Light output characteristics of rounded prism films in the backlight unit for liquid crystal display

The optical performances of rounded prism films were investigated using a ray tracing technique. The angular distribution of the luminous intensity was obtained as functions of the prism pitch and the curvature of rounded apex and valley of prism arrays. The gain of the on-axis luminance decreased with decreasing curvature (increasing diameter) and pitch. The existence of the curved area on the prism film decreased the recycling efficiency of the prism film, i.e., the rays which would otherwise have been recycled through total internal reflections via the prism surfaces were refracted on the curved regions and redirected toward directions other than the on-axis direction. Quantitative correlation between the luminance gain and the curvature in addition to the prism pitch was obtained, which might serve as basic data for the optimization of prism films and the manufacturing processes.