US 12,228,835 B2 · Display device with uniform off-axis luminance reduction

Abstract

A display device comprising a spatial light modulator having a display polariser arranged on one side of the spatial light modulator is provided with an additional polariser arranged on the same side as the display polariser and polar control retarders between the additional polariser and the display polariser. The polar control retarders include a liquid crystal retarder having two surface alignment layers disposed adjacent to a layer of liquid crystal material on opposite sides. The surface alignment layers provide alignment in the adjacent liquid crystal material with an in-plane component, wherein the angle of said in-plane component changes monotonically along a predetermined axis across the display device, providing reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis, increasing uniformity in the reduction of luminance in directions that are offset from a viewing axis.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a surface alignment layer for aligning liquid crystal molecules, the method comprising:

generating a beam of light that is linearly polarised with a controllable polarisation direction;
directing the beam of light to illuminate a portion of a layer of photoalignment material so as to provide alignment of the portion of the layer of photoalignment material based on the polarisation direction;
and
providing relative movement between the beam of light and the layer of photoalignment material while the beam of light illuminates the portion of the layer of photoalignment material such that different portions of the layer of photoalignment material are illuminated with linearly polarised light and changing the polarisation direction of the beam of light continuously during the relative movement so that the polarisation direction is different and changes continuously between the different portions of the layer of photoalignment material.

1 more element

An apparatus for manufacturing a surface alignment layer for aligning liquid crystal molecules, the apparatus comprising:

a light source arranged to provide a beam of light;
a polariser configured to linearly polarise the beam of light with a controllable polarisation direction;
a support arrangement configured to support a layer of photoalignment material;
and
a mask configured to allow the beam of light to be incident on a portion of the layer of photoalignment material, the light source being configured so that the beam of light provides alignment of the portion of the layer of photoalignment material based on the polarisation direction,
wherein the apparatus is configured to provide relative movement between the beam of light and the layer of photoalignment material while the beam of light illuminates the portion of the layer of photoalignment material such that different portions of the layer of photoalignment material are illuminated with linearly polarised light and to change the polarisation direction of the beam of light continuously during the relative movement so that the polarisation direction is different and changes continuously between the different portions of the layer of photoalignment material that are illuminated.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Display device with uniform off-axis luminance reduction

Life of this patent

Display device with uniform off-axis luminance reduction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24