IP Library Granted Patent US 7,331,695
Granted Patent B2
US 7,331,695 · App. 10/547,693 · Granted Feb 19, 2008

Visible light-reflecting member

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,331,695
App. No.
10/547,693
Granted
Feb 19, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

A visible light-reflecting member is disclosed which uses a plate or a film for reflecting visible lights, whose reflective surface is provided with an aluminum thin film having an aluminum purity of not less than 99 mass % and an X-ray diffraction pattern wherein, among peak intensities ascribed to aluminum, the peak intensity ascribed to the (111) plane is higher than the total of the other peak intensities.

Claims (21)

1. A visible light reflecting member using a plate or a film for visible light reflection, said plate or film having a reflective surface provided with an aluminum thin film in which a purity of aluminum is 99 mass % or more and, among peaks attributed to the aluminum in X-ray diffraction, the peak intensity attributed to (111) planes being higher than the total of the other peak intensities attributed to the aluminum, said plate or film having a Fresnel structure formed on said reflective surface.

2. A visible light reflecting member having substantially flat or curved surface portions with a surface roughness (Ra) of 40 nm or less on a reflective surface thereof and using an aluminum thin film for visible light reflection, said reflective surface being formed on a substrate having a Fresnel structure.

3. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 1 , wherein said aluminum thin film is provided on a substrate made of a plastic material.

4. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 3 , wherein an oxide coating film is directly formed on a surface of said aluminum thin film by plasma oxidation.

5. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 1 , wherein an oxide coating film of 100 nm or less is directly formed on a surface of said aluminum thin film.

6. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 5 , wherein said oxide coating film formed contains a very small amount of a noble gas component.

7. A method of manufacturing visible light reflecting member comprising the steps of applying a potential of −60V to −5V to a substrate in the form of a plate or a film to be formed thereon with an aluminum thin film and irradiating ions with a low energy of 80 eV to 15 eV, thereby forming the aluminum thin film by a sputtering method, said substrate having a Fresnel structure on which said aluminum thin film is formed.

8. A method of manufacturing visible light reflecting member according to claim 7 , further comprising the step of forming an oxide coating film of 100 nm or less by the use of radical oxygen directly on a surface of said aluminum thin film formed.

9. A method of manufacturing an aluminum thin film visible light reflecting member comprising the steps of:

forming an aluminum thin film on a substrate in the form of a plate or a film, said substrate having a Fresnel structure on which the aluminum film is formed; and

oxidizing said aluminum thin film by the use of oxygen radicals produced by a plasma in a noble gas containing a small amount of oxygen, thereby forming an oxide film on a surface of said aluminum thin film.

10. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 1 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

11. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 2 , wherein said aluminum thin film is provided on a substrate made of a plastic material.

12. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 11 , wherein an oxide coating film is directly formed on a surface of said aluminum thin film by plasma oxidation.

13. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 2 , wherein an oxide coating film of 100 nm or less is directly formed on a surface of said aluminum thin film.

14. A visible light reflecting member according to claim 13 , wherein said oxide coating film formed contains a very small amount of a noble gas component.

15. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 2 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

16. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 3 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

17. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 4 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

18. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 5 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

19. A large-size flat panel liquid crystal display having a screen diagonal of 28 inches or more, wherein the visible light reflecting member according to claim 6 is incorporated into a backlight unit.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2005
From: OHMI, TADAHIRO
To: FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE
Reel/Frame 017215/0184 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 26, 2005
From: OHMI, TADAHIRO; MORIMOTO, AKIHIRO; TANAHASHI, NAOKI
To: OHMI, TADAHIRO
Reel/Frame 017150/0007 →