Study on the Optimization of the Optical Structure of Lenticular-Lens Films for LCD Backlight Applications

Abstract

The optical performance of LLF(Lenticular Lens Film)-based backlight was studied by using optical simulation as functions of the aspect ratio and the refractive index of lenticular lenses. In order to perform reliable simulation, the BSDF(bi-directional scattering distribution function) of the scattering dots on the bottom surface of the light guide plate was obtained as a superposition of the Lambertian and the elliptic Gaussian distribution components by comparing the experimental results and the simulation for the luminance distribution on the light guide. Based on this approach, an appropriate BSDF of the scattering dots of the light guide was constructed. The resultant values of the optimized aspect ratio and the refractive were found to be 1.25 and 1.65, respectively. In spite of the hybrid aspects of LLF incorporating both diffusing and collimating functions, the optical performance, in particular the on-axis luminance of LLF-based backlight was inferior by about 20% compared to that of conventional backlights adopting one prism film. However, the combination of two lenticular lens films resulted in comparable luminance gain as well as smooth decrease in the luminance with the viewing angle without exhibiting any side lobes.