Anti-reflective coatings, display components, touch displays and smart devices

Abstract

This invention discloses an anti-reflective film, component, display, and device. The anti-reflective film includes an AR layer, a substrate layer, an HC layer, and a substrate arranged sequentially. The AR layer includes a first high-refractive-index layer, a first low-refractive-index layer, a second high-refractive-index layer, and a second low-refractive-index layer stacked sequentially from near to far along the substrate layer direction. Both the first and second high-refractive-index layers are zinc-tin oxide layers. The sputtering efficiency of both the first and second high-refractive-index layers is ≥2 nm / min. This invention, by optimizing the AR layer, doubles the sputtering efficiency while maintaining stable optical performance, significantly reducing production costs and effectively enhancing the effective bandwidth. It can be widely used in optical equipment, displays, photovoltaic cells, and other fields.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of optical film technology, specifically relating to an anti-reflective film, component, display, and device. Background Technology

[0002] Anti-reflective coatings (AR films) are widely used in optical equipment, displays, photovoltaic cells, laser technology, optical communications, and many other fields. Their core function is to reduce or eliminate reflected light and increase light transmittance, thereby improving device performance and energy conversion efficiency. In optical equipment, they reduce stray light, improving image clarity and contrast; in displays, they reduce glare in bright light environments, improving visibility; in photovoltaic cells, they reduce light loss and increase power output; and in laser equipment and optical communications, they optimize laser transmission efficiency and reduce fiber optic connection loss, respectively.

[0003] In existing technologies, the typical structure of dry antireflective coatings is "niobium oxide + silicon dioxide + niobium oxide + silicon dioxide", where niobium oxide is a high-refractive-index material (refractive index 2.3-2.4 at 550 nm wavelength) and silicon dioxide is a low-refractive-index material (refractive index 1.4-1.5 at 550 nm wavelength). However, this technology has significant drawbacks: the sputtering efficiency of niobium oxide is low, resulting in a long production process and a substantial increase in production costs, making it difficult to meet the efficiency and cost control requirements of large-scale industrial production.

[0004] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, it is necessary to provide an anti-reflective film, a component, a display, and a device.

[0005] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of this utility model and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an anti-reflective film, a component, a display, and a device.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution provided by a specific embodiment of this utility model is as follows:

[0008] The anti-reflective coating comprises an AR layer, a substrate layer, an HC layer, and a substrate arranged sequentially. The AR layer consists of a first high-refractive-index layer, a first low-refractive-index layer, a second high-refractive-index layer, and a second low-refractive-index layer, stacked sequentially from near to far along the substrate layer direction. Both the first and second high-refractive-index layers are zinc tin oxide (TZO) layers. The effective bandwidth of the AR layer is 415-710nm, and the sputtering efficiency of both the first and second high-refractive-index layers is ≥2nm / min. This solution utilizes the alternating superposition of high and low refractive indices provided by the first high-refractive-index layer, the first low-refractive-index layer, the second high-refractive-index layer, and the second low-refractive-index layer to cancel reflected light using the interference effect, achieving full-band (415-710nm) anti-reflective function. Compared to fewer layers (such as 2 or 3 layers), the four-layer structure can broaden the effective bandwidth, covering the key range of the core visible light band (400-760nm), adapting to the actual usage requirements of displays and optical equipment. Furthermore, by optimizing both the first and second high-refractive-index layers to be zinc tin oxide (TZO) layers, the refractive index is made consistent with that of traditional niobium oxide (2.3-2.4, 550nm), ensuring that the core optical properties of the antireflective film, such as transmittance and anti-glare, are not compromised. On the other hand, the sputtering efficiency reaches 2nm / min, twice that of niobium oxide, significantly shortening the production cycle (e.g., preparing a 110nm thick second high-refractive-index layer requires only 55 minutes with TZO, compared to 110 minutes with niobium oxide). Finally, the TZO layer is non-conductive, avoiding the touch shielding effect of AZO / ITO materials, making it suitable for touch displays and other applications. In this scheme, the effective bandwidth of the AR layer is 415-710nm, where effective bandwidth refers to the wavelength range with reflectivity ≤1%. By using a TZO layer as the high-refractive-index layer, this scheme further optimizes the reflectivity curve of the antireflective film, especially exhibiting a stronger antireflection effect in the short-wavelength band of visible light, further enhancing the effective bandwidth range compared to traditional niobium pentoxide layers.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of this invention, the thickness of each layer in the AR layer satisfies the following: the thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 12-18 nm; and / or

[0010] The thickness of the first low-fold layer is 25-35 nm; and / or

[0011] The thickness of the second high-refractive layer is 105-115 nm; and / or

[0012] The thickness of the second low-refractive layer is 80-90nm. The thickness range selected in this scheme is based on precise optimization of the optical interference principle, which can ensure that the effective bandwidth is stable at 415-710nm, while controlling the reflectivity in the 400-700nm band at 0.43-0.74% (close to the 0.52% of the traditional niobium oxide scheme). The upper limit of the thickness avoids stress cracking and decreased light transmittance caused by excessive film thickness, while the lower limit avoids uncontrolled reflectivity caused by excessive film thinness.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the layer thickness of each layer in the AR layer satisfies the following: the thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 12-18 nm, and its refractive index is 500 nm, 2.3-2.4; and / or

[0014] The thickness of the first low-refractive layer is 25-35 nm, and its refractive index is 1.4-1.5 at 500 nm; and / or

[0015] The thickness of the second high-refractive-index layer is 105-115 nm, and its refractive index is 2.3-2.4 at 500 nm; and / or

[0016] The thickness of the second low-refractive layer is 80-90 nm, and its refractive index is 1.4-1.5 for 500 nm.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the thickness of the first high-fold layer is 15nm, the thickness of the first low-fold layer is 30nm, the thickness of the second high-fold layer is 110nm, and the thickness of the second low-fold layer is 86nm.

[0018] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the thickness of the first high-fold layer is 12nm, the thickness of the first low-fold layer is 27nm, the thickness of the second high-fold layer is 107nm, and the thickness of the second low-fold layer is 82nm.

[0019] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the thickness of the first high-fold layer is 18 nm, the thickness of the first low-fold layer is 33 nm, the thickness of the second high-fold layer is 113 nm, and the thickness of the second low-fold layer is 88 nm.

[0020] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the first low-fold layer and / or the second low-fold layer are silicon dioxide layer, magnesium fluoride layer, and aluminum oxide layer.

[0021] In one or more embodiments of this invention, both the first low-refractive-index layer and the second low-refractive-index layer are silicon dioxide layers. This solution optimizes the low-refractive-index layer material in two ways: firstly, it stabilizes the refractive index at 1.4-1.5, creating an optimal refractive index difference with TZO to maximize the reflection cancellation effect; secondly, silicon dioxide material possesses advantages such as low refractive index, high light transmittance, strong chemical stability, and low cost, making it more suitable for large-scale industrial production compared to magnesium fluoride (poor water vapor stability) and alumina (slightly higher refractive index).

[0022] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a display component includes a display body and the aforementioned antireflective film disposed on the display body.

[0023] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a touch display includes a display host having a housing and the aforementioned display disposed to the housing and communicatively connected to the display host.

[0024] In one or more embodiments of this utility model, the smart device includes the aforementioned touch display.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the antireflective film, component, display, and device of this utility model have the following beneficial effects:

[0026] 1. Significantly improved sputtering efficiency: Using zinc tin oxide (TZO) as a high-refractive-index material, its sputtering efficiency is twice that of traditional niobium oxide (Nb2O5). Under the same production conditions, it can significantly increase the film output per unit time and improve production efficiency.

[0027] 2. Reduced production costs: Improved sputtering efficiency reduces production time and energy consumption, while the application of zinc tin oxide does not increase raw material costs, thus significantly reducing the overall production cost of the antireflective coating;

[0028] 3. Stable optical performance: Zinc tin oxide and niobium oxide have the same refractive index, and the film structure still adopts the classic alternating design of "high refractive index-low refractive index-high refractive index-low refractive index", ensuring that the anti-reflective film is comparable to the existing technology in core performance such as light transmittance, anti-glare and stray light suppression, and can be adapted to various existing application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0029] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the antireflective film in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 2 The reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Comparative Example 1 of this utility model is shown.

[0032] Figure 3 The reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Comparative Example 2 of this utility model is shown.

[0033] Figure 4 The reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Comparative Example 3 of this utility model is shown.

[0034] Figure 5 This is a reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Embodiment 2 of this utility model;

[0036] Figure 7 This is a reflectance diagram of the antireflection film in Embodiment 3 of this utility model.

[0037] Explanation of key figure labels:

[0038] 1. Substrate; 2. HC layer; 3. Underlayer; 4-1. First high-fold layer; 4-2. First low-fold layer; 4-3. Second high-fold layer; 4-4. Second low-fold layer. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this disclosure, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should fall within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the antireflective film in one embodiment of this utility model addresses the shortcomings of existing antireflective films using niobium oxide as a high-refractive-index material, which suffers from low sputtering efficiency and high production costs. This invention provides an antireflective film and its associated solutions to improve sputtering efficiency, reduce production costs, and effectively improve the effective bandwidth of the AR layer. TZO and niobium oxide have similar refractive indices (both 2.3-2.4 at 550nm wavelength), ensuring that the core optical performance of the antireflective film remains unaffected. Simultaneously, zinc tin oxide has twice the sputtering efficiency of indium oxide (significantly higher sputtering thickness under the same process power of 1kW and a travel speed of 1m / min), fundamentally solving the problem of low sputtering efficiency in traditional solutions.

[0041] Explanation of refractive index:

[0042] Low-refractive-index material: SiO2 has a refractive index (550nm) of 1.4-1.5, hence it is defined as a low-refractive-index material.

[0043] High-refractive-index materials: Nb2O5 has a refractive index of 2.3-2.4 (550nm), TZ0 has a refractive index of 2.3-2.4 (550nm), AZO has a refractive index of 2.0-2.1 (550nm), and ITO has a refractive index of 1.9-2.0 (550nm), hence they are defined as high-refractive-index materials.

[0044] In the following examples and comparative examples, the following materials were used: a 125μm thick PET substrate layer; a Shin-Etsu KR-9706 hardening layer with a thickness of 1.2μm; and a 10nm thick SiO2 underlayer.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] In this embodiment, the antireflective coating (AR layer) has a structure that includes, from bottom to top, the following components along the substrate layer:

[0047] First high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 12nm thick, 2.3 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0048] First low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 27nm thick, 1.4 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0049] Second high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 107 nm thick, 2.3 refractive index at 550 nm wavelength;

[0050] Second low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 82nm thick, 1.4 refractive index at 550nm wavelength.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] In this embodiment, the antireflective coating (AR layer) has a structure that includes, from bottom to top, the following components along the substrate layer:

[0053] First high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 15nm thick, 2.35 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0054] First low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 30nm thick, 1.45 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0055] Second high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 110nm thick, 2.35 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0056] Second low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 86 nm thick, 1.45 refractive index at 550 nm wavelength.

[0057] Example 3

[0058] In this embodiment, the antireflective coating (AR layer) has a structure that includes, from bottom to top, the following components along the substrate layer:

[0059] First high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 18nm thick, 2.4 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0060] First low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 33nm thick, 1.5 refractive index at 550nm wavelength;

[0061] Second high-refractive-index layer (TZO layer): 113 nm thick, 2.4 refractive index at 550 nm wavelength;

[0062] Second low-refractive-index layer (SiO2 layer): 88nm thick, 1.5 refractive index at 550nm wavelength.

[0063] Comparative Example 1

[0064] The only difference between the antireflective film in this comparative example and that in Example 2 is:

[0065] The AR layer structure consists of the following components from bottom to top along the substrate layer:

[0066] First high-refractive-index layer (Nb2O5 layer): 15nm thick;

[0067] First low-refractive layer (SiO2 layer): 30nm thick;

[0068] Second high-refractive-index layer (Nb2O5 layer): 110 nm thick;

[0069] Second low-fold layer (SiO2 layer): 86nm thick.

[0070] Comparative Example 2

[0071] The only difference between the antireflective film in this comparative example and that in Example 2 is:

[0072] The AR layer structure consists of the following components from bottom to top along the substrate layer:

[0073] First high-refractive-index layer (zinc-aluminum oxide layer / AZO): 15nm thickness;

[0074] First low-refractive layer (SiO2 layer): 30nm thick;

[0075] Second high-refractive-index layer (zinc-aluminum oxide layer / AZO): 110nm thick;

[0076] Second low-fold layer (SiO2 layer): 86nm thick.

[0077] Comparative Example 3

[0078] The only difference between the antireflective film in this comparative example and that in Example 2 is:

[0079] The AR layer structure consists of the following components from bottom to top along the substrate layer:

[0080] First high-refractive-index layer (Indium Tin Oxide / ITO): 15nm thickness;

[0081] First low-fold layer (SiO2 layer): 30nm thick;

[0082] Second high-refractive-index layer (Indium Tin Oxide / ITO): 110nm thick;

[0083] Second low-fold layer (SiO2 layer): 86nm thick.

[0084]

[0085] A performance comparison was conducted between the above embodiments and comparative examples:

[0086] The test conditions were: process power 1 kW, running speed 1 m / min, and reflectivity was measured using an Olympus reflectometer.

[0087] The results are as follows Figure 2-7 As shown:

[0088] Example 2 (optimal parameters) has a reflectance of 0.43% in the 400-700nm range, lower than 0.52% in Comparative Example 1 (niobium oxide scheme). Its 550nm (visible light center band) reflectance is 0.15% < 0.21% in Comparative Example 1, and its Y-visual reflectance is 0.16% < 0.21% in Comparative Example 1, indicating weaker glare perceived by the human eye and better visibility of the display in strong light environments. While the reflectances of Examples 1 and 3 (0.50% and 0.74%) are slightly higher than Example 2, they are both within a reasonable range and close to Comparative Example 1, verifying the technical advantage of "stable optical performance after TZO replaces niobium oxide." Comparative Example 2 (AZO) and Comparative Example 3 (ITO) have higher reflectances (0.65% and 0.85%) and poorer Y-visual reflectances (0.20% and 0.36%), indicating that their optical performance is inferior to the TZO scheme. The reflectances of all examples are basically consistent with Comparative Example 1, and their optical performance meets the usage requirements.

[0089] The sputtering efficiency (sputtering thickness per unit time) of the embodiment is twice that of Comparative Example 1, which significantly improves production efficiency and reduces equipment energy consumption (energy consumption is reduced by 50% under the same output). There is no increase in raw material cost (the market prices of TZO and niobium oxide are close), which ultimately reduces the unit production cost of the antireflective film by 30%-40%, meeting the needs of large-scale industrialization.

[0090] Furthermore, Comparative Example 2 (AZO as a high-refractive-index material) and Comparative Example 3 (ITO as a high-refractive-index material) exhibit a shielding effect due to the conductivity of the materials, making them unsuitable for touch-screen applications. In contrast, the zinc tin oxide (TZO) used in this invention does not have this problem and has wider applicability.

[0091] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this disclosure is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that this disclosure can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of this disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within this disclosure. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0092] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. An antireflective coating, comprising an AR layer, a substrate layer, an HC layer, and a substrate arranged sequentially, characterized in that, The AR layer comprises a first high-refractive-index layer, a first low-refractive-index layer, a second high-refractive-index layer, and a second low-refractive-index layer stacked sequentially from near to far along the substrate layer direction; the first high-refractive-index layer and the second high-refractive-index layer are both zinc tin oxide layers; wherein the sputtering efficiency of the first high-refractive-index layer and the second high-refractive-index layer is ≥2nm / min.

2. The antireflective film according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of each layer in the AR layer satisfies the following: the thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 12-18 nm; and / or The thickness of the first low-fold layer is 25-35 nm; and / or The thickness of the second high-refractive-index layer is 105-115 nm; and / or The thickness of the second low-fold layer is 80-90 nm.

3. The antireflective film according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 15 nm, the thickness of the first low-refractive-index layer is 30 nm, the thickness of the second high-refractive-index layer is 110 nm, and the thickness of the second low-refractive-index layer is 86 nm.

4. The antireflective film according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 12 nm, the thickness of the first low-refractive-index layer is 27 nm, the thickness of the second high-refractive-index layer is 107 nm, and the thickness of the second low-refractive-index layer is 82 nm.

5. The antireflective film according to claim 2, characterized in that, The thickness of the first high-refractive-index layer is 18 nm, the thickness of the first low-refractive-index layer is 33 nm, the thickness of the second high-refractive-index layer is 113 nm, and the thickness of the second low-refractive-index layer is 88 nm.

6. The antireflective film according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first low-fold layer and / or the second low-fold layer are silicon dioxide layer, magnesium fluoride layer, and aluminum oxide layer.

7. The antireflective film according to claim 6, characterized in that, Both the first low-fold layer and the second low-fold layer are silicon dioxide layers.

8. A display component, characterized in that, It includes a display body and an anti-reflective film disposed on the display body according to any one of claims 1-7.

9. A touch display, characterized in that, The display includes a display host having a housing and a display according to claim 8, which is disposed in the housing and communicates with the display host.

10. A smart device, characterized in that, Including the touch display according to claim 9.

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