U.S. patent application number 11/179657 was filed with the patent office on 2006-02-23 for electro-optical device and electronic apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Tomoyuki Ito.
Application Number | 20060039152 11/179657 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35909407 |
Filed Date | 2006-02-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060039152 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ito; Tomoyuki |
February 23, 2006 |
Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus
Abstract
An electro-optical device includes a light emitting unit; a
color filter that has a plurality of colored portions selectively
transmitting light components belonging to a portion of a
wavelength range of light emitted from the light emitting unit; and
a color converting member that converts some of the light
components emitted from the light emitting unit into light
components having wavelengths around transmission wavelength ranges
of the colored portions having one or more colors of the color
filter, which is provided between the light emitting unit and the
color filter.
Inventors: |
Ito; Tomoyuki; (Okaya-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OLIFF & BERRIDGE, PLC
P.O. BOX 19928
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22320
US
|
Assignee: |
SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
35909407 |
Appl. No.: |
11/179657 |
Filed: |
July 13, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/293 ;
362/318; 362/324 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 5/201 20130101;
G02F 1/133603 20130101; G02F 1/133614 20210101; G02F 1/133617
20130101; G02F 1/133621 20130101; G02F 1/133514 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
362/293 ;
362/318; 362/324 |
International
Class: |
F21V 9/00 20060101
F21V009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 17, 2004 |
JP |
2004-237070 |
Claims
1. An electro-optical device comprising: a light emitting unit; a
color filter that has a plurality of colored portions selectively
transmitting light components belonging to a portion of a
wavelength range of light emitted from the light emitting unit; and
a color converting member that converts some of the light
components emitted from the light emitting unit into light
components having wavelengths around transmission wavelength ranges
of the colored portions having one or more colors of the color
filter, which is provided between the light emitting unit and the
color filter.
2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the
color converting member is provided corresponding to one or more
colored portions, and has different wavelength conversion
characteristics for the respective colored portions.
3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the
colored portions with four or more colors including red (R), green
(G), and blue (B) are provided in the color filter.
4. The electro-optical device according to claim 3, wherein the
color converting member converts some of the light components
emitted from the light emitting unit into light components having
wavelengths around the transmission wavelength ranges of the
colored portions having colors other than R, G, and B.
5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further
comprising a light modulating unit that modulates the light
components emitted from the light emitting unit.
6. The electro-optical device according to claim 5, wherein the
color converting member is provided between the light emitting unit
and the light modulating unit.
7. The electro-optical device according to claim 5, wherein the
light modulating unit is a liquid crystal panel having a pair of
substrates and a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween.
8. The electro-optical device according to claim 7, wherein the
color converting member is provided on a surface of one of the
substrates facing the liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal
panel.
9. The electro-optical device according to claim 6, wherein the
light emitting unit is an illuminating device including a
cold-cathode tube, an LED, or an EL element.
10. The electro-optical device according to claim 9, wherein the
illuminating device includes a light source and an optical
waveguide that guides light emitted from the light source to the
color filter, and the optical waveguide has the function of the
color converting member.
11. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the
light emitting unit is provided with a plurality of EL elements
that can be independently driven, and the EL elements are arranged
corresponding to the colored portions of the color filter,
respectively.
12. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device
according to claim 1.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to an electro-optical device
and an electronic apparatus.
[0002] In recent years, transmissive or transflective liquid
crystal display devices (electro-optical devices) have generally
been used for display units of electronic apparatuses. In general,
this type of liquid crystal display device includes a liquid
crystal panel having a color filter therein and a backlight
provided at a rear side of the liquid crystal panel. In addition,
in order to reduce the size and power consumption of the backlight,
LEDs (light emitting diodes) have come into widespread use as light
sources.
[0003] Further, there has been suggested a technique for improving
the utilization efficiency of a liquid crystal display device in
which a backlight has an LED as a light source. For example,
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-258771
discloses a technique for converting light emitted from a backlight
into color display light with a high degree of efficiency by a
combination of a liquid crystal panel having a color converting
layer, serving as a color filter, therein and a backlight having a
blue LED as a light source.
[0004] Recently, in the field of display devices, an improvement in
display quality has been strongly demanded. However, a backlight
using a white LED, which is the related art, has a problem in that,
because emission peaks of G (green) and R (red) light components
are low and have wide ranges, the color purity of display light is
lowered, resulting in low color reproducibility. However, the
technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application
Publication No. 2000-258771 has an advantage in that the loss of
energy required for obtaining colored light can be reduced, which
makes it possible to achieve high-brightness display. However,
since light emitted from a color converting layer having a lower
degree of freedom in color selection than a color filter is
directly used for display, it is difficult to improve the color
reproducibility.
SUMMARY
[0005] An advantage of the invention is that is provides an
electro-optical device capable of displaying high-quality images in
multi-color display, and preferably, of displaying high-quality
images in four or more color display with a simple structure and at
lower manufacturing costs.
[0006] According to a first aspect of the invention, an
electro-optical device includes a light emitting unit; a color
filter that has a plurality of colored portions selectively
transmitting light components belonging to a portion of a
wavelength range of light emitted from the light emitting unit; and
a color converting member that converts some of the light
components emitted from the light emitting unit into light
components having wavelengths around transmission wavelength ranges
of the colored portions having one or more colors of the color
filter, which is provided between the light emitting unit and the
color filter.
[0007] According to this structure, before light emitted from the
light emitting unit is incident on the color filter, the light is
color-converted by the color converting layers provided between the
color filter and the light emitting unit. Therefore, light incident
on each colored portion include many colored light components
corresponding to the transmission wavelength range of the colored
portion, and the emission peak of the colored light becomes
sharper. Therefore, display light emitted through the colored
portion has a higher degree of color purity, compared to a
structure in which the color converting layer is not provided, and
thus an image formed by the related colored light can be displayed
with high resolution.
[0008] Further, in the invention, it is possible to make the
wavelength selection characteristic of the colored portion coincide
with the spectral characteristic of light emitted from the light
emitting unit only by providing the color converting member.
Therefore, it is not necessary to change the spectral
characteristic of the light emitting unit. Thus, the invention
makes it possible to achieve an electro-optical device capable of
displaying high-quality images with a simple structure and at low
manufacturing costs.
[0009] Furthermore, in the invention, the `electro-optical device`
is a device having an electro-optical effect of changing the
reflective index of light by a change of the reflective index of a
material by an electric field, and also includes a light emitting
device for converting electrical energy into optical energy.
[0010] Moreover, in the above-mentioned structure, it is preferable
that the color converting member be provided corresponding to one
or more colored portions and have different wavelength conversion
characteristics for the respective colored portions.
[0011] According to this structure, the color converting member
having different wavelength characteristics according to color
types of colored portions is provided. Therefore, the color
conversion operation by the color converting member does not have
an influence on transmission light of colored portions other than a
predetermined colored portion, which makes it possible to further
improve the color purity of display light passing through the
respective colored portions and thus to raise the utilization
efficiency of emission light. As a result, it is possible to
achieve bright, high-quality display.
[0012] Further, in the above-mentioned structure, it is preferable
that the colored portions with four or more colors including red
(R), green (G), and blue (B) be provided in the color filter. That
is, the electro-optical device of the invention can be properly
applied to a multi-color display electro-optical device using a
four color filter, and thus the multi-color display electro-optical
device can also display high-quality images. For example, cyan (C)
and yellow (Y) colored portions can be provided in addition to the
R, G, and B colored portions.
[0013] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned structure, it is
preferable that the color converting member convert some of the
light components emitted from the light emitting unit into light
components having wavelengths around the transmission wavelength
ranges of the colored portions having colors other than R, G, and
B. According to this structure, it is possible to improve the
display quality of an electro-optical device capable of displaying
four or more colors, without changing the characteristics of the
light emitting unit.
[0014] Moreover, it is preferable that the electro-optical device
further include a light modulating unit that modulates the light
components emitted from the light emitting unit. That is, the
electro-optical device can perform high gray-scale level display by
modulating light emitted from the light emitting unit.
[0015] Further, in the above-mentioned structure, it is preferable
that the color converting member be provided between the light
emitting unit and the light modulating unit. According to this
structure, it is possible to improve display quality without
changing the structure of the light modulating unit, and to easily
manufacture an electro-optical device at low manufacturing
costs.
[0016] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned structure, it is
preferable that the light modulating unit be a liquid crystal panel
having a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer interposed
therebetween. According to this structure, it is possible to
achieve an electro-optical device capable of displaying
high-quality images.
[0017] In addition, it is preferable that the color converting
member be provided on a surface of one of the substrates facing the
liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal panel. According to this
structure, it is possible to provide the color converting member
when the liquid crystal panel is manufactured, which makes it
possible to improve the efficiency of manufacture and to easily
provide the color converting member to each display unit (dot) of
the liquid crystal panel.
[0018] Further, in the above-mentioned structure, it is preferable
that the light emitting unit be an illuminating device including a
cold-cathode tube, an LED, or an EL element. In addition, the
invention can be properly applied to an electro-optical device
including the illuminating device having the above-mentioned
structure. In the illuminating device having the cold-cathode tube
and the LED or EL element as a light source, light having a unique
spectral characteristic may be emitted due to the structure or
forming material thereof. Therefore, even if the structure of
forming material is changed, it is difficult to make the
characteristic of emission light coincide with the wavelength
selection characteristic of the color filter having multi-colors.
In addition, when a light source is replaced, the manufacturing
cost of an illuminating device increases because the illuminating
device is a dedicated device. However, when the emission
characteristics of the cold-cathode tube and the LED or EL element
is made coincide with the wavelength selection characteristic of
the color filter by the color converting member as in the
invention, it is possible to achieve high-quality display, without
increasing the manufacturing cost of an illuminating device,
because a general-purpose illuminating device can be used as the
illuminating device.
[0019] Furthermore, in the electro-optical device of the invention,
it is preferable that the illuminating device include a light
source and an optical waveguide that guides light emitted from the
light source to the color filter, and that the optical waveguide
have the function of the color converting member. As such,
according to the above-mentioned structure in which the optical
waveguide has the color converting function, it is not necessary to
provide a sheet-shaped color converting member, which contributes
to a reduction in the thickness of an electro-optical device.
[0020] Moreover, in the above-mentioned structure, it is preferable
that the light emitting unit be provided with a plurality of EL
elements that can be independently driven, and that the EL elements
be arranged corresponding to the colored portions of the color
filter, respectively. That is, the electro-optical device of the
invention can be formed of an EL display device in which light
emitted from an EL element is converted into colored light by
colored portions, thereby performing multi-color display. In this
case, the EL display device can also display high-quality
images.
[0021] According to another aspect of the invention, an electronic
apparatus includes the above-mentioned electro-optical device.
According to this structure, it is possible to provide an
electronic apparatus having a display unit capable of displaying
high-quality images.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The invention will be described with reference to the
accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers reference like
elements, and wherein:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating the sectional structure of a
liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of
the invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically illustrating a pixel
region of the liquid crystal display device;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a spectral characteristic of
a light source of a backlight;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating a wavelength selection
characteristic of a color filter;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a spectral characteristic graph illustrating the
operation of a color converting layer;
[0028] FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the sectional structure of a
liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment;
[0029] FIG. 7 is a view illustrating the sectional structure of a
liquid crystal display device according to a third embodiment;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating a wavelength selection
characteristic of a color filter;
[0031] FIG. 9 is a spectral characteristic graph illustrating the
operation of a color converting layer;
[0032] FIG. 10 is a graph illustrating a spectral characteristic
when a light source is replaced;
[0033] FIG. 11 is a view illustrating the sectional structure of a
liquid crystal display device according to a fourth embodiment;
[0034] FIG. 12 is a view illustrating the sectional structure of an
organic EL display device according to a fifth embodiment;
[0035] FIG. 13A is a perspective view illustrating the structure of
an electronic apparatus according to the invention; and
[0036] FIG. 13B is a perspective view illustrating the structure of
another electronic apparatus according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0037] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0038] In the drawings, layers or members have different scales to
be made recognizable, and some of the layers and members may be
omitted for the convenience of illustration.
First Embodiment
[0039] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure
of a liquid crystal display device, which is a first embodiment of
an electro-optical device according to the invention, and FIG. 2 is
a plan view schematically illustrating one pixel region (three
dots) of the liquid crystal display device.
[0040] A liquid crystal display device 100 is a transmissive color
liquid crystal display device of an active matrix type, and
includes a liquid crystal display panel (light modulating unit)
110, a backlight (illustrating unit) 120, and a color converting
sheet (color converting member) 130 provided therebetween.
[0041] The liquid crystal panel 110 includes a pair of substrates
111 and 112 arranged opposite to each other and a liquid crystal
layer 114 that is interposed between the substrates 111 and 112 and
that is sealed by a sealing material 113. A color filter 115 is
provided on a surface of the front (the upper side of FIG. 1)
substrate 111 facing the liquid crystal layer 114, and a circuit
layer 116 is provided on a surface of the rear (the lower side of
FIG. 1) substrate 112 facing the liquid crystal layer 114.
[0042] The substrates 111 and 112 can be made of a transmissive
(transparent) material, such as glass, quartz, or plastic, in a
transmissive liquid crystal display device. Any types of liquid
crystal capable of being arranged in a predetermined alignment
state can be used for the liquid crystal layer 11, and in general,
nematic liquid crystal is used therefor. In addition, a vertical
alignment mode as well as a TN mode can be applied as an initial
alignment mode of liquid crystal.
[0043] Three (R, G, and B) colored portions 115R, 115G, and 115B
are periodically arranged in the color filter 115 in plan view.
Although not shown, an electrode, serving as a member for applying
an electric field to the liquid crystal layer, is provided on a
surface of the color filter 115 facing the liquid crystal layer
114. The circuit layer 116 includes at least electrodes for
applying an electric field to the liquid crystal layer 114 together
with the electrode formed on the substrate 111. In this embodiment,
a TFT (thin film transistor) is provided as a pixel switching
element.
[0044] Referring to the schematic plan view shown in FIG. 2, a
plurality of data lines 116d and a plurality of scanning lines 116g
are formed on the circuit layer 116 of the liquid crystal panel 110
so as to extend perpendicular to each other, and a rectangular
region surrounded by the data lines and the scanning lines is used
as a dot region. In the circuit layer 116, each dot region is
provided with a pixel electrode 116e and a TFT 116s, and the pixel
electrode 116e is connected to the data line 116d and the scanning
line 116g through the TFT 116s. In the dot regions, the pixel
electrodes 116e are provided in the circuit layer 116 on the
substrate 112 so as to respectively overlap the colored portions
115R, 115G, and 115B in plan view, and three dot regions including
the colored portions 115R, 115G, and 115B constitute a pixel region
of the liquid crystal display device 100.
[0045] The backlight 120 includes an optical waveguide 121 and a
light source (light-emitting unit) 122 provided at a side surface
(a left surface in FIG. 1) of the optical waveguide 121 as the main
components. Therefore, light emitted from the light source 122 is
introduced into the optical waveguide 121 through the side surface
of the optical waveguide. Then, the light travels inside the
optical waveguide and is emitted from an upper surface of the
optical waveguide 121 toward the liquid crystal panel 110.
[0046] The light modulating sheet 130 is an optical sheet for
modulating some of the incident light components into light
components in a predetermined wavelength range, and can be composed
of a sheet formed by mixing a fluorescent material or pigment with
a resin material, a dielectric half mirror obtained by laminating
dielectric films having different refractive indexes, or a half
mirror using an Al film.
[0047] In this embodiment, the light source 122 is provided with a
white LED (light-emitting diode) having the spectral characteristic
shown in FIG. 3. In the light source 122, white light is obtained
by passing light emitted from a blue light emitting chip, which is
well known in the related art, through a yellow fluorescent
material. The blue light emitting chip is formed, for example, by
growing GaInN-based compound semiconductor crystal on the surface
of a substrate made of, for example, sapphire (Al.sub.2O.sub.3),
and preferably has a double hetero-junction structure in which a
light-emitting layer made of InGaN is provided between a clad layer
made of n-GaN and a clad layer made of p-GaN.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 3, in the light source 122 having the
above-mentioned structure, a sharp light-emitting peak is in a blue
light range (420 to 490 nm), and the emission intensity of light
within a green light range (520 to 570 nm) to a red light range
(590 to 630 nm) is smaller than that within the blue light range.
In addition, these wavelength ranges have a gentle distribution in
emission intensity. Meanwhile, the wavelength selection
characteristic of the color filter 115 of the liquid crystal panel
110 is as shown in FIG. 4. When light emitted from the backlight
120 passes through the color filter 115 to perform display, a
relatively high degree of purity is obtained with respect to the
blue light, but the emission intensity of green light and red light
does not have a sharp peak in the spectral characteristic of
display light, which results in the deterioration of color
purity.
[0049] In the liquid crystal display device 100 of this embodiment,
since the color converting sheet 130 is provided between the
backlight 120 and the liquid crystal panel 110, the spectral
characteristic of light emitted from the backlight 120 is changed
so as to coincide with the wavelength selection characteristic of
the color filter. That is, the light emitted from the backlight 120
passes through the color converting sheet 130 to obtain
illumination light having the spectral characteristic shown in FIG.
5, in which a sharp emission peak appears in a wavelength range
corresponding to green light and red light. Therefore, in the
liquid crystal display device 100, illumination light having the
spectral characteristic shown in FIG. 5 is incident on the liquid
crystal panel 110, and then passes through the color filter 115 to
perform color display, so that three primary color light
components, that is, a blue light component, a green light
component, and a red light component, can have high degrees of
color purity. Thus, the liquid crystal display device 100 can
display a high-quality image.
[0050] Further, the white LED may have, for example, a structure in
which red, green, and blue light emitting chips are integrated into
a single LED element and a structure in which a red LED, a green
LED, and a blue LED are used as a set of light emitting units, as
well as the structure having the spectral characteristic shown in
FIG. 3. These structures enable each color display light component
to have a relatively high degree of color purity.
[0051] A light-emitting element that obtains white light by a
combination of plural color-light-emitting chips has higher
manufacturing costs than that which obtains white light by a
combination of a single color-light-emitting chip and a fluorescent
material. When a combination of plural color LEDs is used to obtain
white light, color separation may occur at the surface of the
optical waveguide. In addition, when the emission characteristic of
the light-emitting chip does not coincide with the wavelength
selection characteristic of the color filter, it is necessary to
adjust the optical characteristics of the color filter or the
light-emitting element, resulting in an increase in manufacturing
costs.
[0052] On the contrary, the liquid crystal display device of this
embodiment can perform display with a high degree of color purity
using a light-emitting unit that obtains white light from a single
light-emitting chip. Therefore, it is possible to obtain
high-quality display while effectively preventing an increase in
manufacturing costs.
[0053] When the color converting sheet 130 for converting
illumination light having the spectral characteristic shown in FIG.
3 into illumination light having the spectral characteristic shown
in FIG. 5 contains, for example, fluorescent pigments, it is
composed of a transmissive sheet obtained by mixing a resin
material with a fluorescent pigment for converting blue light into
green light and a fluorescent pigment for converting blue light and
green light into red light. As the resin material forming the color
converting sheet, any of the following transmissive resins can be
used: polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylate, polycarbonate,
polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, hydroxyethylcellulose,
carboxymethylcellulose, polyvinylchloride resin, melamine resin,
phenol resin, alkyd resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin,
polyester resin, maleic resin, and polyamide resin.
[0054] The fluorescent pigment for converting blue light into green
light can be composed of, for example, a coumarin pigment, such as
2,3,5,6-1H, 4H-tetrahydro-8-trifluoromethylquinolizino (9,9a,1-gh)
coumarin (coumarin 153),
3-(2'-benzothiazolyl)-7-diethylaminocoumarin (coumarin 6),
3-(2'-benzimidazolyl)-7-N, or N-diethylaminocoumarin (coumarin 7),
or a naphthalimido pigment, such as basic yellow-51, solvent
yellow-11, or solvent yellow-116.
[0055] The fluorescent pigment for converting blue or green light
into red light can be composed of, for example, a cyanine-based
pigment, such as
4-dicyanomethylene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyl)-4H-pyran
(hereinafter, referred to as DCM), a pyridine-based pigment, such
as
1-ethyl-2-(4-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-1,3-butadiene)-pyridinium-perchlorat-
e (hereinafter, referred to as pyridine 1), a rhodamine-based
pigment, such as rhodamine B or rhodamine 6G, or an oxazine-based
pigment.
[0056] The above-mentioned fluorescent material can be composed of
polymethacrylic acid ester, polyvinyl chloride, vinyl
chloride-vinyl acetate resin, alkyd resin, aromatic sulfonamide
resin, urea resin, melamine resin, benzoguanamine resin, or a
mixture of these resins.
[0057] It is preferable that the resin material used as a base
material of the color converting sheet 130 and the resin material
used as a binder of the fluorescent pigment do not generate
quenching and decoloring and do not deteriorate the fluorescence of
the fluorescent pigment. For example, a basic resin is more
preferable because it has an electron-donating property within the
reach of a .pi. electron and it does not interact with a basic
fluorescent pigment. In addition, it is preferable that the resin
material have high transmittance with respect to visible rays.
[0058] In the color converting sheet 130 according to this
embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the light source 122 has a broad
emission intensity distribution in the wavelength range of green to
red. Therefore, as described above, the light source has a color
conversion characteristic in which green light and red light have
sharp emission peaks. However, it goes without saying that the
color conversion characteristic of the color converting sheet 130
can be properly changed according to the spectral characteristic of
the light source. For example, when an element emitting ultraviolet
rays or violet light is provided in the light source 122, a
fluorescent pigment is further provided to convert some of the
light components emitted from the light source 122 into a blue
light component. As the fluorescent pigment converting ultraviolet
rays or violet light into a blue light component, the following
pigments can be used: a stilbene-based pigment, such as
1,4-bis(2-methylstyryl) benzene (Bis-MSB) or trans-4,4'-diphenyl
stilbene (DPS), and a coumarin-based pigment, such as
7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (coumarin 4).
[0059] In the above-described first embodiment, the color
converting sheet 130 is provided substantially on the entire
surface (light emission surface) of the optical waveguide 121
facing the liquid crystal panel 110. A structure in which the
optical waveguide 121 of the backlight 120 has a color conversion
function is exemplified as the structure in which a color
converting layer is provided to act on the entire display region of
the liquid crystal panel 110. In this case, in the manufacturing
process of the optical waveguide 121, it is possible to obtain the
optical waveguide 121 having a desired color conversion
characteristic by mixing the above-mentioned fluorescent material
with a resin material for forming the optical waveguide.
Second Embodiment
[0060] Next, a liquid crystal display device, which is a second
embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the
invention, will be described with reference to FIG. 6.
[0061] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the liquid
crystal display device according to the second embodiment. A liquid
crystal display device 200 of this embodiment is a transmissive
color liquid crystal display device of an active matrix type,
similar to the first embodiment, and includes a liquid crystal
panel (light modulating unit) 210 and the backlight unit
(illuminating device; light emitting unit) 120 as the main
components.
[0062] Further, the plan-view structure of the pixel region of the
liquid crystal display device 200 is the same as that of the liquid
crystal display device 100 shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 6, the same
components as those in FIG. 1 or 2 have the same reference
numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted for the
convenience of explanation.
[0063] The liquid crystal display device 200 of this embodiment is
characterized in that the color converting members for changing the
spectral characteristic of illumination light incident on the color
filter 115 are provided as color converting layers 230R and 230G in
an inner surface (a surface facing the liquid crystal layer) of a
substrate of the liquid crystal panel 200 to correspond to
predetermined dot regions.
[0064] More specifically, the color converting layers 230R and 230G
are provided in a circuit layer 216 that is formed on a surface of
the substrate 112 facing the liquid crystal layer. The color
converting layer 230R is provided corresponding to the red dot
region having the colored portion 115R therein, and the color
converting layer 230G is provided corresponding to the green dot
region having the colored portion 115G therein. The color
converting layer is not provided in the blue dot region having the
colored portion 115B therein, so that light emitted from the
backlight 120 directly travels toward the colored portion 115B
through the liquid crystal layer 114.
[0065] Further, the color converting layers 230R and 230G can be
formed at any positions between the substrate 112 and electrodes
(the pixel electrodes 116e shown in FIG. 2) included in the circuit
layer 216. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the color converting layers
may be formed on the surface of the substrate 112 or on a layer
adjacent to the pixel electrodes. Alternatively, the color
converting layers 230R and 230G may be formed on an inner surface
(a surface facing the liquid crystal layer) of the substrate 111
opposite to the substrate 112. When the color converting layers are
formed on the substrate 111 having the color filter 115 thereon,
the color converting layers may be provided between the color
filter 115 and the electrode on the substrate 111.
[0066] The color converting layers 230R and 230G can be composed of
a resin film made of a resin material containing a fluorescent
pigment or a half mirror using an inorganic material, similar to
the color converting sheet 130 of the first embodiment. In this
embodiment, the color converting layers 230R and 230G are provided
corresponding to the colors of the colored portions of the color
filter 115, so that the color converting layers 230R and 230G can
have different color conversion functions. This structure enables
illumination light having the optimal spectral characteristic to be
incident on a specific colored portion, without affecting dot
regions having different colors, which makes it possible to improve
the color purity of the three primary color light components and to
achieve high-quality display. In addition, blue light that is not
used for display is converted into green light and red light in the
green and red dot regions where the color converting layers are
formed, while the lowering of the intensity of blue light caused by
color conversion does not occur in the blue dot region where the
color converting layer is not provided. Therefore, it is possible
to improve the efficiency of light source utilization with respect
to the primary color light components, thereby achieving brighter
display.
[0067] As in this embodiment in which the color converting layers
230R and 230G are formed in a pattern on the inner surface of the
substrate 112, it is preferable that the color converting layers
230R and 230G be made of an inorganic material. The reason is that,
because the color converting layer made of an inorganic material is
formed using a dielectric half mirror formed by alternately
laminating a SiO.sub.2 film and a TiO.sub.2 film, or a half mirror
using an Al film, the color converting layer can be easily
patterned with high accuracy by the well-known photolithography
technique. These half mirrors can easily change the wavelength
range of transmission light by adjusting the thickness of the
laminated film or metal film.
[0068] Further, it goes without saying that a resin film containing
a fluorescent pigment can be used as the color converting layer. In
this case, the color converting layer 230G corresponding to the
green dot region contains a fluorescent pigment to convert blue
light into green light, and the color converting layer 230R
corresponding to the red dot region contains a fluorescent pigment
to convert blue light or green light into red light. The resin film
is made of a photosensitive resin to which the photolithography
technique can be applied, for example, a photo-curable resist
material having a reactive vinyl group, such as an acrylic
acid-based material, a methacrylic acid-based material, a
polycinnamic acid vinyl-based material, or a cyclized rubber-based
material. Therefore, the resin film can be patterned. More
specifically, for example, a solution is prepared by dissolving or
dispersing a fluorescent pigment or fluorescent dye into a proper
solvent, and a spin coating method, a roll coating method, a bar
coating method, a casting method, or a dipping method is performed
on the solution to form a resin film. Then, drying, exposure,
development, and patterning are sequentially performed on the resin
film, so that a color converting layer can be formed at a
predetermined position.
Third Embodiment
[0069] Next, a liquid crystal display device, which is a third
embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the
invention, will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
[0070] A liquid crystal display device 300 of this embodiment is a
transmissive color liquid crystal display device of an active
matrix type, similar to the first and second embodiments, and
includes a liquid crystal panel (light modulating unit) 310, the
backlight unit (illuminating device; light emitting unit) 120, and
a color converting sheet (color converting member) 330 provided
between the liquid crystal panel 310 and the backlight 120.
[0071] Further, the plan-view structure of a pixel region of the
liquid crystal display device of this embodiment is different from
that of the liquid crystal display device 100 shown in FIG. 2 in
that four dots are used corresponding to four primary colors. In
FIG. 7, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 6 have the same
reference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted for
the convenience of explanation.
[0072] The liquid crystal panel 310 includes a pair of substrates
111 and 112 arranged opposite to each other and a liquid crystal
layer 114 that is interposed between the substrates 111 and 112 and
that is sealed by a sealing material 113. A color filter 315 is
provided on a surface of the substrate 111 facing the liquid
crystal layer 114, and a circuit layer 316 is provided on a surface
of the substrate 112 facing the liquid crystal layer 114. As shown
in FIG. 7, the color filter 315 is a four-color filter in which
four colored portions 115R (red), 115G (green), 115B (blue), and
115C (cyan) are periodically arranged. Similar to the first
embodiment, pixel electrodes for applying an electric field to
liquid crystal are arranged in a matrix in plan view on the circuit
layer 316, and the colored portions 115R, 115G, 115B, and 115C are
arranged corresponding to the pixel electrodes, respectively,
thereby forming dot regions that can be independently driven.
[0073] Further, the color converting sheet 330 of this embodiment
changes the spectral characteristic of illumination light emitted
from the backlight 120 according to the wavelength selection
characteristic of each colored portion of the four-color filter 315
to improve the color purity of the primary color light components
constituting display light. Thus, the liquid crystal display device
having the four-color filter can also display high-quality images
with a high degree of color purity.
[0074] The four-color filter 315 has the wavelength selection
characteristic shown in FIG. 8 in which a transmittance curve
(Cyan) of the cyan colored portion 115C has a peak between the peak
of a transmittance curve (Blue) of the blue colored portion 115B
and the peak of a transmittance curve (Green) of the green colored
portion 115G. Meanwhile, the backlight 120 has the spectral
characteristic shown in FIG. 3.
[0075] As apparently seen from the comparison between FIG. 3 and
FIG. 8, a peak wavelength (about 500 nm) of the colored portion
115C in transmittance corresponds to a region where the intensity
of emitted light is lower than that within other wavelength ranges
in the spectral characteristic of the backlight 120. Therefore,
when illumination light emitted from the backlight 120 is incident
on the color filter 315, it is difficult for the red light, green
light and cyan light constituting display light to have good color
purity, and the cyan light cannot have sufficient brightness,
compared to other color light components.
[0076] FIG. 9 is a spectral characteristic graph illustrating the
color conversion characteristic of the color converting sheet 330.
In FIG. 9, a curve represented by a dashed line is a curve
indicating the emission intensity of the backlight 120. As shown in
FIG. 9, the color converting sheet 330 changes the spectral
characteristic of illumination light emitted from the backlight 120
such that the illumination light has emission intensity peaks at
wavelengths of about 500 nm, 530 nm, and 630 nm. Therefore, when
the color converting sheet 330 having related color conversion
characteristics is provided between the backlight 120 and the
liquid crystal panel 310, illumination light whose wavelength
ranges include emission peaks substantially coinciding with the
wavelength selection characteristics of the colored portions 115R,
115G, 115B, and 115C can be incident on the colored portions 115R,
115G, 115B, and 115C, and thus it is possible to improve the color
purity of display light. In addition, it is possible to raise the
emission intensity of cyan light, which is a small wavelength
component of the illumination light emitted from the backlight 120,
which makes it possible to achieve high-quality display.
[0077] In the above-mentioned embodiments, as the light source 122
of the backlight 120, a white LED is used in which light emitted
from the blue light-emitting chip passes through a yellow
fluorescent material. However, a blue LED can be used as the light
source 122. FIG. 10 is a graph showing a curve (dashed line)
indicating the emission intensity of illumination light when the
blue LED is used as the light source 122 and a curve (solid line)
indicating the emission intensity of illumination light after the
illumination light passes through the color converting sheet 330.
As shown in FIG. 10, when the blue LED is used as the light source
122, cyan light (around a wavelength of about 500 nm), green light
(around a wavelength of about 530 nm), and red light (around a
wavelength of about 630 nm) are generated from blue light by the
color converting sheet 330, so that illumination light having sharp
emission intensity peaks at the respective wavelengths can be
incident on the liquid crystal panel 310. Therefore, it is possible
to make illumination light corresponding to the wavelength
selection characteristics of the colored portions 115R, 115G, 115B,
and 115C incident on the colored portions, respectively, which make
it possible to improve the color purity of display light, thereby
displaying high-quality images.
[0078] Further, when the blue LED is used as the light source 122,
it is possible to manufacture a backlight at costs equal to or
lower than that where the backlight having the white LED is
manufactured, which prevents an increase in the manufacturing costs
of a backlight caused when plural color light emitting chips or
LEDs are used and the color separation by the optical
waveguide.
[0079] The detailed structure of the color converting sheet 330 is
substantially similar to that of the color converting sheet 130
according to the first embodiment. However, when the color
converting sheet 330 is composed of, for example, a resin sheet
containing a fluorescent pigment, the resin sheet contains a
fluorescent pigment converting blue light into cyan light. As the
fluorescent pigment, any of the following pigments can be used: a
coumarin pigment, such as
2,3,5,6-1H,4H-tetrahydro-8-trifluoromethylquinolizino (9,9a, 1-gh)
(coumarin 153), 3-(2'-benzothiazolyl)-7-diethylaminocoumarin
(coumarin 6), 3-(2'-coumarin benzimidazolyl)-7-N, or
N-diethylaminocoumarin (coumarin 7), and a naphthalimido pigment,
such as basic yellow-51, solvent yellow-1, or solvent
yellow-116.
[0080] Furthermore, when the dielectric half mirror or the metal
film half mirror is used as the main part of the color converting
sheet 330, it is preferable to make the cyan light selectively pass
through a dielectric film or metal film constituting the dielectric
half mirror or metal film half mirror by adjusting the thickness
thereof.
[0081] Moreover, it is preferable that the optical waveguide 121 of
the backlight 120 be made of a resin material containing a
fluorescent pigment, so that the optical waveguide 121 can have a
color converting function.
Fourth Embodiment
[0082] Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention will be described
with reference to FIG. 11. A liquid crystal display device 400 of
this embodiment is a transmissive color liquid crystal display
device of an active matrix type, similar to the first to third
embodiments, and includes a liquid crystal panel (light modulating
unit) 410 and the backlight unit (illuminating device; light
emitting unit) 120.
[0083] Further, the plan-view structure of a pixel region of the
liquid crystal display device of this embodiment is different from
that of the liquid crystal display device 100 shown in FIG. 2 in
that four dots are used corresponding to four primary colors. In
FIG. 11, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 to 10 have the
same reference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted
for the convenience of explanation.
[0084] The liquid crystal panel 410 includes a pair of substrates
111 and 112 arranged opposite to each other and a liquid crystal
layer 114 that is interposed between the substrates 111 and 112 and
that is sealed by a sealing material 113. A color filter 315 is
provided on a surface of the substrate 111 facing the liquid
crystal layer 114, and a circuit layer 416 is provided on a surface
of the substrate 112 facing the liquid crystal layer 114. The color
filter 315 is a four-color filter in which four colored portions
115R (red), 115G (green), 115B (blue), and 115C (cyan) are
periodically arranged, similar to the liquid crystal display device
300 according to the third embodiment.
[0085] Similar to the third embodiment, pixel electrodes (not
shown) for applying an electric field to liquid crystal are
arranged in a matrix in plan view on a lower surface (a surface
facing the substrate 112) of the circuit layer 316, and color
converting layers (color converting members) 230R, 230G, and 230C
are arranged corresponding to some of the pixel electrodes,
respectively, in this embodiment. That is, in the liquid crystal
panel 410, the color converting layer 230R is provided
corresponding to a red dot region having the colored portion 115R
therein, and the color converting layer 230G is provided
corresponding to a green dot region having the colored portion 115G
therein. In addition, the color converting layer 230C is provided
corresponding to a cyan dot region having the colored portion 115C
therein. The forming positions of the color converting layers 230R,
230G, and 230C on the circuit layer 416 of the substrate 112 is not
limited to the surface of the substrate 112, similar to the second
embodiment, but the color converting layers can be formed at any
positions between the substrate 112 and the electrodes included in
the circuit layer 416.
[0086] The color converting layers 230R, 230G, and 230C can have
the same structure as the color converting layers 230R and 230G of
the second embodiment, and can be formed of a resin film made of a
resin material containing a fluorescent pigment or of a half mirror
made of an inorganic material. In this embodiment, the color
converting layers 230R, 230G, and 230C are provided corresponding
to the colors of the colored portions of the color filter 315, and
thus the color converting layers 230R, 230G, and 230C can have
different color converting functions. This structure enables
illumination light having the optimal spectral characteristic to be
incident on a specific colored portion, without affecting dot
regions having different colors, which makes it possible to improve
the color purity of the respective primary color light components
and to achieve high-quality display. In addition, blue light that
is not used for display is converted into cyan light, green light,
and red light in the cyan, green, and red dot regions where the
color converting layers are formed, while the lowering of the
intensity of blue light caused by color conversion does not occur
in the blue dot region where the color converting layer is not
provided. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of
light source utilization with respect to the primary color light
components, thereby achieving brighter display.
[0087] As in this embodiment in which the color converting layers
230R, 230G, and 230C are formed in a pattern on the inner surface
of the substrate 112, it is preferable that the color converting
layers 230R, 230G, and 230C be made of an inorganic material. The
reason is that, because the color converting layer made of an
inorganic material is formed using a dielectric half mirror formed
by alternately laminating SiO.sub.2 films and TiO.sub.2 films, or a
half mirror using an Al film, the color converting layer can be
easily patterned with high accuracy by the well-known
photolithography technique. These half mirrors can easily change
the wavelength range of transmission light by adjusting the
thickness of the laminated film or metal film. In addition, it goes
without saying that a color converting layer can be formed by
patterning a resin film containing a fluorescent pigment.
Fifth Embodiment
[0088] Next, a fifth embodiment of the invention will be described
with reference to FIG. 12. Hereinafter, an organic EL device
according to an embodiment of the electro-optical device of the
invention will be described.
[0089] As shown in FIG. 12, an organic EL device 500 of this
embodiment is a top-emission-type full color organic EL display
device in which an element substrate 530 having EL elements
(light-emitting elements) formed thereon and a counter substrate
540 having R (red), G (green), and B (blue) colored portions 542R,
542G, and 542B formed thereon are bonded to each other by an
adhesive layer 543 interposed therebetween. In the organic EL
display device 500 of this embodiment, a bank layer 534 for
partitioning pixels is formed on the element substrate 530 having
anodes (pixel electrodes) 533 provided therein. An organic EL layer
formed by laminating a hole injecting/transporting layer 535 and a
light-emitting layer 536 containing a white light emitting material
is formed in regions partitioned by the bank layer 534. That is,
openings are formed in the bank layer 534 at positions
corresponding to the respective pixel, and the organic EL layer is
formed on the anodes 533 exposed through the openings. Then, a
cathode (counter electrode) 537 is formed so as to cover the bank
layer 534 and the organic EL layer.
[0090] Since this embodiment adopts the top emission structure in
which light generated from the organic EL layer is emitted from the
cathode, a codeposition film of BCP (bathocuproine) and cesium is
used for the cathode 537, and an ITO film is formed thereon to give
conductivity. In addition, in order to make light emitted from the
anode 533 travel toward the cathode, the anode 533 is made of a
metallic material having high reflectance, such as Al or Ag, or is
composed of a laminated structure of a transmissive material, such
as Al/ITO, and a metallic material having high reflectance.
[0091] Further, the cathode 537 are arranged so as to cover the
bank layer 534 and an exposed surface of the organic EL layer (the
light-emitting layer 536), and serves as a common electrode to the
respective pixels. In this case, in addition to the above-mentioned
cathode structure, a film obtained by laminating a metallic
material having a low work function, such as Ca, Mg, Ba, or Sr, and
another metallic material serving as a protective electrode, such
as Al, Ag, or Au, with a thickness of 50 nm or less can be used as
the cathode.
[0092] In the element substrate 530, a circuit element portion 531
and an interlayer insulating film 532 are sequentially formed on a
base substrate 530A made of glass or resin, and the anodes 533 are
arranged in a matrix, corresponding to the respective pixels, on
the interlayer insulating film 532. The circuit element portion 531
is provided with various wiring lines, such as scanning lines and
signal lines, storage capacitors (not shown) for holding image
signals, TFTs 531a, serving as pixel switching elements, etc. Since
this embodiment adopts the top emission structure, the base
substrate 530A is not necessarily made of a transparent material.
Therefore, a transflective or opaque substrate, such as a
semiconductor substrate, other than the transparent substrate can
be used as the base substrate 530A.
[0093] The organic EL layer is formed by laminating the hole
injecting/transporting layer 535 and the white light emitting layer
536 containing a white light emitting material in this order from
the lower layer side (the pixel electrode side).
[0094] The hole injecting/transporting layer 535 is preferably made
of a polymer material, such as polythiophene, polystyrene sulfonic
acid, polypyrrole, polyaniline, or a derivative thereof. As
materials (light emitting material) forming the white light
emitting layer 536, a polymer light emitting material or
low-molecular organic light emitting pigment, that is, various
light emitting materials, such as a fluorescent material or a
phosphorescent materials, can be used. It is particularly
preferable that a conjugate-system polymer, which is a light
emitting material, include an arylenevinylene or polyfluorene
structure.
[0095] In this embodiment, as described above, the bank layer 534
having the openings formed corresponding to the organic EL layer
forming regions is provided. Therefore, this embodiment has a
structure suitable for forming the hole injecting/transporting
layer 535 and the white light emitting layer 536 by an inkjet
method (a droplet discharging method). Therefore, it is preferable
to use a polymer material suitable for the droplet discharging
method as the light emitting material. More specifically, for
example, a material obtained by mixing polydioctylfluorene (PFO)
with MEH-PPV at the ratio of 9 to 1 can be used as the light
emitting material. In addition, in this embodiment, the organic EL
layer has a two-layered structure of the hole
injecting/transporting layer and the light emitting layer. However,
an electron transporting layer and an electron injecting layer may
be formed on the white light emitting layer 536.
[0096] The substrates having the above-mentioned structure are
sealed by a sealing material 538. Preferably, the sealing material
538 has a gas barrier property, and can be made of, for example, a
silicon oxide, such as SiO.sub.2, a silicon nitride, such as SiN,
or a silicon oxynitride, such as SiO.sub.xN.sub.y In addition, it
is more preferable to laminate a resin layer made of, for example,
acryl, polyester, or epoxy on the inorganic oxide layer. Further, a
protective layer may be provided between the cathode 537 and the
sealing material 538, if necessary.
[0097] In the organic EL display device 500 of this embodiment,
color converting layers (color converting members) 539R, 539G, and
539B are provided in regions overlapping the pixel electrodes 533
in plan view on the sealing material 538. These color converting
layers 539R, 539G, and 539B can have the same structure as the
color converting layers 230R and 230G according to the second
embodiment. That is, the color converting layers can be formed of a
resin film made of a resin material containing a fluorescent
pigment or of a half mirror made of an inorganic material.
[0098] Meanwhile, in the counter substrate 540, a color filter 541
is provided on a transmissive base substrate 540A made of, for
example, glass or resin. R, G, and B colored portions 542R, 542G,
and 542B are arranged in a matrix in regions partitioned by a bank
layer 521 in the color filter 541. Openings (colored portion
forming regions) of the bank layer 521 are provided to overlap
openings of a bank layer 534 formed on the element substrate 530 in
plan view. Therefore, the colored portions 542R, 542G, and 542B are
arranged to overlap the color converting layers 539R, 539G, and
539B and the organic EL layer of the element substrate 530 in plan
view, respectively.
[0099] In the organic EL display device of this embodiment, the
color converting layers 539R, 539G, and 539B each have a function
of converting some of light components passing through themselves
into a colored light having a predetermined wavelength, and thus
can supply light components having the optimal spectral
characteristics to the corresponding colored portions 542R, 542G,
and 542B, respectively. That is, the color converting layer 539B
functions to raise emission intensity around a peak wavelength of
the transmittance curve of the colored portion 542B, and the color
converting layer 539G functions to raise emission intensity around
a peak wavelength of the transmittance curve of the colored portion
542G. For example, when the color filter 541 has the wavelength
selection characteristic shown in FIG. 4, the color converting
layer 539B is constructed to convert a portion of white light
emitted from the organic EL layer into a light component around a
wavelength of 450 nm where the maximum transmittance is obtained in
the colored portion 542B, and the color converting layer 539G is
constructed to convert a portion of the white light into a light
component around a wavelength of 530 nm.
[0100] As such, in the organic EL display device 500 of this
embodiment, white light emitted from the organic EL elements, which
is light emitting elements, is converted into a predetermined
colored light by the color converting layers 539R, 539G, and 539B,
and is then incident on the colored portions 542R, 542G, and 542B,
thereby forming display light. Therefore, it is possible to improve
the color purity of colored light emitted from the respective
colored portions, compared to a structure in which the color
converting layer is not provided, and thus to achieve high-quality
display.
[0101] Further, in this embodiment, the light emitting layer 536
emitting white light is used. However, a light emitting layer
emitting blue light, violet light, or ultraviolet light may be used
as the light emitting layer 536. When any type of light emitting
layer is used, emission light therefrom is color-converted by the
color converting layer provided in each pixel. Therefore, it is
possible to make light having the spectral characteristic suitable
for each color incident on each colored portion, and thus to
achieve an organic EL display device capable of displaying
high-quality images.
Electronic Apparatus
[0102] FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views illustrating the
structure of electronic apparatuses according to the invention.
[0103] An image monitor 1200 shown in FIG. 13A includes a display
unit 1201 having the liquid crystal display device or the organic
EL display device according to the above-mentioned embodiments, a
case 1202, and a speaker 1203. Since the image monitor 1200
includes the liquid crystal display device or the organic EL
display device, it can display high-quality images.
[0104] A cellular phone 1300 shown in FIG. 13B includes a display
unit 1301 having the liquid crystal display device or the organic
EL display device according to the above-mentioned embodiments, an
operating portion 1302, a receiver unit 1303, and a transmitter
unit 1304. According to the cellular phone 1300, the liquid crystal
display device or the organic EL display device can display
high-quality images.
[0105] Further, the electro-optical device can be applied to an
electronic book, a personal computer, a digital still camera, a
view-finder-type or monitor-direct-view-type videotape recorder, a
car navigation system, a pager, an electronic organizer, an
electronic calculator, a word processor, a workstation, a
television phone, a POS terminal, and apparatuses equipped with
touch panels, in addition to the image monitor. Therefore, these
electronic apparatuses can also display high-quality images.
* * * * *