Mirror device

• US 20080239454A1
• Filed: 05/31/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite USA (Ignite)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Maeda, Yoshihiro, Ichikawa, Hirotoshi, Ishii, Fusao
• Granted Patent: US 7,796,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2011 by amplitude modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/346 based on modulation of the reflection angle, e.g. micromirrors micromirrors devices per se G02B26/0833

Abstract

A spatial light modulator supported on a device substrate includes a plurality of light modulation elements to modulate a light emitted from a light source. The spatial light modulator and the device substrate further comprises a cyclic structure on a surface of the spatial light modulator and/or the device substrate for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure. In an exemplary embodiment the cyclic structure includes cyclic structural elements having a distance between two cyclic elements shorter than the wavelength of an incident light for preventing a reflection of the incident light from the cyclic structure.

Claims

1. A mirror device, comprising:

a plurality of deflectable mirrors;

an elastic member for supporting the mirror in a deflectable state,

a drive electrode for driving the mirror; and

a control circuit for providing the drive electrode with charge according to an input signal to control the deflection direction of the mirror, wherein

the drive electrode is also used as a stopper for specifying the deflection angle of the mirror.

2. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the drive electrode is also used as a stopper for specifying a deflection angle of the mirror and has an anti-reflection structure on its surface.

3. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the contact position in the case where the mirror is deflected and touches the drive electrode is a drive electrode end on the farthest side from a deflection axis of the mirror.

4. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

a part including at least a contact part with the mirror of the drive electrode is coated with an insulation material.

5. The mirror device according to claim 4, wherein

a voltage applied to the electrodes is different from the voltage of the mirror.

6. The mirror device according to claim 4, wherein

the insulation material is an oxygen compound.

7. The mirror device according to claim 4, wherein

the insulation material is a nitrogen compound.

8. The mirror device according to claim 4, wherein

the insulation material is a silicon or silicon compound.

9. The mirror device according to claim 4, wherein

the insulator is also used as a structure protection layer for preventing a structure under it from being eroded by etchant in a sacrifice layer removal step of the manufacturing process.

10. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the mirror has almost square shape and a deflection axis of the mirror is on a diagonal line.

11. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

a pitch between adjacent mirrors is 4 μ

m through 15 μ

m.

12. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the deflection angle of the mirror is about 0˜

13 degrees against a horizontal state of the mirror.

13. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the deflection angle of the mirror is determined by an aperture ratio of a projection lens satisfying a theoretical resolution determined by a pitch between adjacent mirrors.

14. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein

the mirror can deflects to a first deflection control state for reflecting incident light to a first direction, a second deflection control state for reflecting the incident light to a second direction and a third deflection control state for oscillating between the first and second deflection control states and also gradation can be reproduced combination of the first through third deflection control states.