Charge controlled mirror with improved frame time utilization and method of addressing the same

• US 6,028,696 A
• Filed: 10/15/1998
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Memsolutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Little, Michael J., Robinson, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps, Georgia
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURKE, MARGARET A
• Application Number:
  US09/172,615
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 359/293, 359/227, 359/230, 359/298, 359/262, 345/85, 348/781, 348/782
• US Class Current: 359/293
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means

Abstract

A beam addressed electrostatically-actuated charge controlled mirror (CCM) with frame time utilization approaching 100% is provided by partially coating the CCM'"'"'s pixelized beam addressing surface with a material having the opposite electron affinity. Each pixel of the pixelized beam addressing surface has first and second portions that exhibit secondary emission coefficients that are respectively less than and greater than one for the same beam energy. A beam or beams that are capable of subpixel resolution selectively address each pixel'"'"'s first and second portions to control the amount of charge on the pixelized beam addressing surface and its localized potentials.

Claims

1. A charge controlled mirror (CCM), comprising:

an array of electrostatically actuable micromirrors;

a pixelized beam addressing surface in electrical communication with said array where each pixel has first and second portions that exhibit secondary emission coefficients that are respectively less than and greater than one for a given beam energy; and

a conductive grid spaced apart from said addressing surface for collecting secondary electrons that are ejected from said first and second portions of said addressing surface.

2. The CCM of claim 1, wherein said pixelized beam addressing surface is a part of the micromirror array, each said micromirror having at least one said control pad formed thereon that partially covers said mirror and exhibits an opposite electron affinity.

3. The CCM of claim 1, wherein said micromirrors are held at reference potential, said pixelized beam addressing surface comprising:

a thin insulating membrane between said array of micromirrors and said collector grid; and

an array of control pads on said insulating membrane that exhibit electron affinities opposite said insulating membrane.

4. The CCM of claim 1, wherein said micromirrors are held at reference potential, said pixelized beam addressing surface comprising:

a thin insulating membrane between said array of micromirrors and said collector grid;

an array of attractor pads on said insulating membrane above respective micromirrors; and

an array of control pads on said respective attractor pads that exhibit electron affinities opposite that of said attractor pads.

5. A charge controlled mirror (CCM), comprising:

an array of electrostatically actuable micromirrors, each said micromirror having an addressing surface that exhibits a secondary emission coefficient less than one;

an array of control pads that partially cover the respective micromirrors'"'"' addressing surfaces and which exhibit a secondary emission coefficient greater than one; and

a grid that is spaced apart from said array of micromirrors and held at a fixed positive potential with respect to said micromirrors.

6. The CCM of claim 5, wherein said micromirrors are electrically isolated to inhibit charge bleed-off.

7. A light modulator, comprising:

a charge controlled mirror (CCM) comprising;

an array of electrostatically actuable micromirrors;

a pixelized beam addressing surface in electrical communication with said array in which each pixel has a first and second portions that exhibit secondary emission coefficients that are respectively less than and greater than one for a given beam energy; and

a conductive grid spaced apart from said addressing surface for collecting secondary electrons that are ejected from said first and second portions; and

a source that selectively addresses each pixel'"'"'s first and second portions with a charge beam having subpixel resolution at said beam energy to write a charge pattern onto the pixelized beam-addressing surface.

8. The light modulator of claim 7, wherein said pixelized beam addressing surface is the micromirror array, each said micromirror having at least one said control pad formed thereon that partially covers said mirror and exhibits an opposite electron affinity.

9. The light modulator of claim 7, wherein said CCM further comprises a thin insulating membrane having an array of control pads thereon that exhibit opposite electron affinities and together define the pixelized beam addressing surface.

10. The light modulator of claim 9, wherein said insulating membrane further comprises a plurality of attractor pads that exhibit a secondary coefficient less than one on the thin insulating membrane above respective micromirrors, each said attractor pad supporting one of said control pads, which exhibit a secondary emission coefficient greater than one.

11. The light modulator of claim 9, wherein said source is a single scanning gun.

12. The light modulator of claim 11, wherein said scanning gun raster scans said pixelized beam addressing surface first depositing primary electrons on said second portion to erase the pixel and then depositing primary electrons on said first portion to write an amount of charge onto the pixel.

13. The light modulator of claim 7, wherein said source produces an array of charge beams in which each said charge beam is aligned with and addresses only one said portion of its opposing pixel on the addressing surface.

14. The light modulator of claim 13, wherein said source comprises a field emitter array in which at least one field emitter is dedicated to each said portion of each said pixel on said pixelized beam addressing surface.

15. The light modulator of claim 7, wherein said collector grid is held at a potential that is positive with respect to the array of micromirrors, said source first directing the charge beam onto the second portion until the pixel potential stabilizes just above the collector grid potential and then directing the charge beam onto the first portion to set the pixel potential at a desired intensity level.

16. The light modulator of claim 7, wherein said source selectively directs the charge beam to said second portion to raise the amount of charge and to said first portion to lower the amount of charge to differentially write charge onto the addressing surface.

17. A method of addressing a charge controlled mirror (CCM) having a pixelized beam addressing surface in which each pixel has first and second portions that exhibit secondary emission coefficients that are respectively less than and greater than one for a given beam energy comprising:

selectively directing a charge beam onto said first and second portions at the given beam energy to eject secondary electrons and respectively lower and raise the pixel potential to a desired value; and

collecting the secondary electrons to hold the pixel potential.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the secondary electrons are collected at a positive potential with respect to the addressing surface, said charge beam being first directed onto said second portion to raise the pixel potential to approximately the positive potential to erase the pixel and then directed onto said first portion to lower the pixel potential to the desired value.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the pixel potentials, said charge beam being selectively directed onto either said first or said second portion to differentially adjust the pixel potential to a next desired value.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the same said charge beam is scanned across the pixels'"'"' first and second portions.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein a plurality of fixed charge beams are directed to the pixels'"'"' first and second portions, respectively.