Display apparatus and methods for manufacture thereof

• US 9,261,694 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snaptrack Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pixtronix, Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Payne, Richard S., Kim, Je Hong, Gandhi, Jignesh, Andersson, Mark B., Villarreal, Javier
• Primary Examiner(s): Allen, Stephone B
• Assistant Examiner(s): THOMAS, BRANDI N
• Application Number:
  US12/985,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,868 Days
• Field of Search: 359290-292, 359/295, 359/298, 359/237, 359/242, 359/246, 359/247
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 comprising:

a plurality of electrical components arranged to control one or more light modulators; and

at least one interconnect including light absorbing material, the at least one interconnect being arranged to provide electrical signals to at least one of the plurality of electrical components and absorb a portion of incident light, a first portion of the interconnect including a gate of at least one transistor and a second portion of the interconnect extending along a column or row associated with the one or more light modulators.

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

50% of the incident light.

3. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing material includes 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 at least one interconnect includes a conductor layer and a light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is a non-conductor.

9. The control matrix of claim 8, comprising at least one gate, wherein the light absorbing layer is patterned to not contact the at least one gate.

10. The control matrix of claim 9, wherein the at least one interconnect 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.

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

12. The control matrix of claim 11, wherein the light absorbing layer is a semiconductor.

13. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the light absorbing material includes a dielectric.

14. The control matrix of claim 8, 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.

15. The control matrix of claim 14, 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.

16. The control matrix of claim 1 further comprising a light absorbing layer that is patterned to form a plurality of aperture regions.

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

18. The control matrix of claim 17, wherein the MEMS-based light modulators comprise shutters.

19. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are formed concurrently.

20. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the first and second portions are formed by a photomask.

21. The control matrix of claim 1, wherein the at least one transistor and the one or more light modulators is formed from a common layer of material.