IP Library Granted Patent US 8,743,317
Granted Patent B2
US 8,743,317 · App. 12/903,364 · Granted Jun 3, 2014

Image forming apparatus comprising a transparent layer and an optical absorption layer arranged in a pitch of 1/N of a pixel pitch

Inventors: Kunihiro Shiota (Kanagawa, JP); Koji Mimura (Kanagawa, JP); Hiroshi Tanabe (Kanagawa, JP); Koji Shigemura (Kanagawa, JP)
Assignee: NLT Technologies, Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,743,317
App. No.
12/903,364
Granted
Jun 3, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes: a functional element substrate to which a pixel is formed in a predetermined cycle; an opposed substrate formed on the functional element substrate; and an optical device arranged on the opposed substrate, which includes a transparent layer and an optical absorption layer arranged in a cycle of 1/n (n is an integer number) of the cycle of arranging the pixel, and restricts spread of transmitted light.

Claims (42)

1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:

a functional element substrate in which a pixel is arranged in a predetermined pitch;

an opposed substrate formed on said functional element substrate;

an optical device arranged on said opposed substrate; and

a plurality of black matrix patterns arranged on said opposed substrate,

wherein said optical device comprises a transparent layer and an optical absorption layer arranged in a pitch of 1/n (n is an integer number) of said pitch of arranging said pixel, which restricts spread of transmitted light, and

a position of at least a part of said optical absorption layer and a position of at least one of said black matrix patterns are aligned with each other.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

an alignment mark is formed onto said optical device; and

an alignment mark corresponding to said optical device alignment mark is formed onto said opposed substrate.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

said optical device alignment mark is formed from an optical absorption layer.

4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

said optical device alignment mark and a part restricting transmitted light are formed continuously.

5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said optical device is arranged in a light emission side of said functional element substrate.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said optical device is arranged in a light incident side of said functional element substrate.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said optical device is arranged for the side facing said functional element substrate in said opposed substrate.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said optical device is formed directly on said opposed substrate.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

there is not a light shielding pattern except said optical absorption layer of said optical device in the domain of said pixels.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said functional element substrate includes a thin film transistor; and wherein

said optical absorption layer and at least part of a gate electrode constituting said thin film transistor are arranged in a manner said optical absorption layer and said at least part of said gate electrode overlap.

11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

said opposed substrate includes said light shielding pattern;

a width of said optical absorption layer at an opposed position of said light shielding pattern is wider than a width of said light shielding pattern; and

a width of said optical absorption layer at a position not opposed to said light shielding pattern is of a shape smaller than a width of said light shielding pattern.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

said alignment mark provided in said opposed substrate is a dummy pixel; and

said optical device includes an alignment mark corresponding to said dummy pixel.

13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein n is not smaller than 2.

14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical absorption layer is formed on a position on the opposed substrate opposed to said plurality of black matrix patterns.

15. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent layer has a height of 30 μm to 300 μm.

16. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent layer has a width of 5 μm to 150 μm.

17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical absorption layer has a width of 5 μm to 150 μm at a surface of the opposed substrate.

18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image forming apparatus is a micro louver and a liquid crystal display.

19. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the micro louver has a pitch, the liquid crystal display has a picture element pitch, and an aspect ratio of the transparent layer defined as a ratio of a height of the transparent layer to a width of the transparent layer is 3:1.

20. The image forming apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the micro louver pitch/the picture element pitch is 1/2.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 8, 2011
From: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
To: NLT TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 027195/0933 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 22, 2010
From: SHIOTA, KUNIHIRO; MIMURA, KOJI; TANABE, HIROSHI; SHIGEMURA, KOJI
To: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 025180/0570 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2009-235850 · Oct 13, 2009 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110085182A1 · Apr 14, 2011