Electro-optic device

• US 6,864,944 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qinetiq Limited (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Qinetiq Limited (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Inventors: Scattergood, David C, Stanley, Maurice, Wilkinson, Timothy D
• Primary Examiner(s): Niebling, John F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roman, Angel
• Application Number:
  US09/868,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• Field of Search: 349/149, 349/158
• US Class Current: 349/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133302 Rigid substrates, e.g. inorganic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136277 formed on a semiconductor substrate, e.g. of silicon

Abstract

An electro-optic device such as a smectic liquid crystal cell 1 with an active semiconductor backplane 3 is mounted on a hybrid substrate 2, for example of alumina or silica. Other active or passive electronic or optical components may also be mounted on the substrate, and interconnected by conductive tracks, for example by wire bonding 17, and the substrate itself may be mounted on a printed circuit board. The substrate may comprise a heat sink. The arrangement facilitates the safe connection of the liquid crystal cell and good optical alignment thereof.

Claims

1. An electro-optic arrangement comprising:

an electro-optic device;

a hybrid substrate, said electro-optic device is electrically connected to the hybrid substrate by wires and is adhesively mounted on said substrate;

a printed circuit board; and

at least one further optical element mounted on said hybrid substrate, wherein the hybrid substrate is mounted on said printed circuit board.

2. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said electro-optic device comprises an active backplane.

3. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said active backplane is an active semiconductor backplane.

4. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid substrate is of ceramic material.

5. An electrooptic arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the ceramic material is alumina or silica.

6. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid substrate includes heat removal means.

7. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hybrid substrate has other electrical or electronic elements mounted thereon and coupled to the electro-optical device.

8. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one further optical element comprises an active optical element.

9. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optic device is a liquid crystal device.

10. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the electro-optic device is a smectic liquid crystal device.

11. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 8 wherein the electrooptic device is a chiral smectic liquid crystal device.

12. An electro-optic arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the hybrid substrate is provided with edge bonding pads.

13. An electro-optic arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said at least one further optical element comprises a passive optical element.