A light modulator (e.g., for terahertz radiation) may be constructed using a prism in which light undergoes total internal reflection (TIR) at one surface. A tunable conductive layer is disposed on the TIR surface. The tunable conductive layer can have a conductivity that is dynamically controllable, e.g., by applying a voltage across the tunable conductive layer or by optically pumping the tunable conductive layer. The tunable conductive layer can absorb a portion of the reflected light beam, attenuating the beam, with the attenuation being a function of the electrical conductivity of the tunable conductive layer. The phase of the reflected light beam can also be altered as a function of electrical conductivity of the tunable conductive layer.

A display panel and a driving method and manufacturing method thereof, and a display device. The display panel includes a base substrate, a dielectric layer provided on the base substrate, and a refractive index variable layer provided on a side of the dielectric layer away from the base substrate; the refractive index variable layer is in contact with the dielectric layer and has a contact surface with the dielectric layer, and the refractive index variable layer can change the refractive index so that the light entering from the light incident side is totally reflected or transmitted at the contact surface.

An optical waveguide display device includes a substrate and a cover plate formed into a cell assembly, and a first filler layer and a second filler layer between the substrate and the cover plate, the first filler layer is closer to the cover plate than the second filler layer, the first filler layer includes liquid crystals and a high molecular polymer, and the second filler layer are liquid crystals.

The present disclosure belongs to the field of display technology, and particularly relates to an optical waveguide display substrate, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display apparatus. The optical waveguide display substrate comprises a side light source, an alternating-electric-field electrode structure, and a light scattering layer, wherein the side light source is provided at at least one side of the light scattering layer, the light scattering layer is switchable between a transparent state and a light scattering state under influence of an alternating electric field applied by the alternating-electric-field electrode structure, so that incident light from the side light source is scattered out of the optical waveguide display substrate to form a display image, and the light scattering layer comprises a polymer network and a light scattering liquid crystal material.

To maximize the critical angle, .sub.c, and the reflectance, R, in total internal reflection reflective image displays, the difference in the refractive indices between the surface of the transparent front sheet and the liquid medium comprising of electrophoretically mobile particles must be maximized. High index optical glasses may be used to fabricate the front sheet but are costly and difficult to manufacture with fine structural features. Polymers may be used to fabricate the transparent front sheet as they are cheaper and simpler to process into desired structures but typically have low indices of refraction. Polymers comprising of dispersed high refractive index particles may be used to increase the refractive index of the transparent front sheet. The polymers may be formed from UV-curable liquid monomers.

A projection display device comprising a light source and an SBG device having a multiplicity of separate SBG elements sandwiched between transparent substrates to which transparent electrodes have been applied. The substrates function as a light guide. A least one transparent electrode comprises a plurality of independently switchable transparent electrode elements, each electrode element substantially overlaying a unique SBG element. Each SBG element encodes image information to be projected on an image surface. Light coupled into the light guide undergoes total internal reflection until diffracted out to the light guide by an activated SBG element. The SBG diffracts light out of the light guide to form an image region on an image surface when subjected to an applied voltage via said transparent electrodes.

The disclosure generally relates to a front-lit display having transparent and selectively emissive light directionality. The disclosed semi-retro-reflective, semi-specular and specular displays include directional front light systems that reflect light in a manner to preserve the non-Lambertian characteristic of the light output. This leads to brighter displays with a higher degree of luminance as compared to conventional microencapsulated electrophoretic displays with substantially Lambertian reflectance where much of the light is not reflected back towards the viewer.

The disclosure generally relates to a front-lit display having transparent and selectively emissive light directionality. The disclosed semi-retro-reflective, semi-specular and specular displays include directional front light systems that reflect light in a manner to preserve the non-Lambertian characteristic of the light output. This leads to brighter displays with a higher degree of luminance as compared to conventional microencapsulated electrophoretic displays with substantially Lambertian reflectance where much of the light is not reflected back towards the viewer.

Disclosed are articles, embodiments, and methods of formation related substrates which exhibit a tunable interference pattern (e.g., structural color) upon reflection of incident electromagnetic radiation.

An optical switch that switches an optical path of signal light obtained by modulating carrier light by a control signal and a data signal includes a mirror and a half mirror, an optical modulation element that reflects or refracts the signal light reflected by the mirror and the half mirror and includes cells each having an independently set phase modulation amount, a light detector that detects, at once, intensities of beams of the signal light passing through the half mirror and reflected by the mirror and the half mirror different times, and a controller that decodes the control signal from the detected intensities and sets the independently set phase modulation amount of each of the cells such that the signal light is emitted in a direction corresponding to the control signal.