System and method of reducing color shift in a display

• US 20060077514A1
• Filed: 01/21/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sampsell, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,813,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/290
• 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

A system and method of reducing color shift in a display includes an interferometric modulator display configured to reflect light from at least one light source and through at least one converging optical element in an optical path from the light source to a viewer via the display. In one embodiment, the converging optical element comprises a diffractive optical element.

Claims

1. A display system for displaying an image, the display system comprising:

a plurality of interferometric modulators configured to modulate light incident on a surface thereof, and

a converging optical element positioned with respect to a surface of at least one of the plurality of interferometric modulators such that a focal length of the optical element is greater than a distance between the optical element and the surface.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a positive power optical element.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a diffractive optical element.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element has an aperture greater than a total aperture of two of the plurality of interferometric modulators.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element has an aperture greater than a total aperture of the plurality of interferometric modulators.

6. The display system of claim 3, wherein the optical element comprises a binary optical element.

7. The display system of claim 3, wherein the optical element comprises a diffuser.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises a lenticular lens.

9. The display system of claim 3, wherein the optical element is configured to spread the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

11. The display system of claim 3, further comprising:

a light source, wherein the optical element is configured to compensate for at least one optical property of the light source.

12. The display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a substrate supporting the plurality of interferometric modulators and supporting the optical element.

13. The display system of claim 12, wherein the substrate is located between the optical element and the plurality of modulators.

14. The display system of claim 12, wherein the optical element is located between the plurality of interferometric modulators and the substrate.

15. The display system of claim 12, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are located between the optical element and the substrate.

16. A method of fabricating a display system, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of interferometric modulators on a first substrate; and

forming a converging optical element on a second substrate, the optical element positioned with respect to at least one surface of at least one of the plurality of interferometric modulators such that a focal length of the optical element is greater than a distance between the optical element and the at least one surface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the at least one optical element comprises depositing at least one layer of material on the substrate.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein forming the at least one optical element further comprises patterning the at least one layer of material.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the at least one optical element comprises forming a diffractive optical element.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the diffractive optical element comprises forming a binary optical element on the substrate.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the diffractive optical element comprises patterning a material to form a plurality of diffractive features.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the first substrate comprises the second substrate.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical element and the plurality of modulators are formed with the first substrate located therebetween.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical element is formed so as to be located between the plurality of interferometric modulators and the first substrate.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are formed so as to be located between the optical element and the first substrate.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein forming the optical element comprises forming a lenticular lens.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the optical element comprises configuring the optical element to spread the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

28. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

disposing a light source so as to illuminate the optical element; and

configuring the optical element to compensate for at least one optical property of the light source.

29. A display system fabricated by the method of claim 16.

30. A display system fabricated by a method comprising:

forming a plurality of interferometric modulators on a first substrate; and

forming a converging diffractive optical element on a second substrate, the optical element positioned so as to redirect light that is incident on at least one surface of at least one of the plurality of interferometric modulators.

31. The display system of claim 30, wherein forming the optical element comprises depositing at least one layer of material on the substrate.

32. The display system of claim 31, wherein forming the optical element further comprises patterning the at least one layer of material.

33. The display system of claim 30, wherein forming the optical element comprises forming a binary optical element on the substrate.

34. The display system of claim 30, wherein forming the optical element comprises patterning a material to form a plurality of diffractive features.

35. The display system of claim 30, wherein the first substrate comprises the second substrate.

36. The display system of claim 30, wherein the optical element and the plurality of modulators are formed such that the first substrate is located therebetween.

37. The display system of claim 30, wherein the optical element is formed so as to be located between the plurality of interferometric modulators and the first substrate.

38. The display system of claim 30, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are formed so as to be located between the optical element and the first substrate.

39. The display system of claim 30, wherein forming the optical element comprises forming a lenticular lens.

40. The display system of claim 30, wherein the optical element is configured to spread the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

41. The display system of claim 39, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

42. The display system of claim 30, further comprising:

disposing a light source so as to illuminate the optical element; and

further configuring the optical element to compensate for at least one optical property of the light source.

43. A display system for displaying an image, the display system comprising:

a plurality of interferometric modulators configured to modulate light incident thereon; and

a converging diffractive optical element configured to redirect light incident on at least one of the plurality of interferometric modulators.

44. The display system of claim 43, wherein the optical element comprises a positive power optical element.

45. The display system of claim 43, wherein the optical element comprises a binary optical element.

46. The display system of claim 43, wherein the optical element comprises a diffuser.

47. The display system of claim 43, further comprising:

a substrate supporting the plurality of interferometric modulators and supporting the optical element.

48. The display system of claim 47, wherein the substrate is located between the optical element and the plurality of modulators.

49. The display system of claim 47, wherein the diffractive optical element is located between the plurality of interferometric modulators and the substrate.

50. The display system of claim 47, wherein the plurality of interferometric modulators are located between the optical element and the substrate.

51. The display system of claim 47, wherein the optical element is configured to spread the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

52. The display system of claim 47, wherein the first axis is a horizontal axis and the second axis is a vertical axis.

53. The display system of claim 47, further comprising:

a light source, wherein the optical element is configured to compensate for at least one optical property of the light source.

54. A display system for displaying an image, the display system comprising:

means for interferometrically modulating light incident thereon; and

means for converging light adapted so as to limit color shift of at least a portion of the image between different viewing locations.

55. The display system of claim 54, further comprising means for spreading the modulated light differently along a first axis of the display system than along a second axis of the display system.

56. The display system of claim 54, further comprising means for illuminating, wherein the means for converging comprises means for compensating for the effects of at least one optical property of the means for illuminating.