Photonic mems and structures
First Claim
1. An interferometric modulator comprising:
- a structure associated with actuation of the modulator; and
an interferometric cavity having walls, the structure being obscured by at least one of the walls of the interferometric cavity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An interference modulator (Imod) incorporates anti-reflection coatings and/or micro-fabricated supplemental lighting sources. An efficient drive scheme is provided for matrix addressed arrays of IMods or other micromechanical devices. An improved color scheme provides greater flexibility. Electronic hardware can be field reconfigured to accommodate different display formats and/or application functions. An IMod'"'"'s electromechanical behavior can be decoupled from its optical behavior. An improved actuation means is provided, some one of which may be hidden from view. An IMod or IMod array is fabricated and used in conjunction with a MEMS switch or switch array. An IMod can be used for optical switching and modulation. Some IMods incorporate 2-D and 3-D photonic structures. A variety of applications for the modulation of light are discussed. A MEMS manufacturing and packaging approach is provided based on a continuous web fed process. IMods can be used as test structures for the evaluation of residual stress in deposited materials.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An interferometric modulator comprising:
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a structure associated with actuation of the modulator; and
an interferometric cavity having walls, the structure being obscured by at least one of the walls of the interferometric cavity.
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2. An interferometric modulator comprising:
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a body having a cavity defined by a front wall, a rear wall, and two sidewalls;
a displaceable support member located within the cavity;
a first mirror supported by the displaceable support member;
a second mirror located within the cavity adjacent the front wall; and
an electrode located within the cavity adjacent the rear wall, wherein an optical response of the interferometric modulator is determined by a relative spacing between the first and second mirrors, and wherein the electrode, when actuated, causes electrostatic displacement of the support member resulting in a change in the relative spacing between the first and second mirrors. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5)
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6. An interferometric modulator comprising:
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an optical component including first and second mirrors movably mounted relative to each other to allow a relative spacing between the mirrors to be adjusted to change an optical response of the optical component; and
an actuation mechanism including an electrode to cause electrostatic displacement of the first mirror relative to the second mirror to adjust the relative spacing between the mirrors. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An interferometric modulator comprising:
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a substrate; and
a stacked structure formed on the substrate, the stacked structure comprising an operatively lower electrode layer, a middle first mirror layer normally spaced from the lower electrode layer, and an operatively upper second middle layer normally spaced from the first mirror layer, wherein a spacing between the first and second mirror layers is such that the first and second mirror layers cooperate to interferometrically modulate light incident upon the stacked structure, and wherein actuation of the electrode layer causes electrostatic displacement of the first mirror layer to change the spacing between the first and second mirror layers. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification