JPS62258429A - Matrix optical element - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain superior display panel characteristics and high-speed optical switch characteristics by arraying a couple of optical elements having plural electrodes on surfaces of substrate with electrooptical effect among three specific polarizers. CONSTITUTION:The optical elements 20 and 21 having electrooptic effect are arranged in parallel among the three polarizers 10-12 arrayed in parallel in a light transmission direction Z. Respective plane electrodes (n) and (m) provided to those elements 20 and 21 are made different in direction so as to cross each other at right angles when viewed in the direction Z, and incident light having an electric field direction at 45 deg. on the electric field direction is transmitted while its electric field direction is turned by 90 deg.. The polarizers 10 and 12 transmits the light in the same electric field direction and the polarizer 11 transmits light in the electric field direction at 90 deg. from the electric field direction of the polarizers 10 and 12. Further, the electric field direction of transmitted light beams of the polarizers 10 and 12 and the electric field direction of the elements 20 and 21 are shifted from each other by 45 deg.. Consequently, electrodes of the elements 20 and 21 to which a voltage is applied are selected properly to select a light transmission or shield surface optionally and a variety of displays are obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Field of Application This invention relates to a matrix optical element that has excellent characteristics as a display element and can also be used for high-speed optical switches, etc. The present invention relates to a matrix optical element that has a simple structure combining an optical element and a polarizer, and is easy to assemble and manufacture at low cost.

BACKGROUND ART In general, display panels include large gas discharge tubes and fluorescent display tubes.
There are known devices that use a light emitting diode or the like as a display element, a cathode ray tube (CRT), an LCD that uses a liquid crystal, a PCD that uses plasma, and an ECD that uses electrochromic technology that is being put into practical use.

Display elements that use large gas discharge tubes or fluorescent display tubes have high power consumption and are only used for counters, etc.
When a light emitting diode is used, it has the advantage of high brightness and excellent quick response.

However, since it is necessary to arrange a large number of light emitting diodes over the entire required display surface, they are difficult to manufacture and are relatively expensive, and the number of display elements per unit area is limited due to the dimensions of the individual elements. The requirements for miniaturization and high resolution could not be met.

Furthermore, LCDs, which are the most widely used panel displays, have a light switching function by blocking light depending on the presence or absence of voltage applied between electrodes, although their responsiveness is inferior to that of light emitting diodes.

However, when an IcD is used as an optical switch element, its response is slow, and in applications such as ultra-high-speed information processing, it is difficult to say that the characteristics are satisfactory, and the contrast ratio is poor.

Purpose of the Invention In view of the current situation, the object of the present invention is to provide an optical element that has excellent characteristics as a display element and can also be used for high-speed optical switches, etc., and further provides an optical element that is easy to assemble and manufacture and is inexpensive. It is aimed at elements.

Structure and Effects of the Invention The present invention includes a pair of optical elements each having a plurality of exposed electrodes arranged in parallel on the surface of a substrate having an electric birefringence effect, and three polarized light elements so that the electric field directions are orthogonal to each other. A configuration in which the electric field direction of the transmitted light of the polarizers arranged between the polarizers and located at both ends of the light transmission direction is the same, and the electric field direction of the transmitted light and the electric field direction of the pair of optical elements are shifted by 45 degrees. Roughly, the electric field direction of the transmitted light of the polarizer sandwiched between the pair of optical elements is shifted by 90 degrees from the polarizers at both ends, and a voltage is applied between each required electrode of the pair of optical elements. , is a matrix optical element characterized in that, among the inter-electrode regions, light can be transmitted only in regions that overlap in the light transmission direction.

The matrix optical element according to the present invention allows light transmitted through a polarizer to be selectively transmitted only to a required portion by applying a voltage to a required electrode of a pair of optical elements, that is, it is possible to arbitrarily block light. Furthermore, various displays can be made by setting arbitrary transmitted light.

Therefore, the matrix optical device according to the present invention is configured to perform optical switching by applying a voltage to the electrodes, and its responsiveness is extremely excellent. Also,
In a pair of optical elements in which the electrode directions are shifted by 90 degrees so that the electric field directions are perpendicular to each other, the electrodes have a grating on the entire surface that becomes the light transmission surface of the matrix optical element, as shown in Fig. 2 when viewed from the light transmission direction. The configuration is such that light is transmitted only in the portions between the voltage application electrodes of a pair of optical elements that overlap in the light transmission direction, and by narrowing the electrode spacing, the light transmission surface This has the advantage that the area of the display element can be reduced, that is, the number of display elements per unit area can be increased, and the resolution of the display element can be greatly improved.

In this invention, a pair of optical elements each having a plurality of exposed electrodes arranged parallel to the surface of a substrate having an electric birefringence effect include (PbLa)(ZrTi)O3 (hereinafter referred to as PLZ).
A known ceramic substrate having an electro-optic effect such as T), LiNbO3, Bi12SiO3, etc. can be used, and the electrodes exposed on the surface can be provided by various methods.

For example, as shown in FIG.
In addition to forming an optical element with a so-called planar electrode 2 structure in which a metal film such as U is deposited by vapor deposition or sputtering, grooves 3 are provided at predetermined intervals on the surface of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. An optical element with a so-called groove-type electrode 4 structure in which an electrode material made of conductive paste or a metal film such as CU is provided on 3, or as shown in FIG. It is possible to use an optical element having a laminated electrode structure in which metal foils 6 are alternately laminated and fixed, and the electrodes penetrate in the direction of the light transmitting surface.

The electrodes provided on the substrate are arranged in parallel, but in order to obtain the effects of the present invention, it is necessary to arrange the electrodes with their orientations shifted by 90° between a pair of optical elements so that the electric field directions are orthogonal to each other. be.

In addition, the polarizer can be made of known materials and shapes,
When arranging the pair of optical elements as required, they may be arranged integrally with their principal surfaces in contact with each other, or they may be arranged in parallel with each other with a gap between them.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION BASED ON THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the optical path of a matrix optical device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view of a display surface showing a case where the matrix optical element according to the present invention is used in a display panel. 3 to 5 are perspective explanatory views of optical elements used in the matrix optical element according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the matrix optical element according to the present invention has three polarizers 1 arranged in parallel in the light transmission direction (Z direction).
Between 0, 11 and 12, a pair of optical elements 2 made of PLZ
0.21 are arranged in parallel.

The pair of optical elements 20, 21 has a plurality of planar electrodes attached in parallel at predetermined intervals on the surface of the substrate under the PLZ, and has the same structure as the optical element shown in FIG. 3.

In addition, each plane electrode n provided on the pair of optical elements 20 and 21,
The optical elements 20 in the front are arranged vertically and the other optical elements 21 are arranged horizontally so that they are orthogonal to each other when viewed in seven directions, and are connected to each other by lead wires. As a voltage is applied between the required lead wires, light having an electric field direction in a direction 45 degrees to the electric field direction that is incident on the electric field forming part is transmitted by rotating the electric field direction by 90 degrees.

In addition, the three polarizers 10, 11, and 12 each have the property of transmitting light having an electric field in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure.
The polarizers 10.12 located at both ends in the Z direction transmit light in the same electric field direction, and the central polarizer 11 transmits light in the same direction as the other polarizers 10.12.
It is configured to transmit light in an electric field direction shifted by 90 degrees from the i rising direction of No. 12. In addition, polarizers 1 located at both ends in the Z direction
It is necessary to have a configuration in which the electric field direction of the transmitted light of 0.12 and the electric field direction of the pair of optical elements are shifted by 45 degrees.

To explain the operation of the matrix optical element having the above configuration, when light travels in the Z direction, only light having an electric field direction in the θ1 direction is transmitted through the polarizer 10, and in the optical element 20, a voltage is applied to Light having an electric field direction in the θ1 direction is incident between the required electrodes where an electric field is generated in the direction, and the electric field direction is rotated by 90 degrees and no other voltage is applied, that is, the light is incident between the electrodes where no electric field is generated. Light having an electric field direction in the θ1 direction passes through the optical element 20 without rotating the electric field direction and enters the central polarizer 11.

The central polarizer 11 transmits only the light having the electric field direction in the θ2 direction, but as described above, only the light transmitted between the required voltage-applied electrodes of the optical element 20 has the same electric field direction and the electric field direction is the same. The light passes through the polarizer 11.

The light that has passed through the polarizer 11 and reached the optical element 21 is applied between the required electrodes that generate an electric field in the Y direction.The incident light that has an electric field in the θ2 direction rotates the electric field direction by 90 degrees, Is it light that has an electric field direction in the θ2 direction that is incident between the electrodes with no other voltage applied, that is, no electric field is generated?
The electric field reaches the polarizer 12 without rotating its direction.

The polarizer 12 transmits only light having an electric field direction in the θ3 direction, but as described above, only the light transmitted between the required voltage-applied electrodes of the optical element 21 has the same electric field direction, and the other end is polarized light. Transmit child 12.

That is, in the matrix optical element according to the present invention, by applying a voltage to the pair of optical elements 20 and 21, the electric field direction of the light transmitted through the polarizer 10 is rotated by 18 degrees, and the direction of the electric field is rotated by 18 degrees, and the light passes through the last polarizer 12. It has a transparent configuration.

FIG. 2 shows the light transmitting surface, that is, the display surface 30, of the matrix optical element shown in FIG. It is equivalent to a lattice of crossed electrodes when viewed in the direction, each square becomes a pixel element, and when a voltage is applied between the electrodes m5 and m6 of the previous optical element 20, the area between the electrodes becomes a desired light transmission surface,
This corresponds to the M5 row (shaded area) in FIG. 2, and when a voltage is applied between the electrodes n1 and n2 of the rear optical element 21, the area between the electrodes becomes a desired light transmitting surface, and the N1 row in FIG. (shaded area)
corresponds to

However, the light that passes through any part of the matrix optical element will not reach the display surface 30 unless it passes through both the polarizers 11 and 12. In other words, in the previous example, the light that passes through the electrode m5
When voltage is applied between and m6 and between electric@n1 and 02,
Light passes through only the area where the M5 column and the N1 column overlap (double hatched area) and reaches the display surface 30.

In this way, in the pair of optical elements 20 and 21, by appropriately selecting the distance between the electrodes to which a voltage is applied, the light transmitting surface or the light blocking surface can be arbitrarily selected, and various shapes can be displayed.

As described in detail, the matrix optical element according to the present invention has a much simpler structure than a display panel using a conventional light emitting diode, and therefore has excellent manufacturability and can be provided industrially at low cost.

Furthermore, since the structure is such that a voltage is applied between electrodes at desired positions, a pixel element with excellent responsiveness can be obtained, and since a large number of elements can be set per unit area, the resolution and display ability are excellent.

Example A matrix optical device having the configuration shown in FIG.
= When a laser beam of 0.633 μm was incident,
The response speed for switching between transmitting and blocking light is 1 μs, which indicates extremely excellent responsiveness.

Optical device substrate; PLZT, Main surface dimensions: tommX 10mm.

Thickness: 0.5mm.

Planar electrode width: 50 μm, Electrode spacing: 50 μm,

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an optical path of a matrix optical element according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory front view of a display surface showing a case where the matrix optical element according to the present invention is used in a display panel. 3 to 5 are perspective explanatory views of optical elements used in the matrix optical element according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Substrate, 2... Planar electrode, 3... Groove part, 4...
...Groove electrode, 5...Substrate element, 6...Metal foil, 1
0, 11.12... Polarizer, 20.21... Optical element, n, m... Electrode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A pair of optical elements each having a plurality of exposed electrodes arranged parallel to the surface of a substrate having an electric birefringence effect are arranged between three polarizers so that the electric field directions are orthogonal to each other, and the light is The electric field direction of the transmitted light of the polarizers located at both ends of the transmission direction is the same, and the electric field direction of the transmitted light and the electric field direction of the pair of optical elements are shifted by 45 degrees, and further, the pair of optical elements The electric field direction of the transmitted light of the polarizer sandwiched between the polarizers is shifted by 90 degrees from that of the polarizers at both ends, and a voltage is applied between each required electrode of the pair of optical elements, and the direction of the light transmission of the part between the electrodes is shifted by 90 degrees from the polarizer at both ends. A matrix optical element characterized in that light can be transmitted only in areas overlapping with each other.