Liquid crystal over semiconductor display with on-chip storage

• US 6,980,183 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1999
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Anthony C., Rosenberg, Scott A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US09/365,363
• Time in Patent Office: 2,342 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/205, 345/1, 345/2, 345/98, 345/87, 345/90, 345/85, 345/519, 345/545, 345/530, 345/531, 345/537, 345/538, 345/568
• US Class Current: 345/87
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0809 Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A display device, such as a projector system, may include a plurality of display panels formed from liquid crystal over semiconductor substrates which incorporate not only the pixel elements but memory as well. The presence of memory in the display allows a host system, such as a computer, to send only new picture information to the display and avoid the transmission of information that does not change. Thus, the display update bandwidth required of the host system may be reduced, allowing the host system to use resources typically required by the display update process for improved performance of other operations. In addition, the elimination of redundant information being transmitted to the display may allow more new information to be transmitted, enabling, for example, a higher resolution display.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a liquid crystal over semiconductor substrate;

a memory array;

a pixel array including a plurality of electrodes to interact with a liquid crystal material over said pixel array; and

a refresh circuit coupled to said memory array and said pixel array, said refresh circuit, said memory, and said pixel array formed on the same substrate, said refresh circuit adapted to feed data received from said memory array back to said memory array to refresh said memory array, and said refresh circuit adapted to refresh said pixel array.

2. The display of claim 1 wherein said memory array is formed of dynamic random access memory.

3. A display comprising:

a liquid crystal over semiconductor substrate;

a memory array;

a pixel array including a plurality of electrodes adapted to interact with a liquid crystal material over said pixel array; and

a refresh circuit coupled to said memory array and said pixel array, said refresh circuit adapted to refresh said memory array and said pixel array, and said memory array and said pixel array are formed on said substrate with said refresh circuit.

4. The display of claim 3 wherein the pixel array is coupled to the memory array by a digital to analog converter.

5. The display of claim 3 wherein the pixel array forms a reflective liquid crystal spatial light modulator.

6. The display of claim 3 wherein the pixel array is adapted to eliminate a need for a periodic pixel refresh cycle.

7. A display comprising:

a memory array formed of dynamic random access memory;

a pixel array forming a reflective crystal spatial light modulator, said array adapted to eliminate a need for a periodic pixel refresh cycle; and

a refresh circuit coupled to said memory array and said pixel array, said refresh circuit adapted to refresh said memory array and said pixel array.

8. The display of claim 7 wherein the pixel array is coupled to the memory array by a digital to analog converter.