METHOD AND DEVICE FOR GENERATING WHITE IN AN INTERFEROMETRIC MODULATOR DISPLAY

• US 20090296191A1
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IDC, LLC
• Inventors: Floyd, Philip D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,098,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/259
• 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

Various embodiments of the invention relate to methods and systems for generating the color white in displays created from interferometric modulators and more specifically, to the generation of the color white through the use of reflected light at two wavelengths. In one embodiment, a display device displays the color white. The color white is generated by reflecting light from two pluralities of interferometric modulator types. The first modulator type reflects colored light at a specific wavelength. The second modulator type reflects colored light selected to be at a wavelength complementary to the first. The combined light reflected from the two types appears white in the display.

Claims

1. An array of interferometric modulators configured to appear to have a white color, the array comprising:

a first plurality of color interferometric modulators wherein each modulator reflects a first color light; and

a second plurality of color interferometric modulators wherein each modulator reflects a second color light,

wherein the combined reflected light from only the first plurality of color interferometric modulators and only the second plurality of color interferometric modulators appears substantially white.

2. The array of claim 1, wherein only said first and second pluralities of interferometric modulators are included in said array.

4. The array of claim 1, wherein the white color is the color of a blackbody radiator between 2856 K and 6500 K.

6. The array of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of interferometric modulators and the second plurality of interferometric modulators are arranged to form at least a portion of a display.

22. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor that is in electrical communication with at least one of said first plurality of color interferometric modulators and said second plurality of color interferometric modulators, said processor being configured to process image data; and

a memory device in electrical communication with said processor.

23. The device of claim 22, further comprising:

a first controller configured to send at least one signal to at least one of said first and second plurality of color interferometric modulators; and

a second controller configured to send at least a portion of said image data to said first controller.

24. The device of claim 23, further comprising an image source module configured to send said image data to said processor.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein said image source module comprises at least one of a receiver, transceiver, and transmitter.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising an input device configured to receive input data and to communicate said input data to said processor.

3. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

7. A method of selecting wavelengths for a first plurality of interferometric modulators and a second plurality of interferometric modulators so that a combination of reflected light has the color of white, the method comprising:

selecting a first plurality of interferometric modulator display elements that reflects a first color light; and

selecting a second plurality of interferometric modulator display elements that reflects a second color light, wherein the second color light is complementary to the first color light such that said first color light and said second color light combined appear substantially white.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein only said first and said second pluralities of interferometric modulators are included in an array.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the white color is the color of a blackbody radiator between 2856 K and 6500 K.

21. An array of interferometric modulators manufactured by the method of claim 7.

9. (canceled)

11. A method of displaying a region of an image having a white color, the method comprising:

reflecting a first color light from a first plurality of color interferometric modulators, said first color light having a first center wavelength; and

reflecting a second color light from a second plurality of color interferometric modulators, said second color light having a second center wavelength in the region that is complementary to the first center wavelength.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein only said first and said second pluralities of interferometric modulators are included in an array.

13. An array of light modulators arranged at intersections of rows and columns of first and second electrodes, the array comprising:

a first light modulator forming a first optical resonant cavity at a first intersection of the first and second electrodes, the first optical resonant cavity being configured to reflect light having a first wavelength; and

a second light modulator forming a second optical resonant cavity at a second intersection of the first and second electrodes, the second optical resonant cavity being configured to reflect light having a second wavelength,

wherein the light reflected by the first cavity and the light reflected by the second cavity are complementary and produce a substantially white color when combined together.

14. The array of claim 13, wherein said first and said second light modulators are included in an array having only color interferometric modulators configured to reflect said first wavelength and color interferometric modulators configured to reflect said second wavelength.

15. The array of claim 13, wherein the first electrode and second electrode comprise at least partially reflective metal surfaces.

16. The array of claim 13, wherein the first optical resonant cavity comprises reflective surfaces separated by a first distance and the second optical resonant cavity comprises reflective surfaces separated by a second distance different than the first distance.

17. An apparatus for displaying a region of an image having a white color, the apparatus comprising:

means for reflecting light having a first color in the region; and

means for reflecting light at a second color in the region,

wherein said second color is substantially complementary to the first color.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein only said two types of means for reflecting light are included in an array.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first color reflecting means comprises a first interferometric modulator.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second color reflecting means comprises a second interferometric modulator.