Electro-wetting Display Hydrophobic Insulator Corrosion Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electro-wetting display (EWD) devices face durability issues due to corrosion of color filters when in contact with the second fluid, which can be mitigated by adding a protective layer, but this increases device thickness and compromises compactness.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a hydrophobic insulator between the substrates and colored layers, with the second fluid being electro-conductive or polar, allows for electrocapillarity-driven light transmission through colored layers while preventing corrosion by acting as a protective layer, maintaining device compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective layer is provided to prevent color filter units from contacting the second fluid, then durability is improved, but device thickness increases and compactness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic insulator is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both an electrical insulator and a protective layer against fluid corrosion. By combining these two functions into a single component, the patent avoids adding extra protective layers that would increase device thickness, thus resolving the contradiction between durability improvement and compactness maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hydrophobic insulator serves as an intermediary barrier between the second fluid and the color filter units. This intermediary layer prevents direct contact and corrosion while maintaining the necessary electrical and optical properties of the device, thereby protecting durability without compromising compactness.
2Length of stationary object
If color filter units directly contact the second fluid, then device compactness is maintained, but corrosion occurs and durability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrophobic insulator is introduced as an intermediary layer between the second fluid and the color filter units. This intermediary prevents direct contact and corrosion while maintaining the compact structure of the device, thus resolving the contradiction between compactness and durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies a hydrophobic coating to the insulator, changing its surface properties to be water-repelling and corrosion-resistant. This parameter change enables the insulator to withstand contact with the second fluid without compromising the durability of the color filter units, while maintaining device compactness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the durability of the EWD device by preventing corrosion of colored layers without increasing thickness, enabling efficient color display and simplifying fabrication by using the hydrophobic insulator as a protective layer.
Implementation Method 1
EWD devices that adjust the amount of light to be transmitted by means of electrocapillarity (electro-wetting)
Implementation Method 2
a hydrophobic insulator provided between the first and second substrates
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary electro-wetting display (EWD) device (30) includes a first substrate (31), a second substrate (39) facing the first substrate, a hydrophobic insulator (36) provided between the first and second substrates, a first fluid (33), a second fluid (32) and colored layers (38). The first fluid and the second fluid are immiscible and disposed between the hydrophobic insulator and the first substrate. The second fluid is electro-conductive or polar. The first fluid is located between the hydrophobic insulator and the second fluid. Colored layers may be located between the hydrophobic insulator and the second substrate.