ASYMMETRIC SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR IN A PACKAGE

• US 20060082860A1
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Grasser, Regis, Huibers, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 7,034,985 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/291
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 359/904 Micromirror

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a micromirror package having a micromirror being attached to a supporting surface of a package substrate, and sealed between the package substrate and a package cover, whereas the micromirror array is placed offset the center of the supporting surface.

Claims

1. A package of a spatial light modulator having an array of pixels, comprising:

a window transmissive to the incident light to be modulated; and

a package substrate on which the pixel array is positioned, wherein the geometric center of the micromirror array is offset from the geometric center of the window when viewed from the top of the window.

2. The package of claim 1, wherein each pixel of the pixel array comprises a reflective and deflectable micromirror.

3. The package of claim 2, wherein the window is defined by a light blocking mask on a package cover of the package.

4. The package of claim 2, wherein an in-plane symmetric axis of the micromirror array is offset from but parallel to an in-plane symmetric axis of the window.

5. The package of claim 4, wherein a diagonal of the micromirror array is offset form but parallel to a diagonal of the window.

6. The package of claim 2, wherein the micromirror array has no diagonal that is parallel to a diagonal of the window.

7. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror array.

8. The package of claim 7, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the total number of rows and/or columns of the micromirror array.

9. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 5% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror array.

10. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 10% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror array.

11. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 50 or more of the columns of the micromirror array.

12. The package of claim 11, wherein the offset comprises 50 or more of the rows of the micromirror array.

13. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 100 or more of the columns of the micromirror array.

14. The package of claim 2, wherein the offset comprises 150 or more of the columns of the micromirror array.

15. The package of claim 2, wherein the package substrate comprises a cavity having a supporting surface on which the micromirror array device is positioned;

and wherein the geometric center of the micromirror array is offset from the geometric center of the supporting surface.

16. The package of claim 15, wherein no major edges of the micromirror array is parallel to a major edge of the supporting surface.

17. The package of claim 2, wherein the micromirror array comprises a number of active micromirrors and a number of inactive micromirrors;

wherein each active micromirror is operated according image data of a desired image; and

each inactive micromirror is operated irrelevant to the image data; and

wherein an inactive area having the inactive micromirrors is offset from an active area having the active micromirrors.

18. The package of claim 17, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the entire micromirror array.

19. The package of claim 18, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset form the geometric center of the package cover.

20. The package of claim 18, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset form the geometric center of the window.

21. The package of claim 3, wherein the geometric center of the window is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.

22. The package of claim 17, wherein the active area has an aspect ratio of 4:

3.

23. The package of claim 17, wherein the active area has an aspect ratio of 16:

9.

24. A display system, comprising:

a light source providing illumination light for the system;

a spatial light modulator having a package of a pixel array in claim 1 for modulating the illumination light so as to produce a desired image;

a plurality of optical elements for directing the illumination light onto and away from the spatial light modulator; and

a display target on which the desired image is produced.

25. The display system of claim 24, further comprising:

a color filter for producing sequential illumination light beams of primary colors.

26. The display system of claim 25, further comprising:

a light integrator that is placed between the light source and the color filter.

27. The display system of claim 25, further comprising:

a light integrator that is placed after the light source and the color filter at a propagation path of the illumination light.

28. A spatial light modulator, comprising:

a pixel array, comprising an active area that includes an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the entire micromirror array when viewed from the top of the micromirror array.

29. The spatial light modulator of claim 28, wherein a pixel of the pixel array comprises a reflective and deflectable micromirror.

30. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 1.5% or more of the total number of columns and/or rows of the micromirror.

31. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 1.5% or more of the total number of rows of the micromirror.

32. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 5% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror.

33. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 10% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror.

34. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 50 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

35. The spatial light modulator of claim 34, wherein the offset is characterized by 50 columns or more of the rows of the micromirror.

36. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 100 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

37. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, wherein the offset is characterized by 150 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

38. The spatial light modulator of claim 29, further comprising:

a package substrate having a supporting surface on which the micromirror array is positioned;

a package cover having a window transmissive to an incident light to be modulated; and

wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the window.

39. The spatial light modulator of claim 38, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.

40. The spatial light modulator of claim 38, wherein the supporting surface is a surface of a cavity in the package substrate;

and wherein the package cover is bonded to the package substrate.

71. A projection system, comprising:

an illumination system providing illumination light for the system;

a spatial light modulator of claim 28 for modulating the illumination light so as to produce an image; and

a display target on which the produced image is displayed.

41. A package of a spatial light modulator, comprising:

a pixel array, comprising an active area that includes an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image;

a package substrate having a supporting surface on which the pixel array is positioned;

a package cover having a window transmissive to the incident light to be modulated;

wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the window when viewed from the top of the window.

42. The package of claim 41, wherein each pixel of the pixel array comprises a deflectable reflective micromirror.

43. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 1.5% or more of the total number of columns and/or rows of the micromirror.

44. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 1.5% or more of the total number of rows of the micromirror.

45. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 5% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror.

46. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 10% or more of the total number of columns of the micromirror.

47. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 50 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

48. The spatial light modulator of claim 47, wherein the offset is characterized by 50 columns or more of the rows of the micromirror.

49. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 100 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

50. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the offset is characterized by 150 columns or more of the columns of the micromirror.

51. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.

52. The spatial light modulator of claim 42, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset form the geometric center of the entire micromirror array.

53. A package, comprising:

a package substrate having a supporting surface on which a pixel array is positioned; and

a package cover having a window transmissive to light to be modulated, wherein the geometric center of the window is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.

54. The package of claim 53, wherein the pixel comprises a deflectable and reflective micromirror.

55. The package of claim 54, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the length and/or the width of the package cover.

56. The package of claim 55, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the width of the package cover.

57. The package of claim 54, wherein the offset comprises 5% or more of the length of the package cover.

58. The package of claim 54, wherein the offset comprises 10% or more of the length of the package cover.

59. The package of claim 54, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.

60. The package of claim 54, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array is offset from the geometric center of the window.

61. The package of claim 54, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array comprises an active area having an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the package cover.

62. The package of claim 54, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array comprises an active area having an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the window.

63. The package of claim 54, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array comprises an active area having an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image, wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the entire pixel array.

64. A package, comprising:

a package substrate having a supporting surface on which a pixel array is positioned, wherein the pixel array comprises an active area having an array of active pixels whose operation states are associated with image data of a desired image;

a package cover having a window transmissive to light to be modulated; and

wherein the geometric center of the active area is offset from the geometric center of the window.

65. The package of claim 64, wherein the pixel comprises a deflectable and reflective micromirror.

66. The package of claim 65, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the length of the window.

67. The package of claim 66, wherein the offset comprises 1.5% or more of the width of the window.

68. The package of claim 65, wherein the offset comprises 5% or more of the length of the window.

69. The package of claim 65, wherein the offset comprises 10% or more of the length of the window.

70. The package of claim 65, wherein the geometric center of the pixel array is offset from the geometric center of the package cover.