Front-projection screens including reflecting layers and optically absorbing layers having apertures therein, and methods of fabricating the same

1. A front-projection screen comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing sides;

an array of optical microstructures on the first side of the substrate;

an image reflecting layer on the second side of the substrate opposite the array of optical microstructures; and

an optically absorbing layer, between the image reflecting layer and the array of optical microstructures, the optically absorbing layer including an array of apertures therein exposing portions of the image reflecting layer therethrough, the front-projection screen further comprising:

an image recycling layer on the optically absorbing layer facing the image reflecting layer.

2. A front-projection screen according to claim 1 wherein light of an image impinged onto the image reflecting layer via a first aperture is reflected onto the image recycling layer; and

wherein the image recycling layer is configured to re-direct light from the image reflecting layer back toward the image reflecting layer so that the re-directed light passes through a second aperture.

3. A front-projection screen according to claim 1 wherein the image reflecting layer is spaced apart from the optically absorbing layer, the front-projection screen further comprising:

an image recycling layer on the optically absorbing layer facing the image reflecting layer; and

an image refracting layer between the image recycling layer and the image reflecting layer comprising an array of refracting microstructures in registry with the array of optical microstructures.

4. A front-projection screen according to claim 3 wherein the image refracting layer is configured to provide first refracted light of an image from an off-axis image source to the image reflecting layer and provide second refracted light of the image from the image reflecting layer to the array of optical microstructures through the array of apertures.

5. A front-projection screen according to claim 4 wherein the refracting microstructures are configured to re-direct light of the image from the off-axis image source to a greater degree than light from the image reflecting layer.

6. A front-projection screen according to claim 3 wherein the image refracting layer comprises a partially non-absorptive layer.

7. A front-projection screen according to claim 3 wherein the refracting microstructures comprise micro-lenses, micro-prisms, micro-gratings, and/or holograms.

8. A front-projection screen according to claim 1 wherein the image reflecting layer comprises a metallic film, a dielectric reflective coating, a reflective paint, and/or a reflective ink.

9. A front-projection screen according to claim 1 wherein the image reflecting layer comprises an aluminum layer directly on an image refracting layer between the image recycling layer and the image reflecting layer, an aluminum layer directly on a transparent plastic sheet, or white paint on the image refracting layer.

10. A front-projection screen comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing sides;

an array of optical microstructures on the first side of the substrate;

an optically absorbing layer on the second side of the substrate, the optically absorbing layer including a first array of apertures therein;

an image recycling layer directly on the optically absorbing layer opposite the array of optical microstructures, the image recycling layer including reflective portions facing away from the array of optical microstructures and having a second array of apertures therein; and

an image reflecting layer, spaced-apart from the image recycling layer by a gap.

11. A front-projection screen comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing sides;

an array of optical microstructures on the first side of the substrate;

an optically absorbing layer on the second side of the substrate, the optically absorbing layer including a first array of apertures therein;

an image recycling layer directly on the optically absorbing layer opposite the array of optical microstructures, the image recycling layer including reflective surfaces facing away from the array of optical microstructures and having a second array of apertures therein in registry with the first array of apertures;

an image refracting layer including an array of refracting microstructures thereon facing the reflective surfaces of the image recycling layer and separated therefrom by a first gap; and

an image reflecting layer facing the image refracting layer and spaced-apart therefrom by a second gap.

12. A front-projection screen according to claim 11 wherein the image refracting layer is configured to provide first refracted light of an image from an off-axis image source to the image reflecting layer and provide second refracted light of the image from the image reflecting layer to the array of optical microstructures through the first and second arrays of apertures.

13. A front-projection screen according to claim 12 wherein the refracting microstructures are configured to re-direct the light of the image from the off-axis image source to a greater degree than the light from the image reflecting layer.

14. A front-projection screen according to claim 12 wherein the array of refracting microstructures comprise an array of vertically oriented refracting microstructures on the screen;

wherein the first and second arrays of apertures comprises first and second vertically oriented apertures on the screen; and

wherein the array of refracting microstructures comprises an array of horizontally oriented refracting microstructures on the screen.

15. A front-projection screen according to claim 12 wherein the array of refracting microstructures comprise an array of obliquely oriented refracting microstructures on the screen;

wherein the first and second arrays of apertures comprises first and second obliquely oriented apertures; and

wherein the array of refracting microstructures comprises an array of obliquely oriented refracting microstructures on the screen.

16. A front-projection screen according to claim 15 wherein a major dimension of the array of refracting microstructures having the oblique orientation defines an angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees with a horizontal or vertical dimension of the screen.

17. A front-projection screen according to claim 16 wherein a degree of refraction provided by the refracting microstructures varies according to a spacing between respective ones of the refracting microstructures and a center of the screen.

18. A front-projection screen comprising:

a substrate having first and second opposing sides;

an array of optical microstructures on the first side of the substrate;

an optically absorbing layer on the second side of the substrate, the optically absorbing layer including a first array of apertures therein;

an image recycling layer directly on the optically absorbing layer opposite the array of optical microstructures, the image recycling layer including reflective surfaces facing away from the array of optical microstructures and having a second array of apertures therein in registry with the first array of apertures;

an image refracting layer including an array of refracting microstructures thereon facing the reflective surfaces of the image recycling layer and separated therefrom by a first gap, including ones of the array of refracting microstructures configured to refract light toward a viewer position independent of respective locations of the ones of the array of refracting microstructures on the screen; and

an image reflecting layer facing the image refracting layer and spaced-apart therefrom by a second gap.

19. A front projection screen comprising:

a microlens array;

a light absorbing layer that is closely spaced apart from the microlens array;

a light recycling layer on the light absorbing layer opposite the microlens array;

the light absorbing layer and the light recycling layer both including an array of apertures therein that extend therethrough; and

a light reflection layer that is spaced apart from the light recyling layer opposite the microlens array.

20. A front-projection screen comprising:

an image recycling layer having a reflective surface and including apertures therein; and

an image reflecting layer facing the reflective surface of the light recycling layer.

21. A front-projection screen according to claim 20 wherein the apertures comprise first apertures, the screen further comprising:

an optically absorbing layer on the image recycling layer opposite the image reflecting layer and including second apertures therein in registry with the first apertures.

22. A method of providing an image from a front-projection screen comprising:

refracting first incoming light impinging on the screen from a first direction relative to the screen toward an exposed portion of an image reflecting layer in the screen to provide reflected light;

refracting second incoming light impinging on the screen from a second direction relative to the screen toward an optically absorbing pattern in the screen to absorb the second incoming light;

refracting the reflected light in a third direction toward a front of the screen configured to face a viewer;

internally reflecting the reflected light inside the screen to provide recycled light; and

reflecting the recycled light toward the front of the screen.

23. A method according to claim 22 further comprising:

refracting the reflected recycled light in the third direction.

24. A method of forming a front projection screen comprising:

forming an array of optical microstructures on a first side of a substrate;

forming an optically absorbing layer on a second side of the substrate opposite the first side;

impinging laser light through the array of optical microstructures onto portions of the optically absorbing layer to form an array of apertures thereat; and

forming an image reflecting layer on the optically absorbing layer.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein forming an image reflecting layer on the optically absorbing layer comprises forming the image reflecting layer spaced apart from the optically absorbing layer by a gap; and

wherein forming an optically absorbing layer on a second side of the substrate opposite the first side further comprises forming an image recycling layer on the optically absorbing layer including a reflective surface facing the image reflecting layer.

26. A method according to claim 25 further comprising:

forming an image refracting layer between the image recycling layer and the image reflecting layer comprising an array of refracting microstructures in registry with the array of optical microstructures.