LCD-BLU(liquid crystal device-back light unit)에 사용되는 도광판의 미세 산란패턴을 만드는 새로운 방법으로서, 실리콘 웨이퍼의 비등방 식각에 의해 자연적으로 형성되는 3차원 결정면 구조를 이용하는 방법을 제안하였다. 실리콘 3차원 결정면을 갖는 도광판과 프리즘 시트의 원판을 설계 및 제작하였고, casting 공정을 통해 PDMS 재질로 복제된 도광판을 제작하여 특성을 분석하였다. 측정 결과, 기존 인쇄형 도광판에 비해 실리콘피라미드 패턴의 도광판이 $10\%$ 증가된 정면 휘도 효율을 가질 수 있음을 실험적으로 검증하였다.
Luminous efficiency and uniformity in a LCD-BLU are mainly determined by fine scattering patterns formed on the light guide panel. We propose a novel fabrication method of 3-dimensional scattered patterns based on anisotropic etching of silicon wafers. Micro-pyramid patterns with 70.5 degree apex-angle and micro-prism patterns with 109.4 degree apex-angle can be self-constructed by the wet, anisotropic etching of (100) and (110) silicon wafers, respectively, and those patterns are easily duplicated by the PDMS replica process. Experimental results on spatial and angular distributions of irradiation from the light guide panel with the micro-pyramid patterns were very consistent with the calculation results. Surface roughness of the silicon-based micro-patterns is free from any artificial defects since the micro-patterns are inherently formed with silicon crystal surfaces. Therefore, we expect that the silicon based micro-patterning process makes it possible to fabricate perfect 3-dimensional micro-structures with crystal surface and apex angles, which may guarantee mass-reproduction of the light guide panels in LCD-BLU.
