Mirror array light valve

• US 4,592,628 A
• Filed: 07/01/1981
• Issued: 06/03/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines SA (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Pleshko, Peter, Altman, Carl, Reisman, Arnold, Bassous, Ernest, Osburn, Carlton M., Skolnik, Marvin B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenberger, R. A.
• Application Number:
  US06/279,392
• Time in Patent Office: 1,798 Days
• Field of Search: 350/269, 350/360, 350/361, 350/486, 313/465, 358/60
• US Class Current: 359/223.1
• 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: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/20 Manufacture of screens on or from which an image or pattern is formed, picked up, converted or stored; Applying coatings to the vessel

Abstract

A mirror array light valve is described comprising a transparent substrate, a plurality of post members arranged in a regular array on said substrate, and a plurality of deflectable square, rectangular, hexagonal or the like light-reflecting elements arranged in a regular array on said post members such that a post member is positioned under a corresponding corner of each element; methods for making the mirror array light valve are also described.

Claims

1. A mirror array light valve comprising an array of deformable light reflected elements, each of said elements being supported by a post member extending from a base member, said post member being straight-sided, the joint between said post and said element being at the edge of the element and being confined to a small portion of said edge,

said posts comprising hollow cylinders formed by a self-limiting etching process comprising forming a straight-sided hole in a silicon body, processing the interior surface of said hole to convert to material which is resistant to a silicon etch, and etching away the body of silicon not so converted by said processing.

2. A mirror array light valve according to claim 1 wherein said elements comprise portions etched from a thin layer formed on said silicon body prior to said etching away of said body.