Display device

A display device comprising electrowetting elements each having at least one first fluid and a second fluid immiscible with the first fluid within a space between a first support plate and a second support plate, the second fluid being one of:

• electro-conductive or polar, whereby the first fluid of each of the electrowetting elements is at an inner side of the first support plate and is confined by element walls, and the second fluid is shared by a plurality of the electrowetting elements, wherein the space between the first and second support plates includes free bodies having a dimension in a direction perpendicular to a plane of the first and second support plates larger than a maximum height of the first fluid in an electrowetting element of the electrowetting elements, with the electrowetting element being in a transmitting state.

A display device comprising electrowetting elements each having at least one first fluid and a second fluid immiscible with the first fluid within a space between a first support plate and a second support plate, the second fluid being one of:

• electro-conductive or polar, whereby the first fluid of each of the electrowetting elements is at an inner side of the first support plate and is confined by element walls, and the second fluid is shared by a plurality of the electrowetting elements, wherein the display device comprises a mechanism for preventing first fluid portions from being expelled from confinement by the element walls upon forces other than electrowetting forces being exerted on the first fluid wherein the mechanism is configured to switch the display device off upon bending the second support plate to an extent that brings an inner surface of the second support plate close to the first fluid with the first fluid being in a contracted state.

A method of making a support plate for an electrowetting display device, including:

• depositing curable material on a plate;
• and
• curing the curable material to form an array of spacer elements protruding from a side of the plate, which array of protruding elements is configured to prevent portions of a first fluid of an electrowetting element of the electrowetting display device from being expelled from confinement by element walls of the electrowetting display device upon forces other than electrowetting forces being exerted on the first fluid.