked by the light shielding film 23 (so-called black matrix) disposed so as to surround the pixel. That is, it is possible to prevent the light utilization efficiency from being lowered. Therefore, a brighter image can be displayed.

  In FIG. 19, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, even when the arrangement of the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320 is switched, the curvature of the condensing lens surface 310 is larger than the curvature of the diffusing lens surface 320. Then, the light can be collected and emitted. Also, with the configurations as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and FIGS. 10 to 12 shown as modifications of the first embodiment, the light can be condensed and emitted by adopting the same configuration.

  Note that how much incident light is collected and emitted can be appropriately adjusted by changing the difference in curvature between the condensing lens surface 310 and the diffusing lens surface 320. Further, if the curvature of the condensing lens surface 310 is smaller than the curvature of the diffusion lens surface 320, it is possible to diffuse the incident light and emit it.

  As described above, according to the microlens substrate according to the second embodiment, the utilization efficiency can be improved by refracting incident light in the clear vision direction and condensing it. Therefore, it is possible to display a higher quality image.

<Electronic equipment>
Next, the case where the liquid crystal device which is the above-described electro-optical device is applied to various electronic devices will be described. FIG. 20 is a plan view showing a configuration example of the projector. Hereinafter, a projector using the liquid crystal device as a light valve will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a projector 1100 includes a lamp unit 1102 made up of a white light source such as a halogen lamp. The projection light emitted from the lamp unit 1102 is separated into three primary colors of RGB by four mirrors 1106 and two dichroic mirrors 1108 arranged in the light guide 1104, and serves as a light valve corresponding to each primary color. The light enters the liquid crystal panels 1110R, 1110B, and 1110G.

  The configurations of the liquid crystal panels 1110R, 1110B, and 1110G are the same as those of the liquid crystal device described above, and are driven by R, G, and B primary color signals supplied from the image signal processing circuit. The light modulated by these liquid crystal panels enters the dichroic prism 1112 from three directions. In the dichroic prism 1112, R and B light is refracted at 90 degrees, while G light travels straight. Therefore, as a result of the synthesis of the images of the respective colors, a color image is projected onto the screen or the like via the projection lens 1114.

  Here, paying attention to the display images by the liquid crystal panels 1110R, 1110B, and 1110G, the display image by the liquid crystal panel 1110G needs to be horizontally reversed with respect to the display images by the liquid crystal panels 1110R and 1110B.

  In addition, since light corresponding to each primary color of R, G, and B is incident on the liquid crystal panels 1110R, 1110B, and 1110G by the dichroic mirror 1108, it is not necessary to provide a color filter.

  In addition to the electronic device described with reference to FIG. 20, a mobile personal computer, a mobile phone, a liquid crystal television, a viewfinder type, a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, a car navigation device, a pager, an electronic device Examples include a notebook, a calculator, a word processor, a workstation, a videophone, a POS terminal, and a device equipped with a touch panel. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to these various electronic devices.

  In addition to the liquid crystal devices described in the above embodiments, the present invention includes a reflective liquid crystal device (LCOS), a plasma display (PDP), a field emission display (FED, SED), an organic EL display, and a digital micromirror device. (DMD), electrophoresis apparatus and the like are also applicable.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit or idea of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and a microlens substrate with such a change In addition, an electro-optical device including the microlens substrate and an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a plan view illustrating an overall configuration of an electro-optical device according to an embodiment. It is the HH 'sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 1 is a side view showing a configuration of an electro-optical device according to an embodiment together with incident light. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical path of the light which injected into the microlens board | substrate. It is sectional drawing (the 1) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 2) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 3) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 4) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 5) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 6) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing (the 7) which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows notionally the 1st manufacturing method of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is process sectional drawing (the 1) which shows the 2nd manufacturing method of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment later on. It is process sectional drawing (the 2) which shows the 2nd manufacturing method of the microlens substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment later on. It is process sectional drawing (the 3) which shows the 2nd manufacturing method of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment later on. It is process sectional drawing (the 4) which shows the 2nd manufacturing method of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 1st Embodiment later on. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the micro lens board | substrate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the microlens board | substrate which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the structure of the projector which is an example of the electronic device to which the electro-optical apparatus is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  9a ... pixel electrode, 10 ... TFT array substrate, 10a ... image display area, 20 ... counter substrate, 23 ... light shielding film, 30 ... TFT, 50 ... liquid crystal layer, 200 ... microlens substrate, 210 ... first layer, 220 ... Second layer, 230 ... Third layer, 310 ... Condensing microlens surface, 320 ... Diffusion microlens surface, 400 ... Light source, 500 ... Press mold

Claims (8)

A microlens substrate on which a plurality of lenses that refract light incident on a plurality of pixels are arranged,
On the board
A condensing lens surface provided for each of the plurality of pixels, on which a plurality of condensing lenses for condensing the incident light is arranged;
A diffusion lens surface provided for each of the plurality of pixels, on which a plurality of diffusion lenses for diffusing the incident light are arranged, and
The condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed so that the centers of the lenses are deviated from each other so that the incident light is refracted in the clear vision direction.   The microlens substrate according to claim 1, wherein the condensing lens surface is formed on an incident side of the incident light with respect to the diffusion lens surface. The condenser lens surface is formed by a first layer and a second layer having different refractive indexes,
3. The microlens substrate according to claim 1, wherein the diffusion lens surface is formed by the second layer and the third layer having different refractive indexes.   4. The first layer and the third layer, wherein one of the layers formed on the incident light exit side has a refractive index higher than that of the second layer. The microlens substrate as described.   5. The microlens substrate according to claim 1, wherein the condensing lens and the diffusing lens are formed to have different curvatures.   The microlens substrate according to claim 1, wherein the condensing lens and the diffusing lens have the same shape.   An electro-optical device comprising the microlens substrate according to claim 1.   An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

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