IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,564,371
Granted Patent B2
US 10,564,371 · App. 16/437,494 · Granted Feb 18, 2020

Waveguide sheet and photoelectric conversion device

Inventors: Seiji Nishiwaki (Hyogo, JP); Tohru Nakagawa (Shiga, JP); Tsuyoshi Yamamoto (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
G02B6/4215G02B6/124G02B6/125G02B6/13G02B6/26G02B6/34G02B6/42G02B6/4298G02B19/0009G02B19/0042H01L31/054H02S40/22Y02E10/52
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,564,371
App. No.
16/437,494
Granted
Feb 18, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A waveguide sheet captures incident light and waveguides the incident light in a direction intersecting with an incident direction. The waveguide sheet includes a diffraction grating layer that changes a traveling direction of the incident light and a plurality of first light-transmissive pairs. Each of the first light-transmissive pairs includes a first light-transmissive layer having a shape with first concave streaks and first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in a first direction that is a direction intersecting with the incident direction, and a second light-transmissive layer laminated on the first light-transmissive layer. In the plurality of first light-transmissive pairs, the first light-transmissive layer is located closer to a side of the diffraction grating layer and each of the first concave streaks of another first light-transmissive layer is located between adjacent first convex streaks among the first convex streaks of the first light-transmissive layer as seen in the incident direction.

Claims (52)

1. A waveguide sheet that captures incident light and waveguides the incident light in a direction intersecting with an incident direction of the incident light, the waveguide sheet comprising:

a diffraction grating layer that changes a traveling direction of the incident light; and

a plurality of first light-transmissive pairs each including

a first light-transmissive layer having a shape with first concave streaks and first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in a first direction that is a direction intersecting with the incident direction and

a second light-transmissive layer laminated on the first light-transmissive layer, wherein

in the plurality of first light-transmissive pairs,

the first light-transmissive layer is located closer to a side of the diffraction grating layer than the second light-transmissive layer and

each of the first concave streaks of another first light-transmissive layer adjacent to the first light-transmissive layer is located between adjacent first convex streaks among the first convex streaks of the first light-transmissive layer as seen in the incident direction.

2. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first light-transmissive pairs are disposed on both surfaces of the diffraction grating layer.

3. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the second light-transmissive layer has a shape with second concave streaks and second convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in a second direction that is a direction intersecting with the incident direction.

4. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the second light-transmissive layer has a shape with first concave streaks and first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in the first direction.

5. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

6. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a first laminated body including the diffraction grating layer, the first light-transmissive layer, and the second light-transmissive layer; and

a second laminated body having a structure identical to a structure of the first laminated body,

wherein the second laminated body is laminated on the first laminated body, a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the first light-transmissive layer of the second laminated body being a third direction different from the first direction in the first laminated body.

7. The waveguide sheet according to claim 6 , further comprising a third laminated body that is disposed between the first laminated body and the second laminated body, and has a second light-transmissive pair and a third light-transmissive pair alternately laminated on each other,

wherein

the second light-transmissive pair includes a third light-transmissive layer having a shape with the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged and a fourth light-transmissive layer laminated on the third light-transmissive layer,

the third light-transmissive pair includes a fifth light-transmissive layer having a shape with the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged and a sixth light-transmissive layer laminated on the fifth light-transmissive layer, and

a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the third light-transmissive layer is a fourth direction different from the first direction, and a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the fifth light-transmissive layer is a fifth direction different from the third direction and the fourth direction.

8. The waveguide sheet according to claim 1 , further comprising a fourth light-transmissive pair including, a seventh light-transmissive layer having a shape with third concave streaks and third convex streaks being repeatedly arranged, and an eighth light-transmissive layer laminated on the seventh light-transmissive layer,

wherein

the eighth light-transmissive layer of the fourth light-transmissive pair is located at an outermost surface of the waveguide sheet, and

each curvature radius of the third concave streaks is larger than each curvature radius of the first convex streaks.

9. A photoelectric conversion device comprising:

a waveguide sheet defined in claim 1 ; and

a photoelectric conversion element that has a light-receiving surface that receives light and converts light received by the light-receiving surface into power,

wherein the photoelectric conversion element is disposed around the waveguide sheet, the light-receiving surface being located to face an end face of the waveguide sheet located in a direction intersecting with the incident direction.

10. The waveguide sheet according to claim 2 , wherein the second light-transmissive layer has a shape with second concave streaks and second convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in a second direction that is a direction intersecting with the incident direction.

11. The waveguide sheet according to claim 2 , wherein the second light-transmissive layer has a shape with first concave streaks and first convex streaks being repeatedly arranged in the first direction.

12. The waveguide sheet according to claim 2 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

13. The waveguide sheet according to claim 3 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

14. The waveguide sheet according to claim 4 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

15. The waveguide sheet according to claim 10 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

16. The waveguide sheet according to claim 11 , wherein a diffraction grating is disposed on at least one of the first light-transmissive layer and the second light-transmissive layer.

17. The waveguide sheet according to claim 2 , further comprising:

a first laminated body including the diffraction grating layer, the first light-transmissive layer, and the second light-transmissive layer; and

a second laminated body having a structure identical to a structure of the first laminated body,

wherein the second laminated body is laminated on the first laminated body, a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the first light-transmissive layer of the second laminated body being a third direction different from the first direction in the first laminated body.

18. The waveguide sheet according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a first laminated body including the diffraction grating layer, the first light-transmissive layer, and the second light-transmissive layer; and

a second laminated body having a structure identical to a structure of the first laminated body,

wherein the second laminated body is laminated on the first laminated body, a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the first light-transmissive layer of the second laminated body being a third direction different from the first direction in the first laminated body.

19. The waveguide sheet according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a first laminated body including the diffraction grating layer, the first light-transmissive layer, and the second light-transmissive layer; and

a second laminated body having a structure identical to a structure of the first laminated body,

wherein the second laminated body is laminated on the first laminated body, a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the first light-transmissive layer of the second laminated body being a third direction different from the first direction in the first laminated body.

20. The waveguide sheet according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a first laminated body including the diffraction grating layer, the first light-transmissive layer, and the second light-transmissive layer; and

a second laminated body having a structure identical to a structure of the first laminated body,

wherein the second laminated body is laminated on the first laminated body, a direction in which the first concave streaks and the first convex streaks are repeatedly arranged on the first light-transmissive layer of the second laminated body being a third direction different from the first direction in the first laminated body.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2019
From: NISHIWAKI, SEIJI; NAKAGAWA, TOHRU; YAMAMOTO, TSUYOSHI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 051057/0415 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2016-243648 · Dec 15, 2016 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2017024620 · Jul 5, 2017
Related Publication 20190293880A1 · Sep 26, 2019