TRI WAVELENGTH INTERFERENCE MODULATOR AND A METHOD FOR MODULATION

• US 20110141545A1
• Filed: 12/10/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: XI'AN Yisheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shanghai Lexvu Opto Microelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: HUANG, HERB HE
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,039 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0816 by means of one or more reflecting elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tri wavelength interference modulator (TWIM) and a method of tri wavelength interference modulation. The tri wavelength interference modulator includes: a stationary substrate with a bottom electrode plate formed on top of the stationary substrate; a first electrode plate comprising a first suspended beam suspended in parallel above the stationary substrate and a first connection electrically connected onto the stationary substrate; and a second electrode plate comprising a second suspended beam suspended in parallel above the first electrode plate and a second connection electrically connected onto the stationary substrate. The inference modulator and the method for inference modulation are suitable to projection system.

Claims

1. A tri wavelength interference modulator, comprising:

a stationary substrate with a bottom electrode plate formed on top of the stationary substrate;

a first electrode plate comprising a first suspended beam suspended in parallel above the stationary substrate and a first connection electrically connected onto the stationary substrate; and

a second electrode plate comprising a second suspended beam suspended in parallel above the first electrode plate and a second connection electrically connected onto the stationary substrate;

wherein the stationary substrate further comprises a driving circuitry built inside the stationary substrate, the driving circuitry is adapted to provide electrical charge to the bottom electrode, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate respectively, so as to remain a relax distance, a pull-close distance and a pull-apart distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam respectively within different time durations;

the pull-close distance is adapted to make illumination of a first wavelength in incident illumination passing through the second electrode plate form selectively destructive interference, the relax distance is adapted to make illumination of a second wavelength in incident illumination form selectively destructive interference, and the pull-apart distance is adapted to make illumination of a third wavelength in incident illumination form selectively destructive interference.

2. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the relax distance between the first suspended beam of the first electrode plate and the second suspended beam of the second electrode plate is remained when the electrical charge provided by the driving circuitry is zero, or the electrical charge remains equilibrium of electrostatic force among the bottom electrode plate, the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

3. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is adapted to move towards the second electrode when the driving circuitry provides opposite electrical charge to the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

4. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 3, wherein a second spacing limiter is configured on a bottom of the second electrode plate or a top of the first electrode plate, the second spacing limiter is adapted to remain the pull-close distance between the first suspended beam of the first electrode plate and the second suspended beam of the second electrode plate when the first electrode plate is moving towards the second electrode plate.

5. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is adapted to move towards the bottom electrode plate when the driving circuitry provides opposite electrical charge to the first electrode plate and the bottom electrode plate.

6. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 5, wherein a first spacing limiter is configured on a bottom of the first electrode plate or a top of the bottom electrode plate, the first spacing limiter is adapted to remain the pull-apart distance between the first suspended beam of the first electrode plate and the second suspended beam of the second electrode plate when the first electrode plate is moving towards the bottom electrode plate.

7. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the first wavelength, the second wavelength and the second wavelength correspond to a chosen blue wavelength within blue color spectrum from 450 to 495 nm, a chosen green wavelength within green color spectrum from 495 to 570 nm, and a chosen red wavelength within red spectrum from 620 to 750 nm, respectively.

8. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 7, wherein the second electrode plate further comprises a band-pass filter adapted to band-pass filter the incident illumination so as to make illumination passing through the second electrode plate merely comprises illumination of the first wavelength, illumination of the second wavelength and illumination of the third wavelength.

9. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the bottom electrode plate is made from any or combination of silver, aluminum, copper, titanium, platinum, gold, nickel and cobalt.

10. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the first suspended beam further comprises a first dielectric layer and a first reflecting layer formed on a top of the first dielectric layer, the first reflecting layer is adapted to reflect and transmit illumination that does not form selectively destructive interference in the incident illumination out of the second electrode plate.

11. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 10, wherein the first dielectric layer is made from any one or combination of silicon oxide, nitride and carbide, the first reflecting layer is made from any or combination of silver, aluminum, copper, titanium, platinum, gold, nickel and cobalt.

12. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1, wherein the second suspended beam of the second electrode plate further comprises a thin conductive layer and a second dielectric layer.

13. The tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 12, wherein the second dielectric layer is made from any one or combination of silicon oxide, nitride and carbide, the thin conductive layer is made from any or combination of silver, aluminum, copper, titanium, platinum, gold, nickel and cobalt.

14. A method of tri wavelength interference modulation by using the tri wavelength interference modulator according to claim 1 to modulate the incident illumination, wherein the incident illumination consists of illumination of the first wavelength lasting for a first duration, illumination of the second wavelength lasting for a second duration, and illumination of the third wavelength lasting for a third duration, the method comprising:

dividing the first duration into a first off duration and a first on duration;

driving the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate by a driving circuitry of the tri wavelength inference modulator to form a relative movement, and remain a pull-close distance between a first suspended beam of the first electrode plate and a second suspended beam of the second electrode plate during the first off duration so that the illumination of the first wavelength forms selectively destructive inference, but not remain the pull-close distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam so that the illumination of the first wavelength forms reflection during the first on duration;

dividing the second duration into a second off duration and a second on duration;

driving the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate by the driving circuitry of the tri wavelength inference modulator to form a relative movement, and remain a relax distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam during the second off duration so that the illumination of the second wavelength forms selectively destructive inference, but not remain the relax distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam so that the illumination of the second wavelength forms reflection during the second on duration;

dividing the third duration into a third off duration and a third on duration;

driving the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate by the driving circuitry of the tri wavelength inference modulator to form a relative movement, and remain a pull-apart distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam during the second off duration so that the illumination of the third wavelength forms selectively destructive inference, but not remain the pull-apart distance between the first suspended beam and the second suspended beam so that the illumination of the third wavelength forms reflection during the third on duration.