The constraints on a number of applications mean that displays have to be used which, due to the pixel sizes, give a 'pixellated' appearance to the user. This is often due to the low fill factor - each pixel is surrounded by a black area which is just visible.

By performing a spatial low pass filtering on the image, these structures can be slightly diffused and the result is a much more pleasing viewing experience.

Such pixellation is present in:

• Relatively low cost displays in portable products such as hand held game machines or mobile phones
• Head mounted displays
• Novel 3D displays

Microsharp depixelator films are able to remove the pixelated appearance, dramatically improving the display.

The Olympus Eye-Trek™ contained a Microsharp depixelator film. This effect is important where the display contains large pixels, is viewed under magnification or is part of a hand held device.

Depixelation is appropriate to digital camera displays and other small hand held devices including PDAs, GPS route planners and the like.

Head mounted displays (HMDs) using LCDs or other Flat Panel Displays present a digitized image consisting of individual picture elements. When viewed under magnification the black matrix which surrounds each pixel is clearly visible and severely degrades the perceived image quality.

Finally, recent 3D displays distribute the resolution of the display over several view points. Here again visual appearance can be significantly improved using depixelator film.

For direct view and magnified applications such as hand held devices, head mounted displays and view finders, the Microsharp depixelation film is fitted immediately above the front glass of the LCD either in front of or behind the front polariser. In some applications a thin spacer may be required.

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Depixelator Film

Microsharp's patented Depixelators are thin polymer films mounted in close proximity to the surface of a display to remove pixelated structuring in the image. They can be made of several materials - in the most commonly used form the product comprises a microstructure formed in a cross-linked acrylic matrix supported on a polyester or polycarbonate substrate.

The microstructure comprises an array of precisely positioned features, whose size, height and separation are carefully and reproducibly controlled. These features diffract light from a single point source (the pixel) to create, first, second (and subsequent) order images which can be controlled in both position and relative intensity relative to the primary (or zero) order. These additional images, if correctly positioned, remove the pixellated appearance. In this way when a film is correctly mounted over a display each pixel appears slightly enlarged such that it overlaps its surrounding black matrix and appears continuous with adjacent pixels.

Each depixelator is custom designed to a specific display in respect of pixel size, layout and the proposed separation distance of the depixelator film from the image plane. However there is no requirement for alignment between the features and the underlying pixels.

Microsharp can supply sample sheets of a number of different depixelator designs. For specific displays, Microsharp has in-house software to optimise the film parameters for different pixel sizes, pixel arrangement and the desired distance to the depixelator film. Microsharp can therefore produce a design to meet specific customer requirements and new designs can be quickly converted to working prototypes and subsequently to manufactured film.

Microsharp Depixelator Film Structure:

Mounting relative to LCD Display: