In various embodiments of the invention, an interferometric display device
is provided having an external film with a plurality of structures that
reduce the field-of-view of the display. These structures may comprise,
for example, baffles or non-imaging optical elements such as compound
parabolic collectors. The baffles may comprise a plurality of vertically
aligned surfaces arranged, e.g., in a grid. In certain preferred
embodiments these baffles are opaque or reflective. These vertical
surfaces, therefore, can substantially block light from exiting the
interferometric display device in a substantially non-perpendicular
direction. These vertical surfaces may, however, permit light directed in
a substantially vertical direction to exit the display. The non-imaging
optical elements, e.g., compound parabolic collectors, redirect light
from large incident angles into more normal angles towards the display.
As a result, the light reflected by the display to the user is also at a
more normal angle.