US 10,120,184 B1Granted

Reflectance in electrowetting displays

AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.

InventorsErno Hermanus Antonius Langendijk, Christian Etienne Hendriks, Tulasi Sridhar Reddy Guntaka, Steven Ramos Carneiro, Pavel Novoselov

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Abstract

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to improving luminance and reducing color shifts in electrowetting displays. The electrowetting display comprises a plurality of electrowetting elements separated by partition walls and spacers. The spacers and/or partition walls are reflective. When incident light that enters a pixel or subpixel is reflected and encounters a spacer and/or partition wall, the light is reflected such that the reflected light exits the pixel or subpixel into which the incident light entered. This improves luminance and reduces color shifts of the electrowetting display.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An electrowetting display device comprising:

a first support plate and a second support plate;
a plurality of partition walls on the first support plate;
a plurality of electrowetting elements between the first support plate and the second support plate, wherein the plurality of partition walls separate the plurality of electrowetting elements, and wherein an electrowetting element of the plurality of electrowetting elements comprises:
at least a portion of a partition wall of the plurality of partition walls;
a hydrophobic layer;
an oil disposed on the hydrophobic layer;
and
a transparent fluid that is substantially immiscible with the oil, the transparent fluid being at least one of:
electrically conductive or polar;
a plurality of spacers on the second support plate and aligned respectively with at least some of the plurality of partition walls;
and
a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein upon application of a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode a portion of the oil is displaced on the hydrophobic layer by the transparent fluid to expose a portion of the hydrophobic layer,
wherein the plurality of partition walls comprise a reflective material such that the partition wall is reflective to at least a portion of a visible spectrum of light that is incident to the partition wall, the plurality of partition walls having a refractive index that is one of (i) greater than a refractive index of the transparent fluid by 0.15 or more or (ii) less than a refractive index of the transparent fluid by 0.15 or more.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/357,949Filed 21 Nov 2016 · continuation
Priority: 30 Sep 2015
Granted: 6 Nov 2018
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G02B 26/005
Based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid: based on electrowetting
G02B 19/0019
Characterised by the optical means employed: having reflective surfaces only
G02B 5/201
Filters: in the form of arrays
G02B
Optical elements, systems or apparatus

Family

Application14/870,449Parent of this continuation · filed 30 Sep 2015
US 9,529,189 B1Parent of this continuation
US 10,120,184 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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