A dual-directional light-control film with a high-sag and high-asymmetrical-shape microlens array fabricated by a UV imprinting process

A dual-directional light-control film with a high-sag and high-asymmetric-shape long gapless hexagonal microlens array fabricated by an ultra-violent (UV) imprinting process is presented. Such a lens array is designed by ray-tracing simulation and fabricated by a micro-replication process including gray-scale lithography, electroplating process and UV curing. The shape of the designed lens array is similar to that of a near half-cylindrical lens array with a periodical ripple. The measurement results of a prototype show that the incident lights using a collimated LED with the FWHM of dispersion angle, 12°, are diversified differently in short and long axes. The numerical and experimental results show that the FWHMs of the view angle for angular brightness in long and short axis directions through the long hexagonal lens are about 34.3° and 18.1° and 31° and 13°, respectively. Compared with the simulation result, the errors in long and short axes are about 5% and 16%, respectively. Obviously, the asymmetric gapless microlens array can realize the aim of the controlled asymmetric angular brightness. Such a light-control film can be used as a power saving screen compared with convention diffusing film for the application of a rear projection display.