Tailoring the light distribution of liquid crystal display with freeform engineered diffuser

We propose a versatile design approach of engineered diffuser based on freeform optics that can tailor the light distribution of a liquid crystal display (LCD) to meet different applications. The proposed LCD system consists of a quasi-directional backlight, liquid crystal panel, and an engineered diffuser. It offers high efficiency, wide view, high contrast, as well as low ambient light reflection. For large size LCDs, we design a wide view diffuser to match the light distribution with state-of-the-art organic light emitting diode (OLED) TV. For mobile displays, we design a diffuser to replicate current LCD performance. Our design can also provide flattop light intensity distribution for privacy protection. These exemplary designs prove that our engineered diffuser is versatile for different applications. (C)2015 Optical Society of America