Applications of multidirectional asymmetrical microlens-array light-control films on reflective liquid-crystal displays for image quality enhancement

The multidirectional asymmetrical microlens-array light-control film (MAMA-LCF) is developed for enhancing the image brightness and contrast ratio of various reflective liquid-crystal displays. By use of index-matching material, the interface reflection is greatly reduced. Through optimized designs, the surface-scattering effect is also suppressed; thus the contrast ratio is much enhanced. From experimental results, the MAMA-LCF leads to a similar to1.5x gain in brightness over the MgO standard white and a 15:1 contrast ratio for the reflective color super-twist nematic liquid-crystal display, 2.8x MgO and a 23:1 contrast ratio for the polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal, and 2.8x MgO and a 13:1 contrast ratio for the cholesteric liquid-crystal display. Potential applications of this low-cost plastic thin film for reflective liquid-crystal displays are foreseeable. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.