Color spatial light modulator and method of manufacture

• US 5,312,779 A
• Filed: 05/26/1992
• Issued: 05/17/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Nelson, William E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Tom
• Assistant Examiner(s): Picardat, Kevin M.
• Application Number:
  US07/888,774
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 437/225, 437/2, 437/3, 346/76 L, 346/76 PH, 346/160, 346/108, 136/252, 136/256, 136/257
• US Class Current: 438/16
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133516 Methods for their manufacture, e.g. printing, electro-deposition or photolithography

Abstract

A semiconductor device comprises a plurality of groups of colored cells controllable by electronic circuitry. Each group of colored cells absorb or reflect specified wavelengths of visible light. The electronic signals control the pathways on which each individual cell reflects incident light. A first process for manufacturing such a color spatial light modulator ("SLM") includes aligning a dye-bearing substrate over the spatial light modulator and causing specified portions of the dye to sublimate off of the substrate and condense onto particular cell elements of the spatial light modulator. A second process for producing a colored spatial light modulator places an electrostatic charge in a dye cloud and introduces the charged cloud to the SLM. The dye migrates to those selected cells containing an opposite electrical charge.

Claims

1. A process of applying color to at least one selected cell element of a spatial light modulator comprising the steps of:

a. aligning a substrate containing a color dye adjacent to the spatial light modulator;

b. sublimating the color dye onto at least one cell on the spatial light modulator;

c) generating a pattern of cells in said spatial light modulator; and

d) verifying that only said selected one received said dye.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein said aligning step comprises the step of aligning a substrate comprising a plurality of color dye elements adjacent to the spatial light modulator.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein said aligning step comprises the step of aligning a substrate comprising color dye elements which form three color pixels of magenta, yellow, and cyan.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said aligning step comprises the step of aligning a substrate comprising at least one single color row of dye.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein said sublimating step comprises heating the dye with a laser.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein said sublimating step comprises of heating the dye with a thermal print head.

7. A process of applying color to a spatial light modulator, comprising the steps of:

a. aligning at least one substrate containing at least one color dye adjacent to the spatial light modulator;

b. applying heat to the substrate; and

c. sublimating said at least one dye onto a group of cells on the spatial light modulator, such that each said dye has a corresponding exclusive set of selected cells.

8. The process of claim 7 further comprising the step of mapping the first, second, and third substrates of color dyes onto the first, second, and third group of cells to produce three-color pixels.

9. The process of claim 8 wherein each of said aligning steps further comprise the step of aligning a substrate containing dye selected from the group consisting of methine, azopyridone, heterocyclic azo, tricyanovinyl, heterocyclic azo, phenylazoheterocyclic azo and mixtures thereof.

10. The process of claim 7 wherein the substrate contains three-color pixels.

11. The process of applying color to a spatial light modulator comprising the steps of:

a. applying an electrical charge to a selected first group of cells of a spatial light modulator;

b. applying an opposite electrical charge to a first dye; and

c. combining the first dye with the spatial light modulator.

12. The process of claim 11 further comprising the steps of:

a. applying an electrical charge to a selected second group of cells;

b. applying an opposite electrical charge to a second dye; and

c. combining the second dye with the spatial light modulator.

13. The process of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

a. applying an electrical charge to a selected third group of cells;

b. applying an opposite electrical charge to a third dye; and

c. combining the third dye with the spatial light modulator.

14. The process of claim 13 further comprising the step of mapping the first, second, and third groups of cells to produce three-color pixels.

15. The process of claim 13 wherein each of said combining steps further comprises the step of combining a spatial light modulator with a dye selected from the group consisting of methine, azopyridone, heterocyclic azo, tricyanovinyl, heterocylic azo, phenylazoheterocyclic azo and mixtures thereof.