Laterally transmitting thin film electroluminescent device

A thin film electro-luminescence device, comprising:

• a light generating phosphor layer sandwiched between dielectric layers fabricated onto a surface of a substrate, wherein said phosphor layer has a side substantially traverse to said surface, and wherein said phosphor layer has a thickness in a direction away from said surface;
• electrodes formed on opposed outer surfaces of the dielectric layers, wherein said electrodes provide an AC drive signal for thereby generating light within said phosphor layer, wherein at least a portion of the light is transmitted substantially laterally to said substrate surface through said side of said phosphor layer;
• decoupling means operatively positioned adjacent to said phosphor layer for decoupling the portion of light being transmitted substantially laterally to being transmitted away from said substrate surface
• wherein said de-coupling means includes a light reflective surface having a predetermined contour, and wherein said reflective surface extends across said phosphor layer thickness.

A light emitting apparatus comprising:

• one or more thin film electroilluminescent devices, wherein each said device comprises:
• a light generating active phosphor layer sandwiched between dielectric layers fabricated onto a planar substrate;
• electrodes formed on the outer surfaces of the dielectric layers, wherein said electrodes provide an AC drive signal to said device, thereby causing a generation of light within said phosphor layer by electroilluminescence, at least a portion of the light being transmitted substantially laterally to said substrate;
• a de-coupling means for de-coupling the laterally transmitted light away from the plane of the substrate;
• wherein said de-coupling means comprises one or more associated reflective structures fabricated one of:
• in and onto the substrate;
• an emitting aperture comprising an emitting facet formed in the phosphor layer such that the laterally transmitted light from said emitting facet is reflected by one of said associated reflective structures;
• wherein said emitting aperture is filled or coated with at least one optically transparent material having a low coefficient of attenuation at one or more wavelengths of light emitted by the phosphor layer;
• wherein the at least one optically transparent material has a refractive index at least equal to that of the phosphor layer so as to form an optical transmission region between the phosphor layer and at least one of the associated reflective structures.

A light emitting apparatus comprising:

• one or more thin film electroilluminescent devices, wherein each said device comprises:
• a light generating active phosphor layer sandwiched between dielectric layers fabricated onto a planar substrate;
• electrodes formed on the outer surfaces of the dielectric layers, wherein said electrodes provide an AC drive signal to said device, thereby causing a generation of light within said phosphor layer by electroilluminescence, at least a portion of the light being transmitted substantially laterally to said substrate;
• a de-coupling means for de-coupling the laterally transmitted light away from the plane of the substrate;
• wherein said de-coupling means comprises one or more associated reflective structures fabricated one of:
• in and onto the substrate;
• an emitting aperture comprising an emitting facet formed in the phosphor layer such that the laterally transmitted light from said emitting facet is reflected by one of said associated reflective structures;
• wherein said emitting aperture is filled or coated with at least one optically transparent material having a low coefficient of attenuation at one or more wavelengths of light emitted by the phosphor layer;
• a top surface of the emitting aperture is coated with an anti-reflection coating to enhance a transmission of light that has been reflected by the at least one of the associated reflective structures.

A light emitting apparatus comprising:

• one or more thin film electroilluminescent devices, wherein each said device comprises:
• a light generating active phosphor layer sandwiched between dielectric layers fabricated onto a planar substrate;
• electrodes formed on the outer surfaces of the dielectric layers, wherein said electrodes provide an AC drive signal to said device, thereby causing a generation of light within said phosphor layer by electroilluminescence, at least a portion of the light being transmitted substantially laterally to said substrate;
• a de-coupling means for de-coupling the laterally transmitted light away from the plane of the substrate;
• wherein said de-coupling means comprises one or more associated reflective structures fabricated one of:
• in and onto the substrate;
• an emitting aperture comprising an emitting facet formed in the phosphor layer such that the laterally transmitted light from said emitting facet is reflected by one of said associated reflective structures;
• wherein said emitting aperture is filled or coated with at least one optically transparent material having a low coefficient of attenuation at one or more wavelengths of light emitted by the phosphor layer;
• wherein for each of at least some of said devices, at least one of the associated reflective structures has two mutually inclined reflecting surfaces, and the at least one associated reflective structure is located between the emitting apertures of two active phosphor layers of two of said devices for thereby providing a single light source when the transmitted light is emitted from each emitting aperture of the two active phosphor layers.