Electrically controlled optical component and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

An electro-optical element is disclosed to address the problems of conventional liquid crystal panels having multi-layered structures and complex manufacturing processes. It comprises: two parallel and spaced-apart substrates, each substrate having an alignment conductive layer located on its respective inner surface; the two alignment conductive layers are electrically connected to a voltage source, forming a switchable electric field between the two alignment conductive layers; the inner surfaces of the two alignment conductive layers form an alignment structure; and the material of each alignment conductive layer includes a conductive polymer, an adhesive, and a crosslinking agent; and a liquid crystal layer, which is filled between the two substrates by a liquid crystal material, with its upper and lower surfaces respectively contacting the two alignment conductive layers. The invention also discloses a method for manufacturing the electro-optical element, thereby achieving the effect of simplifying the structure and manufacturing process.

Claims

1. An electro-optical element comprising: two substrates, parallel and spaced apart, each substrate having an alignment conductive layer located on its respective inner surface, the two alignment conductive layers being electrically connected to a voltage source to form a switchable electric field between the two alignment conductive layers, and the two alignment conductive layers forming an alignment structure on their respective inner surfaces, each alignment conductive layer being formed by coating a conductive mixture including a conductive polymer, an adhesive, and a crosslinking agent onto one surface of each substrate and baking it to form a conductive film, followed by brushing and aligning the conductive film, and the alignment structure being a plurality of trenches arranged in a certain direction; and a liquid crystal layer, which is filled between the two substrates by a liquid crystal material, and the upper and lower surfaces of the liquid crystal layer respectively contacting the two alignment conductive layers.

2. The electro-optical element as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The conductive polymer is poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)polystyrene sulfonate, the adhesive is waterborne polyurethane resin, and the crosslinking agent is glutaraldehyde, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, or polyvinyl alcohol.

3. The electro-optical element as claimed in claim 1, wherein, In the liquid crystal layer, liquid crystal molecules near each alignment conductive layer form a pretilt angle and exert an anchoring force. The pretilt angle ranges from 2.5 degrees to 3 degrees, and the anchoring force is less than 10⁻⁵ joules per square meter.

4. The electro-optical element as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The light transmittance of the two substrates is greater than 70%, and the materials of the two substrates are glass, acrylic or plastic.

5. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical element, comprising: preparing a conductive liquid mixture, wherein the conductive liquid mixture is mainly composed of a conductive polymer, and mixing an adhesive and a crosslinking agent, wherein the weight percentage concentration of the adhesive in the conductive liquid mixture is between 7% and 15%, and the weight percentage concentration of the crosslinking agent is between 0.7% and 1.5%; coating the conductive liquid mixture onto one surface of a substrate; baking the conductive liquid mixture to form a conductive film; brushing and aligning the conductive film to form an aligned conductive layer; and injecting a liquid crystal material between two substrates to form a liquid crystal layer, wherein the two aligned conductive layers of the two substrates are opposite to each other and face inward to contact the liquid crystal material.

6. A method for manufacturing the electro-optical element as described in claim 5, wherein, The conductive liquid mixture is applied to the surface of the substrate using a spin coating method, with the rotation speed ranging from 1000 rpm to 7000 rpm.

7. A method for manufacturing the electro-optical element as described in claim 5, wherein, The conductive liquid mixture is coated onto the surface of the substrate using a bar coating method, wherein the diameter of the bar wire is less than 0.5 mm and the coating speed is greater than 60 cm per second.

8. A method for manufacturing the electro-optical element as described in claim 5, wherein, The thickness of the thin film coated with this conductive liquid mixture is less than 3 micrometers.

9. A method for manufacturing the electro-optical element as described in claim 5, wherein, The temperature for baking the conductive liquid mixture is above 100°C, and the baking time is greater than 1 minute.

Images