Graded diffuser

• Main Authors: Etzkorn, Stephen J, Pham, Tri D, Johnson, Nicholas A, Balts, Corey D, Pham, Oanh V, Zhang, Haiyan, Merritt, Sara S, Aronson, Joseph T, Boyd, Gary T
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 30.06.2020
• Subjects: APPARATUS THEREFOR; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; ELECTROFORMING; ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMSTHEREOF; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTIONOF COATINGS; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHERARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; WEAPONS

A diffuser including opposing structured first and second major surfaces is described. The first major surface includes a first plurality of surface structures providing a uniform first haze. The second major surface includes a first portion adjacent an edge and a second portion adjacent the first portion. The first portion includes a first region and a second region between the first region and the second portion. The second major surface includes a second plurality of surface structures providing a uniform second haze over the second portion and providing a third haze in the first portion. The third haze in the first region is higher than the second haze, and the third haze in the second region is monotonically decreasing. The second portion has a surface area of at least 90 percent of a surface area of the second major surface.