Reflective color display with micro-partitioned color filter

Abstract

A reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer includes a first substrate, a thin-film transistor layer, a pixel electrode layer, a color filter layer, and a display material layer. The pixel electrode layer includes a plurality of pixel electrodes. The color filter layer includes a plurality of filter color blocks, wherein some of the filter color blocks correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes, and some of the filter color blocks correspond in a many-to-one or one-to-many manner with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes. The display material layer includes a micro-segmented structure with multiple partition walls, and a colloidal solution containing a plurality of suspended charged color particles is disposed in a groove defined by each micro-segmented structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electrophoretic display, and more particularly to a reflective color display with a micro-septum filter layer. Prior Technology

[0002] Ideal electronic paper is characterized by its thinness, portability, low power consumption, and rollability; furthermore, it retains its image even when the power is off, making it widely used in books, labels, posters, bulletin boards, and other applications. Various electronic paper technologies have been proposed to achieve this goal, such as quick-response liquid powder displays and cholesteric liquid crystal displays. However, due to considerations of image display quality, the design complexity of electronic drive systems, and system integration practicalities such as mass production stability, electrophoretic displays (EPDs) remain the mainstream. In addition, with increasing usage demands, color electronic paper is gradually becoming a development focus. Color electronic paper is a bistable color display. It does not consume power while maintaining the displayed image; power is only required when updating the display. Compared to liquid crystal displays (LCDs) that require constant power, color electronic paper significantly reduces the power consumption of displays. The advantages of color electronic paper include environmental friendliness, energy saving, eye protection, and sunlight visibility. Because electronic paper and reflective LCD displays display images by reflecting ambient light, unlike conventional backlit LCDs which emit blue light due to their active light source, viewing electronic paper displays or reflective LCD displays is more comfortable for the eyes and less tiring.

[0003] Existing color electronic paper technology mimics the LCD method, using color photoresists (such as RGB primary color photoresists) on color filters to filter out part of the spectrum of white light and change it into colored light. This technology only requires black and white electronic ink films with color filters. However, the biggest weakness of this technology is that 2 / 3 of the incident white light is absorbed by the filter blocks, leaving only about 1 / 3 of the incident light to be reflected, making the image very dark. Traditional LCDs can overcome this problem by using high-brightness backlights to offset the brightness reduction caused by the filtered light, allowing the image to maintain normal brightness display, but at the cost of high power consumption. Color electronic paper, lacking backlighting, cannot overcome this problem, and the industry has spent more than 10 years developing a solution without success. Currently, color electronic paper using the filter method must rely on a front light to supplement brightness. However, due to limitations in structure and reflection principles, the effect of front light is far inferior to that of LCD backlighting, and once a front light is added, the eye-friendly properties of color electronic paper are greatly reduced.

[0004] As shown in Figure 8, a conventional color electrophoretic display 100 includes, from top to bottom, an upper glass substrate 16, a color filter layer CF, an optical adhesive 13, a counter substrate 12 (e.g., a transparent plastic substrate), a common electrode layer 14 (e.g., a transparent conductive electrode layer), a display material layer 20 (e.g., an electrophoretic layer), a pixel electrode layer PEL, a thin-film transistor layer 30, and a control substrate 10 (e.g., a glass substrate). As shown in Figure 1A, the display material layer 20 includes a plurality of hollow microcuplets 22 (only one is shown in the figure), and the colloidal solution 24 filled in each hollow microcuplet 22 contains a plurality of suspended charged color particles 26 (e.g., charged black particles 26B and charged white particles 26W). The hollow microcuplet 22 structure serves as a container for electronic ink (or electrophoretic material). The hollow microcuplets 22 are, for example, made of organic polymer materials and are used to fill the charged color particles 26.

[0005] The common electrode layer 14 is generally connected to ground potential (0V) to provide a common voltage Vcom, while the control substrate 10 below generally uses the TFT array process of the panel to fabricate the driving circuit layer and the thin film transistor layer 30. The charged color particles 26 have a predetermined polarity of charge, for example, the charged black particles 26B are positively charged and the charged white particles 26W are negatively charged. By driving the thin film transistor layer 30 through the driving circuit layer (not shown), the electrical properties and voltage of each pixel electrode PE can be controlled. This allows each pixel to attract charged black particles 26B and repel charged white particles 26W (making the pixel appear white on the viewing side opposite to the pixel electrode PE), or it can attract charged white particles 26W and repel charged black particles 26B, thereby displaying a predetermined image on the display surface, such as the surface close to the upper glass substrate 16.

[0006] Electrophoretic displays with color filter arrays rely on area sharing and color mixing to produce visual colors. Available display areas are shared between three primary colors, such as red / green / blue (RGB) or red / green / blue / white (RGBW), or three primary colors plus white, and the filter layers can be arranged in a one-dimensional (stripes) or two-dimensional (2x2) repeating pattern. Three sub-pixels (in the case of RGB displays) or four sub-pixels (in the case of RGBW displays), if small enough, can be interpreted as high resolution, visually blending together to form a single pixel with uniform color.

[0007] Figure 1A shows an embodiment of a conventional color filter layer CF. Referring to this figure, the color filter layer CF is, for example, a red / green / blue (RGB) three-primary-color filter layer. Each filter layer contains approximately rectangular three-primary-color filter blocks, and the primary color filter blocks (e.g., red filter block R) are surrounded by other color filter blocks (such as blue filter block B or green filter block G). Figure 1B shows the color mixing method of displaying red, green and blue colors according to the color filter layer CF of Figure 1A. Referring in conjunction with Figure 8, if a display unit wants to display red, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R can conduct a driving voltage through the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, so that the area corresponding to the red filter block R appears red light. Correspondingly, the pixel electrodes PE2 and PE3 corresponding to the green filter patch G and the blue filter patch B can conduct driving voltage under the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B so as not to reflect light, so that the areas corresponding to the green filter patch G and the blue filter patch B appear black (K), thereby making the pixel appear red. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are R + Black + Black = R.

[0008] Similarly, if a display unit wants to display green, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter patch G can conduct a driving voltage through the thin-film transistor layer 30 controlled by the driving circuit layer to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, making the area corresponding to the green filter patch G appear green. Correspondingly, the pixel electrodes PE1 and PE3 corresponding to the red filter patch R and blue filter patch B can conduct a driving voltage through the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to not reflect light, making the areas corresponding to the red filter patch R and blue filter patch B appear black (K), thereby making the pixel appear green. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) is G + Black + Black = G.

[0009] If a display unit is to display blue, the corresponding pixel electrodes PE1~PE3 can be controlled in a similar manner. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) is B + Black + Black = B. However, according to this control method, only 1 / 3 of each pixel has color, while 2 / 3 displays black, so the overall brightness is too dim.

[0010] Referring to Figure 1C, the color mixing methods for displaying yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) respectively according to the color filter layer CF in Figure 1A are shown. If a display unit wants to display yellow, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R and the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light. Meanwhile, the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to prevent light reflection. This causes the area corresponding to the blue filter block B to display black (K), while the areas corresponding to the red filter block R and the green filter block G can display red and green respectively, resulting in a color additive effect of yellow. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are R + G + Black = Y.

[0011] Similarly, if a display unit wants to display magenta, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter patch R and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter patch B can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light. The pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter patch G can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to prevent light reflection. This makes the area corresponding to the green filter patch G appear black (K), while the areas corresponding to the red filter patch R and the blue filter patch B can display red and blue respectively, resulting in magenta. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are B + R + Black = M.

[0012] If a display unit is to display cyan, the corresponding pixel electrodes PE1~PE3 can be controlled in a similar manner. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are B + G + Black = C. However, according to this control method, only 2 / 3 of each pixel has color, while 1 / 3 displays black; this will result in brightness differences when displaying red, blue, and green, as well as yellow, magenta, and cyan.

[0013] Referring to Figure 1D, the color mixing methods for displaying white (W) and black (K) according to the color filter layer CF in Figure 1A are shown. If a display unit wants to display white, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G, and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can conduct a driving voltage under the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, so that the color of this pixel is the additive of the three primary colors of red, green, and blue to become white. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are R + G + B = W.

[0014] If a display unit wants to display black, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G, and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can conduct driving voltage through the thin film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B so as not to reflect light, so that the areas corresponding to these three color filter blocks RGB are all displayed as black (K).

[0015] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate an embodiment of another prior art color filter layer CF. As shown in Figure 2A, this color filter layer CF is, for example, a red / green / blue (RGB) three-primary-color filter layer, with each filter layer containing approximately rectangular color filter blocks of the three primary colors. However, as shown in Figure 2B, the area of ​​the color filter blocks only occupies 1 / 2 of the original area, while the remaining 1 / 2 area is a light-transmitting area without filtering effect.

[0016] Referring to Figure 2C, the color adjustment methods for displaying red, green, and blue colors according to the color filter layers CF of Figures 2A and 2B are shown. Referring also to Figure 8, if a display unit wants to display red, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter patch R can conduct a driving voltage through the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, making the area corresponding to the red filter patch R appear red (1 / 2 area appears red and the remaining 1 / 2 area is white). Correspondingly, the pixel electrodes PE2 and PE3 corresponding to the green filter patch G and blue filter patch B can conduct a driving voltage through the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to not reflect light, making the areas corresponding to the green filter patch G and blue filter patch B appear black (K), thereby making the pixel appear red. Under these conditions, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5R + 0.5W + Black + Black = 0.5R + 0.5W.

[0017] Similarly, if a display unit wants to display green, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter patch G can conduct a driving voltage under the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, so that the area corresponding to the green filter patch G appears green (1 / 2 area appears green and the remaining 1 / 2 area is white). Correspondingly, the pixel electrodes PE1 and PE3 corresponding to the red filter patch R and the blue filter patch B can conduct a driving voltage under the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to not reflect light, so that the areas corresponding to the red filter patch R and the blue filter patch B appear black (K), thereby making the pixel appear green. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) is 0.5G + 0.5W + Black + Black = 0.5G + 0.5W.

[0018] If a display unit is to display blue, the corresponding pixel electrodes PE1~PE3 can be controlled in a similar manner. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5B + ​​0.5W + Black + Black = 0.5B + ​​0.5W. Compared to the first conventional technology, although brightness is improved, color saturation is sacrificed, resulting in a whitening effect close to Morandi colors.

[0019] Referring to Figure 2D, the color mixing methods for displaying yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) according to the color filter layer CF of Figures 2A and 2B are shown. If a display unit wants to display yellow, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R and the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G can conduct driving voltage through the control of the driving circuit layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light. The pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can conduct driving voltage through the control of the thin film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to not reflect light, so that the area corresponding to the blue filter block B is displayed as black (K). The areas corresponding to the red filter block R and the green filter block G can be displayed as red (1 / 2 area is red light and the remaining 1 / 2 area is white light) and green (1 / 2 area is green light and the remaining 1 / 2 area is white light) respectively, and the color is additive to form yellow. Under these conditions, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5R + 0.5W + 0.5G + 0.5W + Black = 0.5Y + 1W.

[0020] Similarly, if a display unit wants to display magenta, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light. The pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G can be driven by the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B to not reflect light, making the area corresponding to the green filter block G appear black (K). The areas corresponding to the red filter block R and the blue filter block B can respectively display red (1 / 2 area displays red light and the remaining 1 / 2 area displays white light) and blue (1 / 2 area displays blue light and the remaining 1 / 2 area displays white light), resulting in magenta. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5R + 0.5W + 0.5B + ​​0.5W + Black = 0.5M + 1W.

[0021] If a display unit is to display cyan, the corresponding pixel electrodes PE1~PE3 can be controlled in a similar manner. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5B + ​​0.5W + 0.5G + 0.5W + Black = 0.5C + 1W. Similarly, although this color filter layer CF improves brightness, it sacrifices color saturation. Furthermore, the color saturation is even worse when displaying yellow, magenta, and cyan.

[0022] Referring to Figure 2E, the color mixing methods for displaying white (W) and black (K) according to the color filter layers CF in Figures 2A and 2B are shown respectively. If a display unit wants to display white, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G, and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can conduct a driving voltage under the control of the thin-film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, so that the color of this pixel is the addition of the three primary colors of red, green, and blue to become white. In this case, the color and brightness of this display unit (containing three pixels) are 0.5R + 0.5W + 0.5G + 0.5W + 0.5B + ​​0.5W = (0.5R + 0.5G + 0.5B) + 1.5W = 2W.

[0023] If a pixel is to display black, the pixel electrode PE1 corresponding to the red filter block R, the pixel electrode PE2 corresponding to the green filter block G, and the pixel electrode PE3 corresponding to the blue filter block B can conduct driving voltage through the thin film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B so as not to reflect light, so that the area corresponding to these three color filter blocks RGB is displayed as black (K).

[0024] However, there is still room for improvement in the color filter layer (CF) of conventional technology, and the microcup used in conventional technology to fill colloidal solutions (containing charged color particles) has the disadvantage of affecting yield and preventing the opening rate from being improved. Summary of the Invention

[0025] The purpose of this invention is to provide a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer. Through the specially designed color filter layer, this reflective color display can have better brightness and color saturation, and can improve the shortcomings of conventional microcup technology.

[0026] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a reflective color display with a micro-septum filter layer, comprising: A first substrate includes a first surface and a second surface. The second surface is disposed with a thin-film transistor layer and a pixel electrode layer. The thin-film transistor layer includes a plurality of thin-film transistors, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of storage capacitors. The plurality of gate lines are arranged along a first direction, and the plurality of data lines are arranged along a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are substantially perpendicular. The pixel electrode layer includes a plurality of pixel electrodes. A color filter layer comprising multiple color filter blocks, wherein for at least half of the color filter blocks, any two adjacent color filter blocks do not overlap in the projection direction, or the overlapping area of ​​adjacent color filter blocks in the projection direction is less than 30% of the area of ​​a single color filter block; wherein some of the color filter blocks have a one-to-one correspondence with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes, and some of the color filter blocks have a many-to-one or one-to-many correspondence with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes; and A display material layer is disposed in a direction away from the second surface of the first substrate, wherein the display material layer includes a microcompartment structure having a plurality of compartment walls, and a colloidal solution containing a plurality of suspended charged color particles is filled in a groove defined by each microcompartment structure. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0027] Figure 1A shows an embodiment of a conventional color filter layer.

[0028] Figure 1B shows the color mixing methods for displaying red, green, and blue colors respectively based on the color filter layer in Figure 1A.

[0029] Figure 1C shows the color mixing methods for displaying yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) based on the color filter layer in Figure 1A.

[0030] Figure 1D shows the color toning methods for displaying white (W) and black (K) respectively based on the color filter layer in Figure 1A.

[0031] Figures 2A and 2B show an embodiment of a color filter layer of another known technology.

[0032] Figure 2C shows the color mixing methods for red, green and blue colors based on the color filter layers in Figures 2A and 2B.

[0033] Figure 2D shows the color mixing methods for yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) based on the color filter layers in Figures 2A and 2B.

[0034] Figure 2E shows the color toning methods for displaying white (W) and black (K) based on the color filter layers in Figures 2A and 2B, respectively.

[0035] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of a color filter layer applicable to a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of a color filter layer applicable to a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 4A shows the color adjustment methods of red, green and blue colors displayed by the color filter layer CF of Figure 3A according to the present invention.

[0038] Figure 4B shows the color mixing method of displaying yellow (Y), magenta (M) and cyan (C) respectively in the color filter layer of Figure 3A according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4C shows the color adjustment method of displaying white (W) and black (K) respectively in the color filter layer of Figure 3A according to the present invention.

[0040] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5C is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 5D is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figures 7A and 7B illustrate the structure and fabrication process of the thin-film transistor layer and related components on the control substrate side of the present invention.

[0047] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of a conventional color electrophoretic display.

[0048] Figure 9A is a top view of the microcup compartments and associated color filter layers of a conventional electrophoretic display.

[0049] Figure 9B is a top view of a microcompartment according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 9C is another top view of a microcompartment according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 9D is a top view of a microcompartment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figures 10A to 10C are schematic diagrams illustrating the process of fabricating a microcompartment structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Figures 11A-11F are flowcharts illustrating the fabrication process of the partition walls for micro-compartments. Implementation

[0054] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "front end," "rear end," "end," "longitudinal," "lateral," "vertical," "top," and "bottom," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting conditions of this disclosure.

[0055] As used herein, terms such as "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and "fifth" describe various elements, components, regions, hierarchies, and / or parts, which should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element, component, region, hierarchy, or part from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the use of terms such as "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and "fifth" herein does not imply order or sequence.

[0056] Unless otherwise defined, terms such as "substantially" and "approximately" are used to describe and narrate small changes. When combined with an event or situation, the term may include the exact moment the event or situation occurred, or an approximate point in time. For example, when combined with a numerical value, the term may include a range of variation less than or equal to ±10% of the value, such as less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%.

[0057] Referring to Figure 3A, this is a schematic diagram of a color filter layer CF applicable to the reflective color display 100 with a micro-segmented filter layer of the present invention. This color filter layer CF includes multiple filter color blocks Y, Y1~Y4, C, C1~C4, M, M1~M4. According to one embodiment of the present invention, each filter color block is distributed on the same plane, and there is no overlap between adjacent filter color blocks in the projection direction. However, those skilled in the art will understand that during the fabrication of the filter color blocks, process factors may cause some adjacent filter color blocks to overlap. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the overlapping area of ​​adjacent filter color blocks in the projection direction is less than 30% of the area of ​​a single filter color block; according to another embodiment of the present invention, the overlapping area of ​​adjacent filter color blocks in the projection direction is less than 20% of the area of ​​a single filter color block. According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, for at least half of these filter color blocks, any two adjacent filter color blocks do not overlap in the projection direction. In other words, according to the present invention, the filter color blocks are also distributed on different planes or on the same plane. As long as the overlapping area of ​​adjacent filter color blocks (even if they are not on the same plane) in the projection direction is less than 30% or 20% of the area of ​​a single filter color block, or for at least half of these filter color blocks, any two adjacent filter color blocks do not overlap in the projection direction, it is within the scope of the present invention.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3A, at least six filter color blocks are combined to form a full-color pixel filter unit (as shown in the dashed box). For example, the seven filter color blocks Y, C, M and C1, (M1, M2), (Y1, Y2), and C2 are combined to form a full-color pixel filter unit, so that each of these full-color filter units extends and is arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions to form a complete color filter layer CF. When each of these full-color filter units extends and is arranged in the horizontal or vertical direction, there is a differential displacement between adjacent rows or columns in the vertical or horizontal direction. As shown in Figure 3A, the filter color block C and filter color block C2 in the upper left corner have a differential displacement unit with a half-pixel electrode, one of which corresponds to the position in the thick box in Figure 3A. That is, the filter blocks in the second column are staggered from the filter blocks in the first column by one and a half pixel electrodes; the filter blocks in the third column are staggered from the filter blocks in the second column by half a pixel electrode. However, according to the present invention, the filter blocks can be arranged or formed in different ways as needed. For example, if the positions of Y2 and C2 are swapped, that is, if the filter blocks C2+C3 are not connected, then the filter blocks in the second column are staggered from the filter blocks in the first column by one pixel electrode. In the following description, the color filter layer CF of FIG3A is used as a schematic diagram, and at least six filter blocks are combined to form a full-color pixel filter unit (as shown in the dashed box) as an example.

[0059] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of a color filter layer applicable to a reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer according to another embodiment of the present invention. According to another embodiment of the present invention, each filter color block does not necessarily have the same area as the corresponding pixel electrode PE, but can have a corresponding partial area, for example, it can have 70% of the area of ​​the corresponding pixel electrode PE, with the remaining 30% being the light-transmitting portion. It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, Figure 3B only illustrates the filter color block structure corresponding to the "full-color pixel filter unit" on the upper left of Figure 3A, but those skilled in the art should be able to modify the other filter color block structures in Figure 3A based on the method disclosed in Figure 3B. As shown in Figure 3B, when manufacturing the color filter layer of the present invention, the same filter color block can span the areas corresponding to different pixel electrodes PE, as shown in filter color blocks M1 and M2 in Figure 3B. Furthermore, adjacent filter color blocks belonging to the same color can also be different filter color blocks separated from each other, as shown in filter color blocks Y1 and Y2 in Figure 3B. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3A, the color filter layer in Figure 3B can have filter patches distributed on different planes. Viewed along the projection direction, if the overlapping area of ​​adjacent filter patches (even if they are not on the same plane) in the projection direction is less than 30% or 20% of the area of ​​a single filter patch, or if for at least half of these filter patches, any two adjacent filter patches do not overlap in the projection direction, this is within the scope of the present invention.

[0060] Referring to Figure 5A, this is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 with a micro-segmented filter layer according to the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and includes, from top to bottom, a common electrode layer 14, a display material layer 20 (e.g., an electrophoretic layer), a color filter layer CF, a pixel electrode layer PEL, a thin-film transistor layer, and a first substrate 10. The display material layer 20 (e.g., the electrophoretic layer) includes micro-segmented structures 50 with multiple partition walls 52. A colloidal solution 24 filled in a groove 54 defined by each micro-segmented structure 50 contains a plurality of suspended charged color particles 26 (e.g., charged black particles 26B and charged white particles 26W). The groove 54 defined by the micro-segmented structures 50 serves as a container for electronic ink (or electrophoretic material) (see later description). The color filter layer CF includes a plurality of filter color blocks C, M, Y. The pixel electrode layer PEL contains a plurality of pixel electrodes PE1, PE2, PE3…PE1a, PE2a, PE3a, PE4a…PE1b, PE2b, PE3b. The electrophoretic color display of Figure 5A does not require a substrate 12 as shown in Figure 5B, and the common electrode layer 14 can be bonded to the frame of the display material layer 20 for fixation.

[0061] As shown in Figures 3A and 5A, according to the present invention, some filter color blocks (e.g., filter color blocks C, M, Y) correspond one-to-one with pixel electrodes (e.g., pixel electrodes PE1, PE2, PE3); some of the aforementioned filter color blocks (e.g., filter color blocks C1, M1) correspond many-to-one with pixel electrodes (e.g., pixel electrode PE1b); and some of the aforementioned filter color blocks (e.g., filter color block C) correspond one-to-many with pixel electrodes (e.g., pixel electrodes PE1a and PE2a).

[0062] Referring to Figure 4A, it shows the color mixing method for displaying red, green, and blue colors respectively according to the color filter layer CF in Figure 3A. According to the present invention, at least six filter blocks are combined to form a full-color pixel filter block. If this full-color pixel filter block is to display red, the pixel electrodes corresponding to the yellow filter block Y and the magenta filter block M in Figure 3A attract white particles, while the pixel electrodes corresponding to the filter blocks (M2, Y1) in Figure 3A attract white particles, and the pixel electrodes corresponding to the remaining filter blocks attract black particles, thereby mixing red through the additive color effect of yellow and magenta. In this case, the total brightness is Y + M + 0.5Y + 0.5M = 1.5R + (1.5G + 1.5R + 1.5B) = 1.5R + 1.5W.

[0063] If this full-color pixel filter is to produce green, the pixel electrodes corresponding to the yellow filter Y and cyan filter C in Figure 3A attract white particles, while the pixel electrodes corresponding to the filter (Y2, C2) in Figure 3A attract white particles, and the pixel electrodes corresponding to the remaining filter attract black particles. This results in green being produced by the additive color mixing of yellow and cyan. In this case, the total brightness is Y + C + 0.5Y + 0.5C = 1.5Y + 1.5C = 1.5G + (1.5R + 1.5G + 1.5B) = 1.5G + 1.5W.

[0064] If this full-color pixel filter is to produce blue, then the pixel electrodes corresponding to the magenta filter M and cyan filter C in Figure 3A attract white particles, while the pixel electrodes corresponding to the filter (C1, M1) in Figure 3A attract white particles, and the pixel electrodes corresponding to the remaining filter attract black particles. Thus, the additive color mixing of magenta and cyan produces blue. In this case, the total brightness is C + M + 0.5C + 0.5M = 1.5C + 1.5M = 1.5B + ​​(1.5G + 1.5R + 1.5B) = 1.5B + ​​1.5W.

[0065] Referring to Figure 4B, it shows the color mixing methods for displaying yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) according to the color filter layer CF in Figure 3A. If this full-color pixel filter is to display yellow, the pixel electrode corresponding to the yellow filter Y in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (M2, Y1) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (Y2, C2) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, and the pixel electrode corresponding to the remaining filter attracts black particles. In this way, the additive color effect of magenta and cyan is mixed to form yellow, and the yellow brightness is further enhanced by combining it with yellow light that does not need to be mixed. In this case, the total brightness is Y + 0.5Y + 0.5M + 0.5Y + 0.5C = 1.5Y + (0.5Y + 0.5M + 0.5C) = 1.5Y + W.

[0066] If this full-color pixel filter is to produce a magenta color, then the pixel electrode corresponding to the magenta filter M in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (M2, Y1) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (Y1, M1) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, and the pixel electrode corresponding to the remaining filter attracts black particles. This creates a magenta color through the additive effect of yellow and cyan, and further enhances the magenta brightness by combining it with magenta light that does not require mixing. In this case, the total brightness is M + 0.5M + 0.5C + 0.5M + 0.5Y = 1.5M + (0.5M + 0.5C + 0.5Y) = 1.5M + W.

[0067] If this full-color pixel filter is to produce cyan, then the pixel electrode corresponding to the cyan filter C in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (Y1, M1) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, the pixel electrode corresponding to the filter (Y2, C2) in Figure 3A attracts white particles, and the pixel electrode corresponding to the remaining filter attracts black particles. This results in cyan being produced by the additive color mixing of magenta and yellow. In this case, the total brightness is C + 0.5C + 0.5M + 0.5C + 0.5Y = 1.5C + (0.5M + 0.5C + 0.5Y) = 1.5C + W.

[0068] Referring to Figure 4C, it shows the color mixing methods for displaying white (W) and black (B) according to the color filter layer CF in Figure 3A. If this full-color pixel filter is to appear white, then the pixel electrodes corresponding to all the filter blocks in this full-color pixel filter, namely yellow filter Y, cyan filter C, magenta filter M, filter blocks (C1, M1), filter blocks (M2, Y1), and filter blocks (Y2, C2), can conduct driving voltage through the control of the thin film transistor layer 30 to attract charged white particles 26W to reflect light, so that the pixel color is white by the addition of yellow, cyan, and magenta. In this situation, part of the brightness is Y+M+C=R+G+R+B+G+B = 2R+2G+2B = 2W, and the other part of the brightness is 0.5Y+0.5C+0.5M+0.5C+0.5M+0.5Y= 2R+2G+2B = 2W, for a total brightness of 4W.

[0069] If this full-color pixel filter color block is to appear black, then the pixel electrodes corresponding to all color blocks in this full-color pixel filter color block, namely yellow filter color block Y, cyan filter color block C, magenta filter color block M, filter color block (C1, M1), filter color block (M2, Y1), and filter color block (Y2, C2), can conduct driving voltage through the control of the thin film transistor layer 30 to attract charged black particles 26B so as not to reflect light, so that the area corresponding to all filter color blocks appears black (K) display.

[0070] Below is a comparison table of the color filter layer CF of the present invention and the prior art. Furthermore, because the present invention drives six pixel electrodes for a full-color pixel filter block, while the prior art drives three pixel electrodes, the results obtained by the present invention are obtained by multiplying the results of Figures 4A-4C above by 50% and comparing them with the prior art. As can be seen from the table below, the color filter layer CF of the present invention can balance brightness and color saturation. In addition, when the color display using the color filter layer CF of Figure 3A displays white in full screen, its display brightness is not less than 50% of the brightness of the full white screen. The aforementioned full white screen brightness refers to the reflected light intensity in the area without the filter layer, that is, the reflected light intensity for a single pixel electrode not blocked by the filter layer is W. The reflected light intensity for three pixels is 3W. According to the table below, the brightness of the color display according to the present invention when displaying white in full screen is 2W, therefore its display brightness is not less than 50% of the brightness of the full white screen.

[0071] This invention Learned Technology 1 Learned Technology II red 0.75R + 0.75W R 0.5R + 0.5W blue 0.75B + 0.75W G 0.5B+0.5W green 0.75G + 0.75W B 0.5G + 0.5W green 0.75C + 0.5W B+G 0.5C+W Magenta 0.75M+0.5W B+R 0.5M+W yellow 0.75Y + 0.5W R+G 0.5Y+W white 2W W 2W

[0072] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and is similar to the embodiment of Figure 5A. However, the reflective color display 100 of the embodiment of Figure 4B further includes a counter substrate 12. When manufacturing this reflective color display 100, a thin film transistor layer 30, a pixel electrode layer PEL, a color filter layer CF, and a display material layer 20 can be fabricated on the control substrate 10, and then combined with the counter substrate 12 on which a common electrode layer 14 is fabricated to fabricate a complete electrophoretic color display 100.

[0073] Figure 5C is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and is similar to the embodiment of Figure 5B. However, in the embodiment of Figure 5C, the color filter layer CF of the reflective color display 100 is moved from a position close to the control substrate 10 to a position close to the opposing substrate 12, that is, between the display material layer 20 and the common electrode layer 14. When manufacturing this reflective color display 100, a thin film transistor layer 30, a pixel electrode layer PEL, and a display material layer 20 can be fabricated on the control substrate 10, and then combined with the opposing substrate 12 on which the common electrode layer 14 and the color filter layer CF are fabricated to fabricate a complete electrophoretic color display 100.

[0074] Figure 5D is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and is similar to the embodiment in Figure 5C, but the color filter layer CF in this embodiment is moved to a position further away from the control substrate 10, that is, on the side of the opposite substrate away from the control substrate 10. The color filter layer CF is disposed on a filter substrate 19 and is located between the opposite substrate 12 and the filter substrate 19. When manufacturing this reflective color display 100, a thin film transistor layer 30, a pixel electrode layer PEL, and a display material layer 20 can be fabricated on the control substrate 10, and then combined with the opposite substrate 12 on which a common electrode layer 14 is fabricated, and then the filter substrate 19 on which the color filter layer CF is fabricated is bonded to fabricate a complete electrophoretic color display 100.

[0075] In the reflective color display 100 of Figures 5B to 5D, similarly, this electrophoretic layer display material layer 20 includes a micro-compartment structure 50 having a plurality of compartment walls 52, and a colloidal solution 24 containing a plurality of suspended charged color particles 26 in a groove 54 defined by each micro-compartment structure 50. The groove 54 defined by the micro-compartment structure 50 serves as a container for electronic ink (or electrophoretic material) (see below for details).

[0076] See Figures 9A-9D for a comparison of the microcup compartments of a conventional electrophoretic display and the microcompartment structure of the present invention.

[0077] First, referring to Figure 9A, which is a top view of the microcup compartments and related color filter layers of a conventional electrophoretic display, the thickness of the microcup compartment walls (see Figure 10A of this invention, where the wall thickness is denoted as T; the wall thickness of the microcup 22 in Figure 9A is also the thickness extending along the parallel direction of the drawing) must be greater than 10 μm to provide sufficient support. Furthermore, conventional electrophoretic displays often employ hexagonal compartment structures for the microcup 22 when viewed from above to increase structural strength. Charged color particles cannot reach the area within the microcup walls, which can be considered a key factor affecting the display aperture ratio. Conventional electrophoretic displays do not have charged color particles 26 at this location. When the microcup compartments shown in Figure 9A are bonded to the control substrate (e.g., the control substrate 10 shown in Figure 8), they will block the electrodes on the control substrate, causing the displayed color portion to be obscured. This will create background textures, affecting image quality, and the unevenness of the microcup wall obscuring position on the color filter layer will also cause color distortion.

[0078] Referring to Figure 9B, according to one embodiment of the present invention, micro-segments are fabricated on a substrate, allowing for precise alignment of the pixel electrodes (control electrodes) PE. The partition walls 52 of the micro-segment structure 50 are located in the non-display areas between pixels. In the projection direction of the viewing surface, the overlap area between the partition walls and the pixel electrodes should be as small as possible, ideally less than 50% of the pixel electrode area. In other words, according to the design of the present invention, the partition walls 52 of the micro-segment structure 50 can be fabricated into rectangular structures close to the pixels, and can better conform to the pixel boundaries without affecting the display. According to the present invention, for example, a photomask can be used to develop the pattern of the photoresist film to fabricate the micro-segments, wherein the photoresist film can be made of a material with high hardness (e.g., a transparent photoresist made of acrylic). Furthermore, according to other embodiments of the present invention, the partition walls 52 of the micro-segment structure 50 can also be made of polymer materials (such as planarization materials, resins, or acrylic materials). Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9B, the partition walls 52 of the micro-compartment structure 50 can be aligned with portions of the gate line GL or the data line DL. More specifically, the multiple partition walls 52 overlap with portions of the data line DL and / or portions of the gate line GL when viewed from a vertical projection direction (e.g., perpendicular to the viewing plane).

[0079] Because this invention uses a rigid polymer material (e.g., a transparent photoresist material) as the partition wall 52 of the micro-cell structure 50, its hardness can reach pencil hardness 3H or higher, far exceeding the resin material used in conventional microcup containers (hardness less than 1H). Therefore, this invention can support the weight and pressure of the upper and lower substrates with a thinner wall thickness, and the wall thickness T of the micro-cell (see Figure 10A for reference) can be less than 10 μm. Referring to Figure 9C, since the partition wall 52 of the micro-cell structure 50 of this invention can be accurately positioned in the non-display area of ​​the pixel (between pixels), it will not affect the display quality. Its high precision characteristic will bring good yield and reduce production costs. The greater advantage is that it eliminates the cost of conventional microcup electronic paper production, and the elimination of substrate bonding saves on optical adhesive costs and yield losses caused by bonding, allowing for the production of thinner electrophoretic displays. In addition, the micro-cell structure 50 can also be made by using a planarization layer (PLN) material and etching to peel off the area outside the wall surface to complete the micro-cell. The micro-segment structure 50 of this invention can be used to fabricate thinner electrophoretic displays, and can easily produce display material layers 20 with a thickness of less than 25 μm (the height H of the micro-segment wall (see Figure 10A for reference) can be less than 25 μm). When the electrophoretic display uses the micro-segment structure 50 of this invention, the thinner the electrophoretic layer, the closer the pixel electrode and the common electrode will be, the greater the electric field strength will be, the lower the driving voltage can be operated, and the faster the movement of charged color particles will be, and the shorter the distance they need to move. This greatly improves the screen update speed and solves the screen update problem that plagues electrophoretic displays, which is especially important for color electrophoretic displays.

[0080] Referring to Figure 9D, this is a top view of a microcompartment structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the compartment walls 52 of the microcompartment structure 50 (shown with oblique lines to better highlight their shape) may break and be damaged when bent, especially if the compartment walls 52 are made of a high-hardness material and the substrate for fabricating the microcompartments is a flexible substrate. To improve this problem, the compartment walls 52 of the microcompartment structure 50 can be made into a discontinuous shape, such as the cross-shaped compartment wall 52 in Figure 9D. The gaps 56 on the compartment walls 52 can serve as expansion and contraction space when the compartment walls 52 are compressed due to substrate bending. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the area of ​​the gaps 56 is no greater than 50% of the area of ​​the compartment walls 52, or the length D of the gaps 56 is no greater than 50% of the length of the compartment walls 52. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the length D of the gaps 56 can be greater than 0.5 μm to provide expansion and contraction space when the compartment walls 52 are compressed. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the slot formed by the cross-shaped partition wall 52 can accommodate a pixel, for example, a pixel composed of different colored filter blocks (Y, C, M). Furthermore, although the partition wall 52 shown in FIG. 9D is cross-shaped from a top view to provide a slot when there are gaps between adjacent partition walls 52, the partition wall 52 of the present invention can also be other shapes from a top view, such as T-shaped or U-shaped, as long as there are gaps 56 between at least some of the adjacent partition walls 52. Furthermore, although the gaps 56 on the partition wall 52 are uniformly distributed in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9D, it should be understood that in actual manufacturing, the gaps 56 may have different lengths due to process errors. In addition, the gaps 56 do not necessarily need to penetrate the partition wall 52 in the thickness direction, as long as they provide space for expansion and contraction when the partition wall 52 is compressed.

[0081] Figures 10A to 10C are schematic flowcharts of fabricating a microcompartment structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. These figures can be used to fabricate, for example, a reflective color display 100 with a microcompartment filter layer as shown in Figure 5B.

[0082] These schematic diagrams show cross-sectional views along the structure in Figure 9C at different stages of the process. In this embodiment, the micro-compartment structure 50 is fabricated on the color filter layer CF (i.e., on the control substrate 10 side). Referring to Figure 10A, a thin-film transistor layer 30, a pixel electrode layer PEL, and a color filter layer CF are first fabricated on the control substrate 10. Subsequently, the compartment walls 52 of the micro-compartment structure 50 are fabricated using a transparent photoresist and exposure and development process. Since the developable depth is causally related to the intensity and number of irradiations during the development process, in practice, due to production cost and yield considerations, the thickness of the developable photoresist is usually less than 5 μm. When the thickness of the electrophoretic layer is too thin, the number of color particles that can be placed will be limited, which will affect the number of layers of color particles stacked. If the number of layers of color particles is insufficient, it will affect the reflectivity, resulting in insufficient reflected light and a decrease in visible brightness. Therefore, the thickness of the electrophoretic layer is usually not less than 5 μm (the height H of the micro-compartment wall is not less than 5 μm). According to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the microcompartment structure 50 (i.e., the height H of the compartment wall) is greater than 5 micrometers and less than 25 micrometers, and the thickness T of the compartment wall is less than or equal to 10 micrometers. Furthermore, referring to FIG11F, the average cross-sectional width of the compartment wall 52 of the microcompartment structure 50 is not greater than 10 micrometers.

[0083] Referring to Figure 10B, after the partition wall 52 is fabricated, a colloidal solution is filled into the chamber 54 defined by the partition wall 52. This colloidal solution contains charged black particles 26B and / or charged white particles 26W. Then, referring to Figure 10C, a process of attaching a relative substrate is performed. This involves providing a relative substrate 12 with a conductive thin film (e.g., a common electrode layer 14) or a relative substrate 12 without a common electrode layer 14 (when the viewing surface is not on the relative substrate 12 side). Optical adhesive is used between the relative substrate 12 and the partition wall 52, or frame adhesive is applied to the four edges of the display area before bonding. After completion, the two substrates are heated and pressurized in a gas pressurization chamber to extrude the colloidal solution and fill the gaps within the micro-partition structure 50. Finally, the optical adhesive or frame adhesive is cured to complete the fabrication of the electrophoretic display 100. As shown in Figure 10C, the overlap area between the partition wall 52 and any pixel electrode PE is less than 50% of the area of ​​that pixel electrode (the electrode in the pixel electrode layer PEL).

[0084] Referring to Figures 11A to 11F, the process of fabricating a partition wall 52 on a substrate side (e.g., the control substrate 10 side or the side opposite substrate 12) according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. According to the present invention, the partition wall 52 can be fabricated directly on one surface of the substrate using a transparent photoresist and an exposure and development process. Alternatively, other structures may exist on the surface of the substrate, such as a transparent pixel electrode layer (PEL), an insulating layer, a protective layer, a thin-film transistor layer (30), a color filter layer (CF), or a common electrode layer (14), and the partition wall 52 can be fabricated directly on these structures using a transparent photoresist and an exposure and development process. Furthermore, a planarization layer (PLN) can be added to other structures on the substrate (e.g., the transparent pixel electrode layer (PEL), the thin-film transistor layer (30), and the color filter layer (CF), and then the partition wall 52 can be fabricated using a transparent photoresist and an exposure and development process. Therefore, although Figures 11A to 11F schematically show the initial structure as substrate 10 / 12, it does not limit whether other structures are present on it. As shown in Figure 11A, a cleaning process is first performed on a substrate 10 / 12. This substrate can be a control substrate 10 or a relative substrate 12, and there may be other structures on its cleaning surface. Then, referring to Figure 11B, a first layer of photoresist PR1, such as a transparent photoresist material, is coated on the substrate 10 / 12. Next, referring to Figure 11C, a photomask PM is used for exposure at the location where the partition wall 52 is to be formed, to define the first residual photoresist PRA (i.e., the first polymer material stack). According to one embodiment of the invention, the first layer of photoresist PR1 is a negative photoresist material, meaning that the illuminated portion will remain after development; however, according to another feasible embodiment of the invention, the first layer of photoresist PR1 is also a positive photoresist material, and the photomask PM needs to be redesigned accordingly. Then, referring to Figure 11D, a second layer of photoresist PR2, also such as a transparent photoresist material, is coated on the substrate 10 / 12. Referring then to Figure 11E, a photomask PM is used for exposure, i.e., repeated exposure, to expose the location where the partition wall 52 is to be formed, to define the second residual photoresist PRB (i.e., the second polymer material stack). The range of the second residual photoresist layer can be smaller than the range of the previous residual photoresist layer, forming an upwardly decreasing shape. Finally, referring to Figure 11F, the obtained structure is developed to leave the first residual photoresist PRA and the second residual photoresist PRB. The superimposed structure (the first polymer material stack stacked on top of the second polymer material stack) is the partition wall 52 of the present invention. According to the above method, through repeated photoresist coating and exposure, and the final development, the developer removes the unwanted parts (hollowed-out areas), leaving a sufficiently high micro-partition wall. The photoresist coating and exposure can be repeated more than once and then developed, or more than twice. The area of ​​each exposure can decrease to thin the partition wall, and the diameter of each partition wall layer can be reduced to less than 5 μm (W1-W2).Referring to Figure 10B, after fabricating the partition wall 52, a colloidal solution is filled into the chamber 54 defined by the partition wall 52 under vacuum conditions. This avoids air residue within the micro-partition structure, which could cause filling failure. The filling method involves first masking the non-display area with a mask plate (not shown) and then spraying the heated colloidal solution onto the display area using a spraying device. To improve the yield of subsequent colloidal solution filling, due to alignment errors in each layer exposure, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the wall thickness is designed to decrease with each growing layer to avoid unevenness in the wall surface, which would reduce the contact area when filling the colloidal solution and create more unfilled gaps, resulting in defective products. In practice, the linewidth of the first coated photoresist layer (i.e., the first polymer material layer) is the largest and then decreases with each subsequent layer. For example, the width (cross-sectional width) of each polymer material layer used to fabricate the partition wall decreases to less than 5 micrometers, resulting in a micro-partition wall shape that is thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top. As shown in Figure 11F, the width difference (reduction) between the width W2 of the second polymer material stack and the width W1 of the first polymer material stack is less than 5 micrometers.

[0085] In this embodiment, the partition wall 52 process shown in Figures 11A to 11F can be performed after fabricating the transparent pixel electrode layer PEL, or the partition wall 52 process shown in Figures 11A to 11F can be performed after fabricating a planarization layer PLN on the transparent pixel electrode layer PEL. The material of the planarization layer PLN can be an organic insulating material, an inorganic insulating material, or a combination thereof. According to one possible embodiment, the organic insulating material can be polyimide (PI), polyamic acid (PAA), polyamide (PA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl cinnamate (PVCi), poly(methyl methacrylate) or other suitable photoresist materials or combinations thereof. Furthermore, the inorganic insulating material can be silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, siloxane, or combinations thereof.

[0086] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and is an electrophoretic color display capable of double-sided display (one side is black and white and the other side is color). This reflective color display 100 includes, from top to bottom, a counter substrate (second substrate) 12, a counter thin-film transistor layer (second thin-film transistor layer) 30B, a counter pixel electrode layer (second pixel electrode layer) PELU, a display material layer 20 (e.g., an electrophoretic layer), a color filter layer CF, a pixel electrode layer (first pixel electrode layer) PELD, a thin-film transistor layer (first thin-film transistor layer) 30A, and a control substrate (first substrate) 10. As shown in the figure, the counter thin-film transistor layer (second thin-film transistor layer) 30B and the counter pixel electrode layer (second pixel electrode layer) PELU are disposed on one surface of the counter substrate (second substrate) 12. The relative thin-film transistor layer (second thin-film transistor layer) 30B includes multiple thin-film transistors, multiple gate lines, and multiple data lines (details below). The relative pixel electrode layer (second pixel electrode layer) PELD includes multiple pixel electrodes UE1, UE2, UE3, UE1a, UE2a, UE3a, UE4a, UE1b, UE2b, and UE3b. A thin-film transistor layer (first thin-film transistor layer) 30A and a pixel electrode layer (first pixel electrode layer) PELD are disposed on one surface of the control substrate (first substrate) 10. The thin-film transistor layer (first thin-film transistor layer) 30A includes multiple thin-film transistors, multiple gate lines, and multiple data lines (details below). The pixel electrode layer (first pixel electrode layer) PELD includes multiple pixel electrodes DE1, DE2, DE3, DE1a, DE2a, DE3a, DE4a, DE1b, DE2b, and DE3b.

[0087] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of a reflective color display 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention. This reflective color display 100 is, for example, an electrophoretic color display, and specifically an electrophoretic color display capable of double-sided display (both sides are color). The structure of this reflective color display 100 is generally similar to the embodiment in Figure 7A, but an additional color filter layer (second color filter layer) CF2 is provided between the display material layer 20 and the relative pixel electrode layer (second pixel electrode layer) PELU to achieve a double-sided color display. In this case, the original color filter layer CF is replaced by the first color filter layer CF1.

[0088] In the reflective color display 100 of the above embodiments, referring to Figures 7A and 7B, the structure and process of the thin film transistor layer 30 and related components on the control substrate 10 side of the present invention are explained.

[0089] According to the present invention, when fabricating an electrophoretic display 100 (e.g., the electrophoretic display shown in FIG. 5B), for the control substrate 10 side portion, a metal thin film can be first fabricated on the upper surface of the control substrate 10 using a deposition process or a sputtering process, and a first metal layer M1 can be fabricated using a lithography process. This first metal layer M1 is used to form the gate metal Mg and the gate line GL. Subsequently, a transparent conductive material thin film is fabricated using a sputtering process, and a first transparent conductive layer ITO1 is fabricated using a lithography process. The two steps described above can also be interchanged, that is, the first transparent conductive layer ITO1 is formed first, and then the first metal layer M1 is formed. Subsequently, a capacitor insulating layer CI (e.g., SiNx, SiO2) for the storage capacitor Cs and an a-Si layer AS are deposited, and the semiconductor portion of the thin film transistor in the thin film transistor layer 30 is defined using a lithography process. Subsequently, a metal thin film is fabricated on the obtained structure using a deposition or sputtering process, and a second metal layer M2 is fabricated using a lithography process. This second metal layer M2 is used to form the source metal Ms, the drain metal Md, and the data line DL. Then, a transparent conductive material thin film is fabricated using a sputtering process, and a second transparent conductive layer ITO2 (which can serve as the second storage capacitor CE2) is fabricated using a lithography process. Alternatively, the two steps can be interchanged, i.e., the second transparent conductive layer ITO2 is formed first, followed by the second metal layer M2. A planarization layer PLN is then fabricated on the obtained structure using a coating and lithography process, and subsequently, a transparent conductive material thin film is fabricated using a sputtering process, and the pixel electrode PE (i.e., the third transparent conductive layer ITO3) of the pixel electrode layer PEL is fabricated using a lithography process. Subsequently, a display material layer 20 (containing a hollow cavity 22) can be bonded or fabricated on the pixel electrode layer PEL. This can be achieved by forming a resin film on a polymer substrate, using a roller to press indentations into the resin film to create a hollow microcup 22 structure, followed by curing. The hollow microcup 22 structure serves as a container for electronic ink. A colloidal solution 24 containing charged color particles 26 is then injected into the hollow microcup 22 structure, and finally sealed with adhesive to harden it into a sealed cavity, forming the display material layer 20 (i.e., an electrophoretic layer). For detailed fabrication procedures, please refer to Taiwan Patent Application No. 93100767. Next, the opposing substrate 12 is fabricated. A common electrode layer 14 can be formed on the opposing substrate 12, or it can be omitted. Finally, the side of the control substrate 10 with the display material layer 20 is bonded to the opposing substrate 12 with optical adhesive.

[0090] Referring to Figure 7B, the topmost pixel electrode PE is made of a transparent conductive material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or a similar transparent conductive material, and is electrically connected to the first transparent conductive layer ITO1 (first storage electrode CE1) of the storage capacitor Cs via via V1. Furthermore, the pixel electrode PE is also electrically connected to the drain metal Md via via V2. Although not fully shown in Figures 7A and 7B, in each embodiment of the present invention, the thin-film transistor layer 30 (including thin-film transistor layers 30A and 30B) includes multiple thin-film transistors, multiple gate lines GL, and multiple data lines DL. The multiple gate lines GL are arranged along a first direction, and the multiple data lines DL are arranged along a second direction, with the first and second directions being approximately perpendicular. The pixel electrode layer PEL includes multiple pixel electrodes PE.

[0091] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each of the plurality of filter blocks is a non-primary color light filter block, such as cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) filter blocks. According to one embodiment of the present invention, one of the filter blocks has a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of more than 150 nm in the permissible spectrum within the visible light range of 380 nm to 780 nm.

[0092] In summary, the foregoing disclosure is intended to enable those skilled in the art to clearly understand the technical content of this disclosure and implement it accordingly, rather than to limit the scope of patent protection of this disclosure. In addition, this disclosure may naturally have other embodiments not listed. Without departing from the spirit and essence of this disclosure, those skilled in the art should be able to devise various corresponding changes and modifications based on this disclosure, but all such changes and modifications should fall within the scope of protection of the patent application filed under this disclosure.

[0093] 100: Reflective color display 10: Control board (first board) 12: Relative substrate (second substrate) 13: Optical adhesive 14: Common electrode layer 16: Upper glass substrate 19: Filter substrate 20: Display material layer 22: Hollow chamber, hollow microcup, hollow capsule, hollow trough 24: Colloidal Solution 26: Charged colored particles 26B: Charged black particles 26W: Charged white particles 30: Thin film transistor layer 30A: Thin-film transistor layer (first thin-film transistor layer) 30B: Relative thin-film transistor layer (second thin-film transistor layer) PEL: Pixel Electrode Layer PE, PE1~PE3, PE1a~PE4a, PE1b~PE3b, UE1~UE3, UE1a~UE4a, UE1b~UE3b, DE1~DE3, DE1a~DE4a, DE1b~DE3b: pixel electrode PELU: Relative pixel electrode layer (second pixel electrode layer) PELD: Pixel Electrode Layer (First Pixel Electrode Layer) CF: Color Filter Layer R,G,B,Y,C,M,Y1,Y2,Y3,Y4,C1,C2,C3,C4,M1,M2,M3,M4: Filter color blocks CF1: First color filter layer CF2: Second color filter layer Vcom: Common Voltage Cp: ​​Electrophoretic capacitor Cs: Storage capacitor R: Resistance Mg: Gate metal Ms: Yuanji Metal Md: Drain Metal M1: First metal layer M2: Second metal layer CE1: First storage electrode CE2: Second storage electrode CI: Insulating layer V1, V2: Through holes ITO1: First transparent conductive layer ITO2: Second transparent conductive layer ITO3: Third transparent conductive layer PLN: Planarization layer AS: Semiconductor Division GL: Gate line DL: Data Line Ve: Common Voltage Line 50: Micro-compartment structure 52: Partition wall 54: Groove 56: Gap D: Length PR1: First layer of photoresist PR2: Second layer of photoresist PRA: First residual photoresist PRB: Second Residual Photoresist PM: Light Mask W1: Width of the first polymer material stack W2: Width of the second polymer material stack T: Partition wall thickness H: Height of the partition wall

Claims

1. A reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer, comprising: a first substrate including a first surface and a second surface, the second surface having a thin-film transistor layer and a pixel electrode layer disposed thereon, the thin-film transistor layer including a plurality of thin-film transistors, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of storage capacitors, the plurality of gate lines being arranged along a first direction, the plurality of data lines being arranged along a second direction, the first direction and the second direction being substantially perpendicular, the pixel electrode layer including a plurality of pixel electrodes; a color filter layer including a plurality of filter color blocks, wherein... For at least half of the filter color blocks, any two adjacent filter color blocks do not overlap in the projection direction, or the overlapping area of ​​adjacent filter color blocks in the projection direction is less than 30% of the area of ​​a single filter color block; wherein some of the filter color blocks correspond one-to-one with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes, and some of the filter color blocks correspond many-to-one or one-to-many with the aforementioned plurality of pixel electrodes; and a display material layer is disposed in a direction away from the second surface of the first substrate, wherein the display material layer includes a micro-segment structure having a plurality of partition walls, and a colloidal solution containing a plurality of suspended charged color particles in a groove defined by each micro-segment structure; wherein at least six filter color blocks are combined to form a full-color pixel filter unit; Each full-color pixel filter unit includes three filter blocks: a magenta filter block, a yellow filter block, and a cyan filter block, each corresponding to a pixel electrode in a one-to-one correspondence. It also includes three filter blocks: a magenta filter block, a yellow filter block, and a cyan filter block, each corresponding to a portion of the pixel electrode in a one-to-two correspondence. Alternatively, each full-color pixel filter unit includes three filter blocks: a magenta filter block, a yellow filter block, and a cyan filter block, each corresponding to a pixel electrode in a one-to-one correspondence. It also includes six filter blocks, each corresponding to a portion of the pixel electrode in a two-to-one correspondence, each occupying half the area of ​​the pixel electrode.

2. The reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein the color filter layer is disposed between the first substrate and the display material layer.

3. The reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 2, wherein the pixel electrode is made of a transparent conductive material.

4. A reflective color display having a micro-segmented filter layer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display material layer is filled with a colloidal solution containing charged color particles of at least one color.

5. A reflective color display with a microsegment filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein the height of the microsegment wall is less than 25 μm.

6. A reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein the overlap area between the segment wall and any of the pixel electrodes is less than 50% of the area of ​​the pixel electrode.

7. The reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 1 further includes a second substrate, the display material layer being sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, a second thin-film transistor layer and a second pixel electrode layer being disposed on the third surface of the second substrate, the second thin-film transistor layer including a plurality of thin-film transistors, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines, and the second pixel electrode layer including a plurality of pixel electrodes.

8. The reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer as described in claim 7, further comprising a second color filter layer containing a plurality of filter color blocks, wherein, Some filter color blocks correspond one-to-one with multiple pixel electrodes of the aforementioned second pixel electrode layer, while others correspond many-to-one or one-to-many with multiple pixel electrodes of the aforementioned second pixel electrode layer.

9. A reflective color display having a micro-segmented color filter layer as described in claim 7, wherein the color filter layer is disposed between the second substrate and the display material layer.

10. The reflective color display with a micro-slot filter layer as described in claim 9, further comprising a common electrode layer disposed between the second substrate and the display material layer.

11. A reflective color display with micro-segmented filter layers as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of filter blocks are non-primary color light filter blocks.

12. The reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer as described in claim 12, wherein the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of one of the filter color patches in the visible light range of 380 nm to 780 nm exceeds 150 nm.

13. The reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein when the color display displays white in its entirety, its display brightness is not less than 50% of the brightness of the full white screen.

14. The reflective color display with a micro-segmented filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein each of the full-color filter units is arranged to extend laterally and longitudinally to form a complete color filter layer.

15. A reflective color display with a color micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 1, wherein when each of the full-color filter units is arranged in a horizontal or vertical direction, there is a differential displacement between adjacent rows or columns in the vertical or horizontal direction.

16. The reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 15, wherein the differential displacement is greater than or equal to one differential unit.

17. A reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 16, wherein the differential unit is a pixel electrode.

18. A reflective color display with a micro-segment filter layer as described in claim 16, wherein the differential unit is half a pixel electrode.

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