DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURE THEREOF

• US 20110122474A1
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pixtronix, Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Je Hong, Villarreal, Javier, Payne, Richard S., Andersson, Mark B., Gandhi, Jignesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,261,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/230
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/02 for controlling the intensity of light G02B26/004 takes precedence

Abstract

Display devices incorporating light modulators are disclosed along with methods of manufacturing such devices. According to some aspects of the invention, a control matrix for controlling light modulators of a display includes a light absorbing layer that includes a material having a substantially light absorbing property.

Claims

1. A control matrix of electrical components for controlling light modulators of a display, comprising a light absorbing layer comprising a material having a substantially light absorbing property.

2. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing layer reflects <

50% of the incident light.

3. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the material of the light absorbing layer is a conductor.

4. The control matrix of claim 3, wherein the conductor comprises a mixture of aluminum and molybdenum.

5. The control matrix of claim 3, wherein the conductor comprises a mixture of aluminum oxide and molybdenum.

6. The control matrix of claim 3, wherein the conductor comprises a mixture of titanium and nitrogen.

7. The control matrix of claim 3, wherein the conductor comprises a mixture of niobium and oxygen.

8. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing layer comprises an interconnect.

9. The control matrix of claim 1, comprising an interconnect comprising a conductor layer and the light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is a non-conductor.

10. The control matrix of claim 1, comprising at least one gate, wherein the light absorbing layer is patterned to not contact the at least one gate.

11. The control matrix of claim 10, comprising an interconnect layer that is patterned, in regions near the at least one gate, to contact the at least one gate and, in regions away from the at least one gate, to match the patterning of the light absorbing layer.

12. The control matrix of claim 1, comprising a transistor comprising a plurality of layers, one of which is the light absorbing layer.

13. The control matrix of claim 12, wherein the material of the light absorbing layer is a semiconductor.

14. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the material of the light absorbing layer is a dielectric.

15. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing layer has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a thickness selected so that light reflected from the top and bottom surfaces destructively interfere.

16. The control matrix of claim 15, wherein the light absorbing layer has a refractive index and the thickness of the light absorbing layer is selected to substantially equal one quarter of a selected wavelength divided by the refractive index of the light absorbing layer.

17. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing layer is patterned to form a plurality of aperture regions.

18. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the control matrix controls MEMS-based light modulators.

19. The control matrix of claim 18, wherein the MEMS-based light modulators comprise shutters.

20. A method for manufacturing a control matrix of electrical components for controlling light modulators of a display, comprising

depositing a conductor layer over a substrate on which the control matrix is formed,

depositing a light absorbing layer over the substrate, wherein the light absorbing layer is a non-conductor,

patterning the conductor and light absorbing layers to form a portion of the control matrix.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the conductor and light absorbing layers are patterned simultaneously to have the same patterning.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the conductor and light absorbing layers are patterned separately and have different patterning.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of patterning the layers comprises

patterning the conductor layer to contact at least one gate of the control matrix, wherein the conductor layer comprises an interconnect, and

patterning the light absorbing layer, in regions near the at least one gate, to not contact the at least one gate and, in regions away from the at least one gate, to match the patterning of the conductor layer.