SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION OF LIGHT AND TOTAL LIGHT THROUGHPUT IN A DISPLAY DEVICE

1 . A display apparatus comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate substantially parallel to the first substrate;

an array of light modulators positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first light blocking layer positioned on the first substrate and defining a first plurality of apertures;

a second light blocking layer positioned on the second substrate and defining a second plurality of apertures, each of the second plurality of apertures aligned with a respective aperture in the first plurality of apertures; and

a first plurality of reflective sidewalls each adjacent to at least one edge of a respective aperture of the first plurality of apertures and between the first and second substrates.

2 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of sidewalls is oriented at an angle between about 45 degrees and about 90 degrees with respect to a surface of the first substrate.

3 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the first plurality of apertures has a length to width ratio in the range of about 4:1 to about 6:1.

4 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of sidewalls includes sidewalls positioned adjacent to a longer edge of each aperture of the first plurality of apertures.

5 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each sidewall surrounds its respective aperture.

6 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of structural projections positioned over the first light blocking layer, wherein each sidewall of the first plurality of reflective sidewalls is positioned on a surface of a respective structural projection.

7 . The display apparatus of claim 6 , wherein each structural projection has a height in the range of about 1.5 microns to about 5 microns.

8 . The display apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the structural projections include a light blocking material.

9 . The display apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising a light blocking material positioned on a surface of each of the structural projections farthest from the first substrate.

10 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each reflective sidewall comprises at least one of aluminum, titanium, and silver.

11 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each reflective sidewall comprises at least one of a dielectric mirror and a dielectrically enhanced mirror.

12 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an aperture layer positioned between the first light blocking layer and the second light blocking layer, the aperture layer defining a third plurality of apertures each aligned with a respective aperture in the first plurality of apertures.

13 . The display apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the aperture layer comprises the reflective sidewalls.

14 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each light modulator is coupled to and suspended over one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

15 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a second plurality of reflective sidewalls each positioned adjacent to at least one edge of a respective aperture of the second plurality of apertures.

16 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a processor capable of communicating with the display apparatus, the processor being capable of processing image data; and

a memory device capable of communicating with the processor.

17 . The display apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:

a driver circuit capable of sending at least one signal to the display apparatus; and

a controller capable of sending at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

18 . The display apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising:

an image source module capable of sending the image data to the processor, wherein the image source module includes at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter; and

an input device capable of receiving input data and communicating the input data to the processor.

19 . A method of manufacturing a display apparatus, comprising:

forming a light blocking layer over a first substrate, the light blocking layer defining a first plurality of apertures each corresponding to a respective display element; and

forming a plurality of structural projections over the light blocking layer such that each structural projection includes at least one sidewall positioned adjacent to at least one edge of a respective aperture in the light blocking layer, wherein the sidewalls of the plurality of structural projections include a reflective material.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising forming an array of light modulators over the first substrate, each light modulator corresponding to a respective display element.

21 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising forming an array of light modulators over the second substrate, each light modulator corresponding to a respective display element.

22 . The method of claim 19 , wherein each structural projection has a height in the range of about 1.5 microns to about 5 microns.

23 . The method of claim 19 , wherein each sidewall is oriented at an angle between about 50 degrees and about 90 degrees with respect to a surface of the first substrate.

24 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising coating the sidewalls of the plurality of structural projections with a reflective material by:

depositing at least one of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), and silver (Ag) over the sidewalls of the structural projections; and

removing the layer of reflective material from a top surface of each structural projection.

25 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising coating the sidewalls of the plurality of structural projections with a reflective material by:

depositing at least one of a dielectric mirror layer and a dielectrically enhanced mirror layer over the sidewalls of the structural projections; and

removing the layer of reflective material from a top surface of each structural projection.

26 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising depositing a light absorbing material on a top surface of each structural projection.

27 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:

forming a second light blocking layer over the second substrate, the second light blocking layer defining a second plurality of apertures each corresponding to a respective display element;

forming a second plurality of structural projections over the second light blocking layer such that each structural projection includes at least one sidewall positioned adjacent to at least one edge of a respective aperture in the light blocking layer; and

coating the sidewalls of the second plurality of structural projections with a reflective material.

28 . An apparatus comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate substantially parallel to the first substrate;

an array of light modulating means between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first light blocking means on the first substrate and defining a first plurality of apertures; and

a second light blocking means on the second substrate and defining a second plurality of apertures, each of the second plurality of apertures aligned with a respective aperture in the first plurality of apertures; and

a plurality of light reflecting means each adjacent to at least one edge of a respective aperture of the first plurality of apertures and between the first and second substrates.

29 . The apparatus of claim 28 , wherein each of the plurality of light reflecting means is oriented at an angle between about 50 degrees and about 90 degrees with respect to a surface of the first substrate.

30 . The display apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the plurality of light reflecting means includes light reflecting means positioned adjacent to a longer edge of each aperture of the first plurality of apertures.