Photolithography Fabricated Spacer Arrays Offering Mechanical Strengthening and Oil Motion Control in Electrowetting Displays
Yingying Dou,
Lin Chen,
Hui Li,
Biao Tang,
Alex Henzen,
Guofu Zhou
Affiliations
Yingying Dou
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Lin Chen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Hui Li
College of Mechatronics and Control Engineering, Shenzhen University, Nanhai Ave 3688, Shenzhen 518060, China
Biao Tang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Alex Henzen
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Guofu Zhou
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Information Materials and Technology & Institute of Electronic Paper Displays, South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Introducing spacers into pixelated electrowetting displays (EWDs) normally gives mechanical strengthening, while bringing undesired disturbance of water/oil interfacial dynamics. Hence, spacer array is a key pixel structure needs careful consideration in the design and fabrication of electrowetting displays. Here, we propose a spacer array, which is designed standing on the junction of adjacent pixel walls, fabricated by photolithography. The spacer array provides mechanical strength enhancement and reliable oil motion controllability. By optimizing the spacer distribution density, the EWD device may achieve 28% increase in open ratio (white area fraction) and withstand 60 N/mm2 pressure. This design of spacer array reasonably solves the contradiction between mechanical strength enhancement and optoelectronic performance in EWDs, providing potential applications in oil−water two-phase microfluidic devices.
