Photonic MEMS and structures

• US 20060067651A1
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chui, Clarence
• Granted Patent: US 7,564,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/147
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26

Abstract

An optical device includes a non-transparent substrate. The optical device further includes a first optical layer which is at least partially transmissive and at least partially reflective to incident light. The optical device further includes a second optical layer which is at least partially reflective to incident light. The second optical layer is spaced from the first optical layer. At least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer is movable between a first position with a first distance between the first and second optical layers and a second position with a second distance between the first and second optical layers. Movement of the at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer between the first and second positions modulates the reflectivity of the device.

Claims

1. An optical device, comprising:

a non-transparent substrate;

a first optical layer which is at least partially transmissive and at least partially reflective to incident light; and

a second optical layer which is at least partially reflective to incident light, the second optical layer spaced from the first optical layer, wherein at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer is movable between a first position with a first distance between the first and second optical layers and a second position with a second distance between the first and second optical layers, wherein movement of the at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer between the first and second positions modulates the reflectivity of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first optical layer is spaced from the substrate, the second optical layer is between the substrate and the first optical layer, the second optical layer is movable between the first and second positions.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises the second optical layer and the first optical layer is movable between the first and second positions.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a metal.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises steel.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises aluminum.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the substrate comprises a metal foil.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a plastic material.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is flexible.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a ceramic material.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the substrate comprises circuitry, the substrate sufficiently non-transparent to shield the circuitry from light.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the circuitry comprises control circuitry for the device.

14. The device of claim 1, further comprising an illumination source, the substrate sufficiently reflective to reduce loss of light from the illumination source through the substrate.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a printed circuit board.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive layer.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the second optical layer moves between the first position and the second position in response to voltages applied to the conductive layer.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first optical layer moves between the first position and the second position in response to voltages applied to the conductive layer.

19. The device of claim 16, further comprising conductive traces electrically coupled to the conductive layer, wherein the substrate matches an optical appearance of the conductive traces.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the device has a dark state having a color, and the substrate matches the color.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the device has a dark state in which the device is substantially non-reflective, and the substrate is substantially non-reflective.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a conductive layer and a dielectric layer on the conductive layer, at least one of the conductive layer and the dielectric layer is non-transparent.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness between about 0.1 millimeter and about 1.0 millimeter.

24. The device of claim 1, further comprising

a display;

a processor that is in electrical communication with the display, the processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device in electrical communication with the processor.

25. The device of claim 24, further comprising:

a first controller configured to send at least one signal to the display; and

a second controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the first controller.

26. The device of claim 24, further comprising an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

28. The device of claim 24, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

29. An optical device comprising:

means for supporting an interferometric modulator, the supporting means being non-transparent;

first means for reflecting light, the first reflecting means being at least partially transmissive and at least partially reflective to incident light; and

second means for reflecting light, the second reflecting means being at least partially reflective to incident light, the second reflecting means spaced from the first reflecting means, wherein at least one of the first reflecting means and the second reflecting means is movable between a first position with a first distance between the first reflecting means and the second reflecting means and a second position with a second distance between the first reflecting means and the second reflecting means, wherein movement of the at least one of the first reflecting means and the second reflecting means between the first and second positions modulates the reflectivity of the device.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the supporting means comprises a substrate.

31. The device of claim 29 or 30, wherein the first reflecting means comprises an optical layer.

32. The device of claim 29, 30, or 31, wherein the second reflecting means comprises an optical layer.

33. A method of manufacturing an optical device comprising:

providing a non-transparent substrate; and

forming one or more layers on the non-transparent substrate, the one or more layers including;

a first optical layer which is at least partially transmissive and at least partially reflective to incident light; and

a second optical layer which is at least partially reflective to incident light, the second optical layer spaced from the first optical layer, wherein at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer is movable between a first position with a first distance between the first and second optical layers and a second position with a second distance between the first and second optical layers, wherein movement of the at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer between the first and second positions modulates the reflectivity of the device.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the substrate comprises metal foil.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the substrate comprises plastic.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the substrate comprises silicon.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein forming the one or more layers comprises photolithography, and the substrate is substantially non-transparent to light used during the photolithography.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein forming the one or more layers comprises using semiconductor processing equipment.

39. An optical device formed by the method of claim 33.

40. A method of modulating light, the method comprising:

providing an optical device comprising;

a non-transparent substrate;

a first optical layer which is at least partially transmissive and at least partially reflective to incident light; and

a second optical layer which is at least partially reflective to incident light, the second optical layer spaced from the first optical layer, wherein at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer is movable between a first position with a first distance between the first and second optical layers and a second position with a second distance between the first and second optical layers; and

moving the at least one of the first optical layer and the second optical layer while irradiating the device with light.