1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to electronic visual display devices and, more particularly, to a color-tunable plasmonic display device using a polymer-networked liquid crystal (PNLC).
2. Description of the Related Art
Reflective display or color-tunable device technology is attractive primarily because it consumes substantially less power than liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. A typical LCD used in a laptop or cellular phone requires internal (backlight) illumination to render a color image. In most operating conditions the internal illumination that is required by these displays is in constant competition with the ambient light of the surrounding environment (e.g., sunlight or indoor overhead lighting). Thus, the available light energy provided by these surroundings is wasted, and in fact, the operation of these displays requires additional power to overcome this ambient light. In contrast, reflective display technology makes good use of the ambient light and consumes substantially less power.
A number of different reflective display technologies have been developed, such as electrophoretic, electrowetting, electrochromic displays, and interference-based MEMS display. These display technologies all have disadvantages or challenges that must be overcome to obtain greater commercial success. Many existing technologies rely upon phenomena that are intrinsically slow. For example, electrophoretic or electrochemical techniques typically require particles to drift or diffuse through liquids over distances that create a slow response. Some other technologies require high power to operate at video rates. For example, many reflective displays must switch a large volume of material or chromophores from one state to another to produce an adequate change in the optical properties of a pixel. At video switching rates, currents on the order of hundreds of mA/cm2 are necessary if a unit charge must be delivered to each dye molecule to affect the change. Therefore, display techniques that rely on reactions to switch dye molecules demand unacceptably high currents for displaying video. The same holds true for electrochromic displays.
A second challenge for reflective displays is the achievement of high quality color. In particular, most reflective display technologies can only produce binary color (color/black) from one material set. Because of this, at least three sub-pixels using different material sets must be used when employing a side-by-side sub-pixel architecture with fixed colors. This limits the maximum reflected light for some colors to about ⅓, so that the pixels of this type cannot produce saturated colors with a good contrast.
Finally, some reflective displays face reliability problem over a long lifetime. In particular, to sustain video rate operation for a few years requires at least billions of reversible changes in optical properties. Achieving the desired number of cycles is particularly difficult in reflective displays using techniques based on chemical reactions, techniques that involve mixing and separation of particles, or MEMS technology that involves repeated mechanic wear or electric stress.
In polymer-networked liquid crystal (PNLC) or polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) devices, liquid crystals are dissolved or dispersed into a liquid polymer followed by solidification or curing of the polymer. During the change of the polymer from a liquid to solid, the liquid crystals become incompatible with the solid polymer and form droplets throughout the solid polymer. The curing conditions affect the size of the droplets that in turn affect the final operating properties of the “smart window”. Typically, the liquid mix of polymer and liquid crystals is placed between two layers of glass or plastic that includes a thin layer of a transparent, conductive material followed by curing of the polymer, thereby forming the basic sandwich structure of the smart window. This structure is in effect a capacitor.
Electrodes from a power supply are attached to the transparent electrodes. With no applied voltage, the liquid crystals are randomly arranged in the droplets, resulting in scattering of light as it passes through the smart window assembly. This scattering results in a translucent “milky white” appearance. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the electric field formed between the two transparent electrodes on the glass causes the liquid crystals to align, allowing light to pass through the droplets with very little scattering and resulting in a transparent state. The degree of transparency can be controlled by the applied voltage. This is possible because at lower voltages, only a few of the liquid crystals align completely in the electric field, so only a small portion of the light passes through while most of the light is scattered. As the voltage is increased, fewer liquid crystals remain out of alignment, resulting in less light being scattered. It is also possible to control the amount of light and heat passing through, when tints and special inner layers are used. It is also possible to create fire-rated and anti X-Ray versions for use in special applications. Most of the devices offered today operate in on or off states only, even though the technology to provide for variable levels of transparency is available. This technology has been used in interior and exterior settings for privacy control (for example conference rooms, intensive-care areas, bathroom/shower doors) and as a temporary projection screen.
The full range of colors produced by plasmon resonances resulting from metal nanostructures has been known since ancient times as a means of producing stained colored glass. For instance, the addition of gold nanoparticles to otherwise transparent glass produces a deep red color. The creation of a particular color is possible because the plasmon resonant frequency is generally dependent upon the size, shape, material composition of the metal nanostructure, as well as the dielectric properties of the surroundings environment. Thus, the optical absorption and scattering spectra (and therefore the color) of a metal nanostructure can be varied by altering any one or more of these characteristics. The parent applications listed above describe means of electronically controlling these color-producing characteristics.
Electronic-Skin (e-skin) is an emerging reflective display technology that opens up new design opportunities for personalizing electronic devices. This means that the color and appearance, of the device's surface, for example an MP3 player or mobile phone can easily be changed to match a person's outfit, mood, or environment simply at the touch of a button. The technology also has the potential to be used in the future for larger area ‘e-wallpapers’ where one can adjust the color of their wall or smart windows to regulate entering daylight.
Currently there is no e-skin technology that satisfies all the specifications required for a successful commercial release: low power consumption, bright color display, good contrast ratio, reasonable switching speed, and low manufacturing cost. Philips recently developed an e-skin technology based on its previous work with electronic paper. The e-paper looks like conventional paper and the color it generates uses the ambient light for rendition, just like conventional paint, so no backlight is needed, which means that the vividness of the color is maintained, even in bright outdoor conditions. However, its multiple-layer electro-wetting structure is difficult to manufacture and relatively expensive.
It would be advantageous if PNLC could be integrated with plasmonic color display technology to create new and useful e-skin displays.