MEMS DISPLAY

• US 20080252959A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chui, Clarence, Mignard, Marc, Mathew, Mithran C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,545,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/223
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/06 Passive matrix structure, i.e. with direct application of both column and row voltages to the light emitting or modulating elements, other than LCD or OLED
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0267 Details of drivers for scan electrodes, other than drivers for liquid crystal, plasma or OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0297 Special arrangements with multiplexing or demultiplexing of display data in the drivers for data electrodes, in a pre-processing circuitry delivering display data to said drivers or in the matrix panel, e.g. multiplexing plural data signals to one D/A converter or demultiplexing the D/A converter output to multiple columns
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2074 using sub-pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2081 with combination of amplitude modulation and time modulation space and time error diffusion G09G3/2066
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3466 based on interferometric effect

Abstract

A display comprising: a plurality of MEMS elements arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows and wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected; and wherein the physical property of at least one MEMS element in at least one subrow is different from the physical property of at least one MEMS element in other subrows. The physical property can be a spring constant associated with a movable mirror, a film thickness, an electrode width, a damping force caused by air between a movable mirror and a fixed mirror, a mass of a movable mirror, a material or geometry of the respective MEMS element.

Claims

1. A display comprising:

a plurality of MEMS elements arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows and wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected; and

wherein the physical property of at least one MEMS element in at least one subrow is different from the physical property of at least one MEMS element in other subrows.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a spring constant associated with a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

3. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a thickness of a film in the respective MEMS element.

4. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a width of an electrode in the respective MEMS element.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a damping force caused by air between a movable mirror and a fixed mirror in the respective MEMS element.

6. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a mass of a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

7. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a material of the respective MEMS element.

8. The display of claim 1, wherein the physical property comprises a geometry of the respective MEMS element.

9. The display of claim 1, wherein the plurality of MEMS elements comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

10. A displaying system comprising:

a display comprising a plurality of MEMS elements arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows, wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected, and wherein the physical property of at least one MEMS element in at least one subrow is different from the physical property of at least one MEMS element in other subrows; and

a processor that is configured to communicate with the display, the processor being configured to process image data.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a spring constant associated with a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a thickness of a film in the respective MEMS element.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a width of an electrode in the respective MEMS element.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a damping force caused by air between a movable mirror and a fixed mirror in the respective MEMS element.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a mass of a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a material of the respective MEMS element.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the physical property comprises a geometry of the respective MEMS element.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of MEMS elements comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising a driver circuit configured to send at least one signal to the display.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a controller configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

21. The system of claim 10, further comprising an image source module configured to send the image data to the processor.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

23. The system of claim 10, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

24. A method of manufacturing a displaying apparatus, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of MEMS elements arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows, wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected, and wherein the physical property of at least one MEMS element in at least one subrow is different from the physical property of at least one MEMS element in other subrows.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical property comprises a spring constant associated with a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein forming the plurality of MEMS elements comprises forming films of different thicknesses in the MEMS elements of different subrows.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein forming the plurality of MEMS elements comprises forming electrodes of different widths in the MEMS elements of different subrows.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical property comprises a damping force caused by air between a movable mirror and a fixed mirror in the respective MEMS element.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical property comprises a mass of a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein forming the plurality of MEMS elements comprises forming the MEMS elements of different subrows with different materials.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the physical property comprises a geometry of the respective MEMS element.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the plurality of MEMS elements comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

33. The method of claim 24, further comprising connecting a driver circuit to the plurality of MEMS elements, the driver circuit being configured to send at least one signal to the plurality of MEMS elements.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising connecting a controller to the driver circuit, the controller being configured to send at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

35. The method of claim 24, further comprising connecting an image source module to the processor, the image source module being configured to send the image data to the processor.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

37. The method of claim 24, further comprising connecting an input device to the processor, the input device being configured to receive input data and to communicate the input data to the processor.

38. A method of displaying data, the method comprising:

receiving an image data signal; and

controlling a plurality of MEMS elements based, at least in part, upon the image data signal;

wherein the plurality of MEMS elements are arranged in rows, wherein the MEMS elements of each of the rows are further arranged in subrows, wherein the subrows of each row are electrically connected, and wherein the physical property of at least one MEMS element in at least one subrow is different from the physical property of at least one MEMS element in other subrows.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a spring constant associated with a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a thickness of a film in the respective MEMS element.

41. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a width of an electrode in the respective MEMS element.

42. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a damping force caused by air between a movable mirror and a fixed mirror in the respective MEMS element.

43. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a mass of a movable mirror in the respective MEMS element.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a material of the respective MEMS element.

45. The method of claim 38, wherein the physical property comprises a geometry of the respective MEMS element.

46. The method of claim 38, wherein the plurality of MEMS elements comprises a plurality of interferometric modulators.

47. The method of claim 38, additionally comprising sending, by a driver circuit, at least one signal to the plurality of MEMS elements.

48. The method of claim 47, additionally comprising sending, by a controller, at least a portion of the image data to the driver circuit.

49. The method of claim 38, additionally comprising sending, by an image source module, the image data to a processor configured to communicate with the plurality of MEMS elements.