Method of repairing a display assembled on a substrate

• US 8,382,544 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2011
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Enterprise Science Fund, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hillis, W. Daniel, Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Wood, Victoria Y. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph L
• Application Number:
  US13/134,269
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 445/2, 445/3, 445 23- 25, 445/61, 445/4, 445/6, 438/4, 438/12
• US Class Current: 445/3
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 21/02 by a carrier person or animal
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95101 in a liquid medium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/95145 Electrostatic alignment, i.e. polarity alignment with Coulomb charges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/95 at chip-level, i.e. with connecting carried out on a plurality of singulated devices, i.e. on diced chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01033 Arsenic [As]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01082 Lead [Pb]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1433 Application-specific integrated circuit [ASIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1461 MEMS

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for designing and constructing displays from multiple light-modulating elements are disclosed. Display elements having different light-modulating and self-assembling characteristics may be used during display assembly and operation.

Claims

1. A method of repairing a display, comprising:

a) testing a display comprising a substrate and a plurality of distributed display elements distributed to receptor locations on said substrate to detect at least one defective display element of said plurality of distributed display elements;

b) removing said at least one defective display element from a respective receptor location in the display substrate to leave at least one vacant receptor location;

c) disposing a plurality of display elements on said substrate, the plurality of display elements including a plurality of disposed display elements each having shape, size, or surface characteristics complementary to the shape, size, or surface characteristics of at least one receptor location on said substrate; and

d) inducing relative movement between the plurality of disposed display elements and the substrate sufficient to cause at least one display element of said plurality of disposed display elements to self-assemble into the at least one vacant receptor location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein testing said display to detect said at least one defective display element includes activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a manner expected to produce an expected activation pattern, detecting the activation pattern of said plurality of distributed display elements, and detecting said at least one defective display element from a difference between the detected activation pattern and the expected activation pattern.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a manner expected to produce an expected activation pattern includes activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a time sequence.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a manner expected to produce an expected activation pattern includes activating said plurality of distributed display elements simultaneously.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a manner expected to produce an expected activation pattern includes activating said plurality of distributed display elements in a color-specific pattern.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the activation pattern of said plurality of distributed display elements includes detecting activation of said distributed display elements with a CCD camera.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein detecting the activation pattern of said plurality of distributed display elements includes detecting an electrical correlate of display element activation.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein detecting an electrical correlate of display element activation is performed with circuitry built into the display substrate.

9. The method of claim 1, including removing said at least one defective display element from said receptor location in said display substrate by adhering said at least one defective display element to a probe and lifting said at least one defective display element from said substrate with said probe.

10. The method of claim 9, including adhering said at least one defective display element to said probe by at least one of surface tension, an adhesive, suction, or magnetic force.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising decoupling said at least one defective display element from said respective receptor location prior to removing said at least one defective display element from said respective receptor location.

12. The method of claim 11, including decoupling said at least one defective display element from said respective receptor location through the use of at least one of heat, light, moisture, a chemical, an electrical field, and a magnetic field.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein inducing relative movement between said plurality of disposed display elements and said substrate includes inducing effectively random relative movement between said plurality of disposed display elements and said substrate.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein inducing relative movement between said plurality of disposed display elements and said substrate includes accelerating said substrate.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein inducing relative movement between said plurality of disposed display elements and said substrate includes applying motive force to said display elements.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing display elements distributed to receptor locations on said substrate to said substrate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein securing display elements distributed to receptor locations on said substrate to said substrate includes using at least one of heat, vibration, pressure, a chemical, a photochemical reaction, electrostatic force, magnetostatic force, or an adhesive.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein securing display elements distributed to receptor locations on said substrate to said substrate includes making electrical, magnetic, acoustic or optical connections between said display elements and said substrate.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing said plurality of display elements on said substrate includes disposing said display elements onto said substrate in a fluidized medium, a slurry, an emulsion, a suspension, a colloid, or a gel.

20. The method of claim 1, performed in connection with testing or troubleshooting during the initial manufacture of the display.

21. The method of claim 1, performed in connection with the repair of a damaged or worn out display.