Polymer waveguide technology for flexible display applications

Yuuto Okuda; Ichiro Fujieda

doi:10.1117/12.906550

6 February 2012 Polymer waveguide technology for flexible display applications

Yuuto Okuda, Ichiro Fujieda

Proceedings Volume 8280, Advances in Display Technologies II; 82800W (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.906550
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

We consider applications of wave-guiding technologies for flexible displays. First, a flexible backlight can be constructed by guiding laser light through an optical fiber arranged in a spiral manner. The light leaks out via the grooves fabricated on the optical fiber. For uniform illumination, the probability of light extraction at each groove and the pitch of the grooves are adjusted. Second, a polymer waveguide with successive branches distributes the optical power from a laser to two-dimensional emission points on a plane. The division ratio at each branch is an important design parameter for uniform light output. At each branch and emission point, a mirror is placed for 90-degree optical path redirection. This constitutes a flexible backlight. Third, in a more technically demanding design, a mirror based on the micro-electro-mechanical systems technology scans a laser beam on the entrance surface of the waveguide and each emission point is addressed sequentially. An image can be displayed by intensity modulation of the laser light synchronized to this scanning action. The precision of the waveguide fabrication and the beam scanning accuracy would determine the display resolution. Finally, such a waveguide may be applied for concentrated photovoltaic applications. An array of lenses is stacked on the waveguide so that the optical power is focused on each mirror. The direction of the light propagation is reversed. Now the exit surface of the waveguide is coupled to solar cells. In all these cases, the polymer waveguide technology offers a cost advantage due to its feasibility for the roll-to-roll process.

Citation Download Citation

Yuuto Okuda and Ichiro Fujieda "Polymer waveguide technology for flexible display applications", Proc. SPIE 8280, Advances in Display Technologies II, 82800W (6 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.906550

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