Method and device for modulating light with optical compensation

• US 7,907,319 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miles, Mark W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester; Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US11/433,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20060274400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 359/223, 359/224, 359290-292, 359/295, 359/298, 359/315, 359/318, 345/48, 345/84, 345/85, 345/90, 345/108, 348/750, 348/770, 348/771
• US Class Current: 359/224.1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26

Abstract

An interferometric modulator (Imod) cavity has a reflector and an induced absorber. A direct view reflective flat panel display may include an array of the modulators. Adjacent spacers of different thicknesses are fabricated on a substrate by a lift-off technique used to pattern the spacers which are deposited separately, each deposition providing a different thickness of spacer. Or a patterned photoresist may be used to allow for an etching process to selectively etch back the thickness of a spacer which was deposited in a single deposition. A full-color static graphical image may be formed of combined patterns of interferometric modulator cavities. Each cavity includes a reflector, and an induced absorber, the induced absorber including a spacer having a thickness that defines a color associated with the cavity.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a substrate;

a reflector located below said substrate, wherein the reflector is configured to be movable to provide modulation; and

an optical compensation material located above said substrate,

wherein the optical compensation material is configured to mitigate or eliminate a shift in color with respect to viewing angle, and

wherein the optical compensation material comprises at least one film selected from a group consisting of;

a film with holographic properties and a film with micro-optics.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

3. A display device comprising:

a substrate;

a reflector located below said substrate, wherein the reflector is configured to be movable to provide modulation; and

an optical compensation material located above said substrate,

wherein the optical compensation material comprises a light source and is configured to provide supplemental frontlighting.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the light source comprises an organic emitter.

5. The display device of claim 3, wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

6. The display device of claim 3, wherein the supplemental frontlighting comprises micro-optics.

7. The display device of claim 6, wherein the supplemental frontlighting is edge lit.

8. device, comprising:

a light-absorbing material;

a substrate located above said light-absorbing material;

a reflector located below said light-absorbing material, wherein the reflector is configured to be movable to provide modulation;

an optical compensation material located above the substrate;

a conducting layer located between said light absorbing material and said substrate or between said light absorbing material and said reflector; and

a cavity, a portion of which is located between said light absorbing material and said reflector.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the light-absorbing material is configured to attenuate light incident upon the light-absorbing material from the substrate or the reflector, the amount of attenuation varying with a voltage applied to the conducting layer.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the light-absorbing material comprises a high loss film.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the high loss film comprises at least one material from the group consisting of:

a metal, a semiconductor, and a combination of a metal and a semiconductor.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the optical compensation material is configured to mitigate or eliminate a shift in color with respect to viewing angle.

13. The device of claim 8, wherein the optical compensation material is configured to provide supplemental frontlighting.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein the optical compensation material providing supplemental frontlighting comprises micro-optics.

15. The display device of claim 13, wherein the optical compensation material providing supplemental frontlighting comprises an edge lighting source.

16. The device of claim 8, wherein the cavity comprises at least one layer selected from the group consisting of:

a metal layer, a dielectric layer, a semiconducting layer and an air gap.

17. The device of claim 8, wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

18. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of display pixels comprising;

a light-absorbing material;

a substrate located above said light-absorbing material; and

a reflector located below said light-absorbing material; and

an optical compensation material located above said substrate,

wherein the optical compensation material comprises at least one layer selected from a group consisting of;

a layer with holographic properties, a layer with micro-optics, and a layer with patterned organic emitters,

wherein the reflector is configured to be movable to provide modulation.

19. A device, comprising:

a reflector;

a light-absorbing material placed between the reflector and a medium from which light is incident, the light-absorbing material being configured to attenuate light incident upon it, and having radiation admittance characteristics that substantially match the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of said medium;

a conductor disposed between the light-absorbing material and the medium or between the light-absorbing material and the reflector; and

a cavity having a variable thickness, a portion of said cavity disposed between the reflector and the light-absorbing material.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the light-absorbing material comprises an absorber disposed between a first layer and a second layer.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first and second layers comprises at least one film selected from the group consisting of:

a metal film, a dielectric film, a semiconducting film, and a combination of at least two of a metal film, a dielectric film and a semiconducting film.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the absorber comprises a film selected from the group consisting of:

a metal film, a semiconducting film, and a combination film comprising a metal and a semiconducting material.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the cavity comprises at least one layer selected from the group consisting of:

a metal layer, a dielectric layer, a semiconducting layer and an air gap.

24. A display device, comprising:

a reflector;

a light-absorbing material placed between the reflector and a medium from which light is incident, the light-absorbing material being configured to attenuate light incident upon it, and having radiation admittance characteristics that substantially match the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of said medium; and

an optical compensation material located on the other side of the medium from the reflector, wherein the optical compensation material comprises at least one layer selected from a group consisting of;

a layer with holographic properties, a layer with micro-optics, and a layer with patterned organic emitters.

25. The display device of claim 24, wherein the reflector is configured to be movable to provide modulation.

26. A method of manufacturing a device, the method comprising:

forming a reflective layer, the reflector configured to be movable to provide modulation;

forming a layer of absorbing material;

providing a substrate layer;

providing an optical compensation material above the substrate; and

forming a conducting layer between the layer of absorbing material and the substrate layer,

wherein the layer of absorbing material is located between the substrate layer and the reflective layer.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein forming a layer of absorbing material comprises forming an absorber and forming two layers, wherein the absorber is located between the two layers.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the absorber comprises a metal, a semiconductor or a combination of a metal and a semiconductor, and at least one of the two layers comprises at least one film selected from the group consisting of:

a metal film, a dielectric film, a semiconducting film, and a combination of at least two of a metal film, a dielectric film and a semiconducting film.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

30. A method of manufacturing a device, the method comprising:

forming a reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer is configured to be movable to provide modulation;

providing a substrate layer; and

providing an optical compensation layer, wherein the substrate layer is located between the optical compensation layer and the reflective layer,

wherein the optical compensation layer comprises at least one layer selected from a group consisting of;

a layer with holographic properties, a layer with micro-optics, and a layer with patterned organic emitters,

wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising forming a layer of absorbing material, wherein the layer of absorbing material is located between the reflective layer and the substrate layer.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein forming a layer of absorbing material comprises forming an absorber and forming two layers, wherein the absorber is located between the two layers.

33. A device comprising:

a reflector;

a medium from which light is incident;

a light absorbing material located between the reflector and the medium; and

a conducting layer disposed between said medium and said light absorbing material,

wherein the reflector is configurable in a first position such that the light absorbing material substantially matches the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of the medium, and wherein the reflector is configurable in a second position such that the light absorbing material does not match the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of the medium.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the light absorbing material further comprises an absorber layer and a first layer, wherein the absorber layer absorbs light and the first layer at least partially matches the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of the medium.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the light absorbing material further comprises a second layer that at least partially matches the admittance of the reflector to the admittance of the medium.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the absorber layer is disposed between the first and second layers.

37. The device of claim 34, wherein the first layer comprises at least one film selected from the group consisting of:

a metal film, a dielectric film, a semiconducting film, and a combination of at least two of a metal film, a dielectric film and a semiconducting film.

38. The device of claim 34, wherein the absorber layer comprises a film selected from the group consisting of:

a metal film, a semiconducting film, and a combination film comprising a metal and a semiconducting material.

39. The device of claim 33, wherein the reflector is positioned closer to the light absorbing material in the first position than in the second position.

40. The device of claim 33, wherein the display device reflects substantially non-visible light when the reflector is in the first position.

41. A method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:

forming a reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer is configured to be movable to provide modulation;

providing a substrate layer; and

providing an optical compensation layer, wherein the substrate layer is located between the optical compensation layer and the reflective layer,

wherein the optical compensation layer comprises a light source and

is configured to provide supplemental frontlighting.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the light source comprises an organic emitter.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the reflector is a portion of an interferometric modulator.

44. The display device of claim 41, wherein the supplemental frontlighting comprises a micro-optic array.

45. The display device of claim 44, wherein the supplemental frontlighting is edge lit.