Switchable optical function component, manufacturing method thereof and manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a switchable optical functional component, a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing apparatus. The manufacturing method of the switchable optical functional component includes: manufacturing a target optical structure by using an optical structure forming process, the manufacturing material of the target optical structure being an organic material and a nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle material being used to assist the alignment of a birefringent material, and the optical structure being configured to modulate light; generating grooves on the surface of the target optical structure by friction; performing a cell process operation on the target optical structure, a first substrate, and a birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to manufacture the target switchable optical functional component.

Description

[0001] This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application with an application number of 202110670713.9 and filed with the Chinese Patent Office on June 17, 2021. The entire content of this application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of this application relate to the field of autostereoscopic display, for example, to a switchable optical function component, a manufacturing method, and a manufacturing device therefor. Background Art

[0003] Common stereoscopic display technologies use 3D glasses to separately transmit different image information to the left and right eyes. Autostereoscopic display gets rid of the shackles of glasses in glasses-type 3D and improves the comfort of viewers. Therefore, autostereoscopic display is the future development direction and goal. In the related art, in the technology of realizing autostereoscopic display based on a switchable optical function component (liquid crystal lens panel), it is necessary to complete liquid crystal alignment by smearing, baking, and rubbing an alignment liquid on the surface of an optical structure (cylindrical lens). Due to the shape of the cylindrical lens, the alignment liquid accumulates in the valleys on the surface of the cylindrical lens, changing the surface topography of the cylindrical lens, greatly affecting the optical effect of the cylindrical lens, and reducing the comfort of viewers. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a switchable optical function component, a manufacturing method, and a manufacturing device therefor, so as to achieve the technical effects of saving the lens processing cost, eliminating the valley accumulation problem of the alignment liquid, thereby improving the optical effect of the cylindrical lens and improving the user experience of viewers.

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a manufacturing method of a switchable optical function component, including:

[0006] Manufacturing a target optical structure by using an optical structure forming process, where the manufacturing material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of a birefringent material, and the optical structure is configured to modulate light;

[0007] Generating grooves on the surface of the target optical structure by friction;

[0008] Performing a cell formation process operation on the target optical structure, a first substrate, and a birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to manufacture a target switchable optical function component.

[0009] In a second aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a liquid crystal lens manufacturing device, including:

[0010] The lens manufacturing module is configured to manufacture a target optical structure by using an optical structure forming process. The manufacturing material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material, and the nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material. The optical structure is configured to modulate light.

[0011] The lens friction module is configured to generate grooves on the surface of the target optical structure by friction.

[0012] The lens encapsulation module is configured to perform an encapsulation process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to manufacture a target switchable optical function component.

[0013] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a switchable optical function component, including:

[0014] A first substrate, a second substrate, and an optical structure, where the optical structure is between the first substrate and the second substrate, and there are grooves generated by friction on the surface of the optical structure.

[0015] A birefringent material is filled between the first substrate and the optical structure. Description of the Drawings

[0016] The drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating the exemplary embodiments and are not considered to be a limitation of the present application. Moreover, throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical structure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 3 is a process flowchart of manufacturing a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 4 is a flowchart of another method for manufacturing a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for manufacturing a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0023] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It can be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, rather than limiting the present application. Additionally, it should be noted that for the sake of description, only the parts related to the present application rather than all the structures are shown in the drawings.

[0024] Before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be mentioned that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowchart depicts multiple operations (or steps) as sequential processes, many of the operations can be implemented in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of multiple operations can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operations are completed, but it can also have additional steps not included in the drawings. The process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subprogram, and so on.

[0025] Figure 1 FIG. is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a switchable optical function component provided in an embodiment of the present application. This method is applicable to the case of manufacturing a switchable optical function component using a cylindrical lens optical structure. This method can be executed by a liquid crystal lens manufacturing device, which can be implemented by software and / or hardware and can be integrated into an electronic device. As Figure 1 shown, the liquid crystal lens manufacturing method in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0026] S110. Fabricate a target optical structure using an optical structure forming process. The material for fabricating the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material, and the nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material. The optical structure is configured to modulate light.

[0027] In the related art, during the process of manufacturing a liquid crystal lens, an alignment liquid is coated or printed on the cylindrical lens and then baked to obtain an alignment film on the surface of the cylindrical lens, which is used to complete the alignment of the liquid crystal together with the alignment film on the spacer substrate. Due to the effect of gravity, when the alignment liquid is coated on the curved lens surface, it will accumulate at the bottom of the lens depression, and some substances will still remain after baking, which will affect the optical effect of the cylindrical lens, thereby increasing the crosstalk of the stereoscopic display system and reducing the viewing comfort of the viewer.

[0028] Among them, a traditional optical structure forming process is used to fabricate the target optical structure, such as Figure 2As shown, the optical structure in this embodiment may be a cylindrical lens. The fabricated cylindrical lens structure includes a second substrate 210, which may be a lens substrate, and a lens electrode 220, which may be an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode or other transparent conductive material. The lens 230 is composed of an organic material and a nanoparticle material. The organic material may be a transparent resin material. The nanoparticle material may be zirconia or other substances that contribute to liquid crystal alignment. When zirconia is used as the material for fabricating the cylindrical lens, its proportion in the total material of the cylindrical lens is 3% - 20%. Figure 2 The morphology of the lens in [description] is a convex lens, but in fact, the morphology of the cylindrical lens in this solution may also be a concave lens or other types of lenses.

[0029] With the above technical solution, the nanoparticle material zirconia plays the role of the original alignment liquid, enabling the alignment of liquid crystals, eliminating part of the alignment liquid coating and baking process, reducing the usage amount of the alignment liquid material, optimizing the manufacturing process, and saving the manufacturing cost.

[0030] In an exemplary solution of this embodiment, it can be combined with one or more exemplary solutions in this embodiment. The optical structure forming process includes baking the target optical structure at a baking temperature of 160°C to 180°C for a baking time of 6 hours to 10 hours. For example, the baking temperature can be 160°C, 170°C, or 180°C; the baking time can be 6 hours, 7 hours, 8 hours, or 10 hours.

[0031] S120. Rub the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves.

[0032] Among them, as Figure 2 shown, the grooves 240 are directly generated by rubbing on the surface of the optical structure, replacing the grooves generated by rubbing the alignment film obtained after baking the alignment liquid in the related art. In the related art, the alignment of liquid crystals is completed by rubbing the alignment film and the grooves and alignment film substances obtained by rubbing. In this application, a nanoparticle material is added to the material for fabricating the target optical structure, that is, the target cylindrical lens, to replace the alignment film substance, and rubbing is directly performed on the cylindrical lens. In a stereoscopic display device, the cylindrical liquid crystal lens is connected to an image display device. When rubbing the surface of the cylindrical lens, the rubbing direction can be parallel to the transmission axis direction of the polarizer of the image display device.

[0033] In an exemplary solution of this embodiment, it can be combined with one or more exemplary solutions in this embodiment. The direction of generating grooves by rubbing the surface of the target optical structure is parallel to the surface of the optical structure, and the depth of the grooves is 3 nm to 25 nm. For example, the groove depths are 3 nm, 5 nm, 10 nm, 15 nm, 25 nm.

[0034] S130. Perform a cell process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to fabricate a target switchable optical functional component.

[0035] Among them, the manufacturing process flow of the switchable optical functional component is as Figure 3 shown. In this embodiment, the target switchable optical functional component can be a liquid crystal lens. In the process flow of forming the cylindrical lens, lens imprinting is performed through the second substrate, and the lens is exposed, cleaned, and baked. After baking, the surface of the cylindrical lens is rubbed to generate grooves. Alignment liquid treatment is performed on the first substrate and the electrode part on the first substrate, including coating, baking, and rubbing. Figure 3 The spacer substrate in [] is the first substrate, and the spacer electrode is the electrode on the first substrate. After applying frame adhesive to the first substrate and the cylindrical lens, a birefringent material is dropped between the cylindrical lens and the alignment film on the spacer electrode. The birefringent material can be a liquid crystal material, and then frame adhesive coating, vacuum lamination, and frame adhesive curing are performed. Finally, the cell process of the switchable optical functional component is completed.

[0036] In an exemplary solution of this embodiment, it can be combined with one or more exemplary solutions in this embodiment. In the manufacturing process flow of the liquid crystal lens, the rubbing process of the cylindrical lens can also be performed before the lens baking process.

[0037] Among them, during the manufacturing process of the cylindrical lens, the rubbing step on the lens surface and the baking step of the lens can be sequentially replaced.

[0038] The technical solution of this embodiment fabricates a target optical structure by adopting an optical structure forming process. The manufacturing material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material. The nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material, and the optical structure is configured to modulate light; rub the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves; perform a cell process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to fabricate a target switchable optical functional component, achieving the technical effects of saving the lens processing cost, eliminating the valley accumulation problem of the alignment liquid, thereby improving the optical effect of the cylindrical lens and enhancing the viewing experience of the viewer.

[0039] Figure 4It is a flowchart of another manufacturing method of a switchable optical function component provided by an embodiment of the present application. The embodiment of the present application refines the foregoing embodiment on the basis of the above embodiment, and the embodiment of the present application can be combined with multiple example solutions in one or more of the above embodiments. As Figure 4 shown, the manufacturing method of the switchable optical function component provided in the embodiment of the present application may include the following steps:

[0040] S410. Fabricate a target optical structure using an optical structure forming process. The fabrication material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material. The nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material, and the optical structure is configured to modulate light.

[0041] S420. Rub the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves.

[0042] S430. Set a support between the first substrate and the target optical structure to separate the first substrate from the target optical structure. For example, the support can be a support column or a sprayed spacer ball, which is used to separate the alignment film on the first substrate from the target optical structure.

[0043] Among them, in the related art at present, there is also a technical solution in which no alignment liquid is used on the cylindrical lens to complete the alignment, and the grooves are directly generated by rubbing the surface of the lens. However, this solution does not change the fabrication material of the cylindrical lens, and in order to meet the alignment requirements, the alignment film of the first substrate must be directly in contact with the upper surface of the cylindrical lens, which will cause the optical effect in the top region to change and increase the crosstalk in the top region.

[0044] In this solution, the structural diagram of the switchable optical function component is as Figure 5 shown. There are spacer columns 540 provided on the first substrate 510. The spacer columns 540 can be realized by a yellow light process or a printing process, or the spacer effect can be realized by spraying spacer balls. The height range of the spacer columns is 2μm - 13μm. The material of the spacer columns can be UV resin or other organic materials, and the color can be black or transparent. There are also spacer electrodes 520 and an alignment film 530 obtained after coating and baking with an alignment liquid between the first substrate 510 and the spacer columns 540. The material of the alignment film 530 can be polyimide. The function of the spacer columns 540 is to separate the first substrate 510 from the cylindrical lens, so that liquid crystal material 550 is accommodated in the middle.

[0045] By adopting the above technical solution, by using a cylindrical lens made of a nanoparticle material and separating the spacer substrate and the cylindrical lens through spacer columns or spacer balls, while optimizing the process flow, reducing the alignment film process, reducing the usage amount of the alignment film material, saving costs, the crosstalk problem at the top of the lens is also solved.

[0046] S440. Perform a cell formation process operation on the first substrate provided with the support, the target optical structure, and the birefringent material.

[0047] In an exemplary solution of this embodiment, it can be combined with one or more exemplary solutions in this embodiment. After manufacturing the target switchable optical function component, it may include steps A1 - A3:

[0048] Step A1. Heat the target switchable optical function component to a preset temperature.

[0049] Step A2. Maintain the temperature of the target switchable optical function component at the preset temperature for a preset duration.

[0050] Step A3. Cool down the target switchable optical function component at a preset cooling rate to complete the re - alignment of the birefringent material, where the birefringent material is a liquid crystal material.

[0051] Among them, since this solution does not use an alignment film on the cylindrical lens and only uses the nanoparticle material of the cylindrical lens to assist in liquid crystal alignment, the best liquid crystal alignment effect cannot be achieved. Therefore, it is necessary to further align the liquid crystal through the process of liquid crystal re - alignment. By heating the formed - cell target switchable optical function component to a preset temperature, maintaining it at this temperature for a preset duration, and then starting to cool down at a preset cooling rate, the re - alignment of the liquid crystal is completed.

[0052] In an exemplary solution of this embodiment, it can be combined with one or more exemplary solutions in this embodiment. The preset temperature is 4°C to 15°C higher than the clearing point of the liquid crystal material, the preset duration is 15 minutes to 35 minutes, and the preset cooling rate is 4°C per minute. Among them, the temperature range of the cooling is within ±15°C of the clearing point of the liquid crystal. For example, the clearing point of the liquid crystal material can be 4°C, 6°C, 8°C, 11°C, 15°C; the preset duration can be 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes.

[0053] The technical solution of this embodiment, by using an optical structure forming process to manufacture the target optical structure, the manufacturing material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle material is used to assist in the alignment of the birefringent material, and the optical structure is set to modulate light; generating grooves by rubbing the surface of the target optical structure; performing a cell formation process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to manufacture the target switchable optical function component, achieves the technical effects of saving the lens processing cost, eliminating the valley accumulation problem of the alignment liquid, and solving the crosstalk problem at the top of the lens, thereby improving the optical effect of the cylindrical lens and enhancing the viewing experience of the viewer.

[0054] Figure 6 It is a schematic structural diagram of a manufacturing device for a switchable optical function component provided in an embodiment of the present application. This device is applicable to the case of manufacturing a switchable optical function component using a cylindrical lens optical structure. This device can be implemented by software and / or hardware and is integrated in an electronic device. This device is configured to implement the manufacturing method of the switchable optical function component provided in the above embodiment. As Figure 6 shown, the manufacturing device for the switchable optical function component provided in this embodiment includes:

[0055] A lens manufacturing module 610, configured to manufacture a target optical structure using an optical structure forming process. The manufacturing material of the target optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material. The nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material. The optical structure is configured to modulate light;

[0056] A lens rubbing module 620, configured to rub the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves;

[0057] A lens encapsulation module 630, configured to perform an encapsulation process operation on the target optical structure, a first substrate, and a birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to manufacture a target switchable optical function component.

[0058] Based on the above embodiment, for example, the lens manufacturing module 610 is configured to:

[0059] The optical structure forming process includes baking the target optical structure. The baking temperature is 160°C to 180°C, and the baking time is 6 hours to 10 hours.

[0060] Based on the above embodiment, for example, the lens rubbing module 620 is configured to:

[0061] The direction of rubbing the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves is parallel to the surface of the optical structure. The depth of the grooves is 3 nm to 25 nm.

[0062] Based on the above embodiment, for example, the lens encapsulation module 630 is configured to:

[0063] A support is provided between the first substrate and the target optical structure, configured to separate the first substrate from the target optical structure;

[0064] An encapsulation process operation is performed on the first substrate, the target optical structure, and the birefringent material provided with the support. For example, the support can be a support column or a sprayed spacer ball, used to separate the alignment film on the first substrate from the target optical structure.

[0065] Based on the above embodiments, for example, the lens cassette module 630 includes a liquid crystal reorientation unit, which is configured to:

[0066] Heat the target switchable optical function component to a preset temperature;

[0067] Maintain the temperature of the target switchable optical function component at the preset temperature for a preset duration;

[0068] Cool down the target switchable optical function component at a preset cooling rate to complete the reorientation of the birefringent material, where the birefringent material is a liquid crystal material.

[0069] Based on the above embodiments, for example, the lens cassette module 630 includes a liquid crystal reorientation unit, and is further configured to:

[0070] The preset temperature is 4°C to 15°C higher than the clearing point of the liquid crystal material, the preset duration is 15 minutes to 35 minutes, and the preset cooling rate is less than 4°C per minute, where the temperature range of the cooling is within ±15°C of the liquid crystal clearing point.

[0071] An embodiment of the present invention also provides a switchable optical function component, including: a first substrate, a second substrate, and an optical structure. The optical structure is between the first substrate and the second substrate, and there are grooves generated by friction on the surface of the optical structure; a birefringent material is filled between the first substrate and the optical structure. For example, a spacer device can also be provided between the first substrate and the optical structure, and the spacer device is used to separate the alignment film on the first substrate from the optical structure.

[0072] The manufacturing apparatus for the switchable optical function component provided in the embodiments of the present application can execute the manufacturing method of the switchable optical function component provided in any embodiment of the present application, and has the corresponding functions and beneficial effects of executing the manufacturing method of the switchable optical function component. For the detailed process, refer to the relevant operations of the manufacturing method of the switchable optical function component in the foregoing embodiments.

[0073] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method of a switchable optical function component, characterized in that, Including: Fabricating a target optical structure using an optical structure forming process, the fabrication material of the target optical structure being an organic material and a nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle material being used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material, and the optical structure being configured to modulate light; Friction is applied to the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves; Performing a cell process operation on the target optical structure, a first substrate, and a birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to fabricate a target switchable optical function component.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fabricating the target optical structure using the optical structure forming process includes: baking the target optical structure at a baking temperature of 160°C to 180°C for a baking time of 6 hours to 10 hours.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The direction of the grooves is parallel to the direction of the surface of the optical structure.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The depth of the grooves is 3 nm to 25 nm.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The performing the cell process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate includes: Setting a support between the first substrate and the target optical structure, the support being configured to separate the first substrate from the target optical structure; Performing a cell process operation on the first substrate provided with the support, the target optical structure, and the birefringent material.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The optical structure is a cylindrical lens.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After the performing the cell process operation on the target optical structure, the first substrate, and the birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to fabricate a target switchable optical function component, it includes: Heating the target switchable optical function component to a preset temperature; Maintaining the temperature of the target switchable optical function component at the preset temperature for a preset duration; Cooling the target switchable optical function component at a preset cooling rate to complete the re-alignment of the birefringent material, where the birefringent material is a liquid crystal material.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The preset temperature is 4°C to 15°C higher than the clearing point of the liquid crystal material, the preset duration is 15 minutes to 35 minutes, and the preset cooling rate is less than 4°C per minute, where the temperature range of the cooling is within ±15°C of the liquid crystal clearing point.

9. An apparatus for manufacturing a switchable optical function component, characterized in that, Including: A lens fabrication module configured to fabricate a target optical structure using an optical structure forming process, the fabrication material of the target optical structure being an organic material and a nanoparticle material, the nanoparticle material being used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material, and the optical structure being configured to modulate light; A lens friction module configured to apply friction to the surface of the target optical structure to generate grooves; A lens cell module configured to perform a cell process operation on the target optical structure, a first substrate, and a birefringent material filled between the target optical structure and the first substrate to fabricate a target switchable optical function component.

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The lens cell module includes: The liquid crystal reorientation unit is configured to heat the target switchable optical functional component to a preset temperature, maintain the temperature of the target switchable optical functional component at the preset temperature within a preset duration, and cool down the target switchable optical functional component at a preset cooling rate to complete the reorientation of the birefringent material, where the birefringent material is a liquid crystal material.

11. A switchable optical function component, characterized in that, It includes: A first substrate, a second substrate, and an optical structure. The optical structure is between the first substrate and the second substrate, and there are grooves generated by friction on the surface of the optical structure; A birefringent material is filled between the first substrate and the optical structure; The manufacturing material of the optical structure is an organic material and a nanoparticle material, and the nanoparticle material is used to assist the alignment of the birefringent material.

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