Programmable optical array
First Claim
1. An optical device comprising:
- programmable elements formed on a surface of a substrate, said programmable elements capable of being selectively programmed to create a reflective filament pattern for reflecting radiation in a selected optical pattern; and
an address decoder on said substrate for selectively addressing said programmable elements for programming.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Programmable semiconductor elements, such as zener diodes, are used in an optical array. In one embodiment, an array of zener diodes is formed on a substrate surface and selectively zapped (programmed) to create a reflective filament between anode and cathode contacts of the selected zener diodes. Light is then applied to the surface. The reflected (or transmitted) light pattern may be used for conveying optical information or exposing a photoresist layer. In one use of the array to selectively expose a photoresist layer, the array helps to determine which genes have been expressed in a BioChip. Devices other than zener diodes may also be programmed to create a reflective filament for optically conveying information, such as bipolar transistors, MOSFETS, and non-semiconductor devices. The reflective filament can be a portion of a fuse or anti-fuse.
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Citations
62 Claims
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1. An optical device comprising:
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programmable elements formed on a surface of a substrate, said programmable elements capable of being selectively programmed to create a reflective filament pattern for reflecting radiation in a selected optical pattern; and
an address decoder on said substrate for selectively addressing said programmable elements for programming. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for selectively reflecting light comprising:
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providing programmable elements on a surface of a substrate;
programming said programmable elements to create a pattern of reflective filaments; and
applying radiation to said surface, such that radiation is reflected from said pattern of reflective filaments in a selected pattern. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
detecting a pattern of radiation that has passed through said substrate, said pattern of reflective filaments at least partially blocking said radiation from passing through said substrate.
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21. The method of claim 15 wherein said programmable elements are diodes.
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22. The method of claim 15 wherein said programmable elements are zener diodes.
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23. The method of claim 15 wherein said programmable elements are transistors.
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24. The method of claim 15 wherein each of said programmable elements are comprises a normally-shorting conductive filaments between two filament contact areas.
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25. The method of claim 15 wherein said programmable elements are fuses.
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26. The method of claim 15 wherein said programmable elements are anti-fuses.
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27. An optical device comprising:
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programmable elements formed on a surface of a substrate, said programmable elements capable of being selectively programmed to create a reflective filament pattern for reflecting radiation in a selected optical pattern; and
a read circuit electrically coupled to said programmable elements for reading said programmable elements after programming. - View Dependent Claims (28)
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- 29. A device comprising one or more programmable elements, the one or more programmable elements being selectively programmable to create a reflective filament pattern for creating a selected optical pattern.
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44. A method of conveying optical information, the method comprising:
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providing an optical device programmed to include a plurality of reflective filaments forming a reflective filament pattern, the optical device comprising a first plurality of contact pairs and a second plurality of contact pairs, each of the first plurality of contact pairs being coupled by at least one of the plurality of reflective filaments, and none of the second plurality of contact pairs being coupled by any of the plurality of reflective filaments; and
directing radiation at the reflective filament pattern to generate an optical pattern, the optical pattern carrying the optical information. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
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56. An optical assembly comprising:
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an optical device programmed to include a plurality of reflective filaments forming a reflective filament pattern, the optical device comprising a first plurality of contact pairs and a second plurality of contact pairs, each of the first plurality of contact pairs being coupled by at least one of the plurality of reflective filaments, and none of the second plurality of contact pairs being coupled by any of the plurality of reflective filaments; and
a light source for directing light at the reflective filament pattern to generate an optical pattern. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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Specification