US 6,228,228 B1 · Method of making a light-emitting fiber

Abstract

A display as for images and/or information comprises a plurality of light-emitting fibers disposed in side-by-side arrangement to define a viewing surface. Each light-emitting fiber includes a plurality of light-emitting elements disposed along its length, each having two electrodes between which are applied electrical signals to cause the light-emitting element to emit light to display a pixel or sub-pixel of the image and/or information. The light-emitting fiber includes an electrical conductor disposed along its length to serve as a first electrode, a layer of light-emissive material disposed thereon, and a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the light-emissive material to serve as the second electrodes of the light-emitting elements, and are formed in a continuous process wherein a transparent fiber passes through a plurality of processing chambers for receiving the electrical conductor, the light-emissive layer and the plurality of electrical contacts thereon. The method of making a light-emitting fiber comprises providing a length of a fiber, forming a first electrode along the fiber, depositing a light-emitting material along the fiber in electrical contact with the first electrode, and forming a plurality of second electrodes along the fiber in electrical contact with the light-emitting material.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A method of making a light-emitting fiber comprising:

providing a length of a fiber;
forming a first electrode along the length of the fiber;
depositing a light-emitting material along the length of the fiber in electrical contact with the first electrode;
and
forming a plurality of second electrodes along the length of the fiber in electrical contact with the light-emitting material.

2 more elements

A method of depositing materials onto a length of a fiber passing at a given rate through a plurality of connected enclosed processing spaces comprising:

passing the fiber through a first enclosed processing space containing an inert gas or a vacuum;
passing the fiber through at least a second enclosed processing space including a source of a first material to be deposited on the fiber and rotating a first rotatable movable mask to move at the same rate as the fiber and interposed between the source of a first material and the fiber to define a pattern of first material deposited on the fiber for depositing the first material on the fiber in the second enclosed processing space;
and
passing the fiber through at least one additional enclosed processing space including a source of a second material to be deposited on the fiber and rotating a second rotatable movable mask to move at the same rate as the fiber and interposed between the source of a second material and the fiber to define a pattern of second material deposited on the fiber for depositing the second material on the fiber in the at least one additional enclosed processing space.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method of making a light-emitting fiber

Life of this patent

Method of making a light-emitting fiber

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27