Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Kamelian Limited, a Body Corporate

Craig Tombling

Michael Geraint Robinson

Nicholas Mayhew

Michael John Towler

Michael G Robinson

Paul Bonnett

Mitsuhiro Koden

Harry Garth Walton

Martin David Tillin

Tomoaki Kuratate

Paul May

Duncan James Anderson

Graham John Woodgate

Jonathan Harrold

Yuichiro Yamada

Edward P Raynes

Akiyoshi Fujii

David Ezra

Emma Jayne Walton

Andrew Kay

Sally Anderson

Elizabeth Jane Acosta

Diana Cynthia Ulrich

Timothy David Bestwick

Tadashi Kawamura

Jason Kempton Slack

Robert George Brown

Andrew James Hudson

Michael Stuart Weaver

Karen Emma Todd

Stephen James Fasham

Brian Henley

A method of aligning the end of an array of optical fibers , such as ribbon fiber, with waveguides in an optical device , such as an active semiconductor optical device. The ends of the optical fibers are mounted in grooves in a grooved surface of a first block of a fiber block assembly . A second block is mounted to the grooved surface of the first block with the fibers mounted between the blocks . The grooved surface of the first block extends beyond the second block to form guide surfaces . The optical device is supported on a support surface of a bench having guide surfaces extending from the support surface

Alignment of optical fibers with an optical device

A liquid crystal display device comprises: a layer of a chiral liquid crystal material disposed between first and second substrates; and means for applying a voltage across the liquid crystal layer. A first region of the liquid crystal layer is an active region for display and a second region of the liquid crystal layer is a nucleation region for generating a desired liquid crystal state in the first region when a voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer. The ratio of the thickness d of the liquid crystal layer to the pitch p of the liquid crystal material has a first value (d/p) in the first region of the liquid crystal layer and has a second value (d/p) different from the first value in the second region of the liquid crystal layer. The value (d/p) of the ratio of the thickness d of the liquid crystal layer to the pitch p of the liquid crystal material in the second region of the liquid crystal layer is selected such that, when no voltage is applied across the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal state stable in the second region of the liquid crystal layer is topologically equivalent to the desired liquid crystal state.

Liquid crystal display device

A liquid crystal device comprises pixels which are switchable between a white state and a black state. Spacers are disposed in gaps between the pixels and are birefringent such that the spacers have the same optical properties as liquid crystal in the black state. For example, the spacers may have the same retardation as the liquid crystal layer with an optic axis fixed in the direction of the optic axis of the liquid crystal when in the black state.

Liquid crystal device

A charge-transport structure, e g an opto-electronic structure such an electroluminescent device is manufactured by forming a uniform first charge-transport (eg electron-transport) polymer layer on a substrate. Low molar mass dyes in a solvent are ink-jet printed onto the exposed surface of the first layer to form a multicolor pattern, and the dyes are allowed to diffuse into the layer to form charge-recombination/emitter regions within the layer. Excess dyes are washed away from the surface and then a uniform second charge-transport (eg hole-transport) polymer layer is formed on the resultant smooth surface of the first layer over the tops of the regions. Finally, electrodes are deposited on the top of the second layer in registration with the regions. Photovoltaic structures and organic transistors are also disclosed.

Charge-transport structures

A diffractive spatial light modulator comprises first and second substrates ( ) between which an optical path is defined comprising, in order, first ( ), second ( ), and third ( ) half wave retarders. The second retarder ( ) has a fixed optic axis ( ) whereas the first and third retarders have switchable optic axes ( ). The fixed optic axis ( ) is oriented outside the switching ranges of the switchable optic axes ( ). The modulator is pixellated and each pixel comprises a switchable phase-only diffraction grating. Each pixel is switchable between a first mode in which incident light is output in the zeroth order diffraction lobe and a second mode in which incident light is deflected into higher order diffraction lobes. The spatial light modulator may be used in high brightness projection displays.

Diffractive spatial light modulator and display

A Liquid crystal device includes: first and second substrates; a layer of liquid crystal disposed between the first and second substrates: and a plurality of picture elements. Each of the picture elements includes: a first electrode disposed on the first substrate; a second electrode electrically insulated from and disposed above the first electrode relative to the substrates; and a third electrode disposed on the second substrate.

Liquid crystal device in which an electric field within the picture element varies in intensity

A display device includes a plurality of strobe electrodes and a plurality of pairs of data electrodes crossed with the strobe electrodes to define a respective pixel at each overlap of one of the strobe electrodes with one of the pairs of data electrodes. The display device further includes a strobe signal source for simultaneously supplying X different strobe signals to each group of X strobe electrodes in turn, where X is an integer greater than one, and a data signal source for supplying any one of a plurality of data signals to the data electrodes such that all combinations of optical states of the X pixels addressed by each group of strobe electrodes and each pair of data electrodes are selectable.

Display device and a method of addressing a display device

A diffractive spatial light modulator of the present invention includes a plurality of picture elements, each of the plurality of picture elements, comprises a plurality of first elongate parallel electrodes, a plurality of second elongate parallel electrodes interdigitated with the first electrodes and a third electrode, facing the first and second elongate parallel electrodes; and an address signal generator connected to the first and second elongate parallel electrodes and arranged to supply addressing signals for selectively switching each of the plurality of picture elements, picture element to any one of a non-diffractive state and a plurality of diffractive states of different diffraction efficiencies.

A spatial light modulator, for instance of the diffractive liquid crystal type, comprises an addressing circuit and a plurality of pixels. Each of the pixels has a plurality of first elongate electrodes and a plurality of second elongate electrodes interdigitated with the first electrodes. The first electrodes are connected to the addressing circuit whereas the second electrodes are electrically floating.

Spatial light modulator and display with picture elements having electrically floating electrodes

An address generator for a display or spatial light modulator, comprising a first shift register having a plurality of cascade-connected stages for controlling respective first address electrodes of the display or spatial light modulator. The stages of the first shift register include a first reconfigurable shift register stage which is selectively operable in an alternate mode, in which the output of the first reconfigurable shift register stage follows the output of a preceding stage.

Address generator display and spatial light modulator

A diffractive liquid crystal device includes a bistable liquid crystal arranged as pixels with each pixel being addressed by a strobe electrode and a pair of interdigitated data electrodes. A strobe generator supplies an initial blanking pulse to each of the strobe electrodes and then supplies strobe pulses in sequence to the strobe electrodes for at least several frames without any more blanking pulses. A data signal generator supplies data signals to the pairs of data electrodes which switch each pixel to a diffractive or non-diffractive state irrespective of its previous state. In particular, the strobe signals comprise pulses of opposite direction in consecutive frames. To select the non-diffractive pixel state, switching signals are applied to both the first and second electrodes during each frame. To select the diffractive pixel state, the first and second electrodes receive non-switching and switching pulses, respectively, during odd frames and switching and non-switching pulses, respectively, during even frames. This arrangement may be periodically reversed for DC compensation.

Diffractive liquid crystal device

A spatial light modulator includes at least three picture elements, each of which includes a plurality of first elongate electrodes which are connected together and a plurality of second elongate electrodes which are connected together and which are interdigitated with the first electrodes. The first electrodes of a second of the picture elements are connected to the second electrodes of a first of the picture elements and the second electrodes of the second picture element are connected to the first electrodes of a third of the picture elements.

Spatial light modulator and display with reduced electrical connectivity

A diffractive spatial light modulator includes: a layer of electro-optic material; a first electrode arrangement substantially covering a first side of the layer; and a second electrode arrangement substantially covering a second side of the layer. The first electrode arrangement includes a plurality of sets of elongate electrodes, and the elongate electrodes of each of the sets are electrically connected together and interdigitated with the elongate electrodes of at least one of the other acts. The second electrode arrangement includes a plurality of discrete picture element electrodes.

Diffractive spatial light modulator

A diffractive spatial light modulator includes first and second substrates between which an optical path is defined including, in order, first, second, and third half wave retarders. The second retarder has a fixed optic axis whereas the first and third retarders have switchable optic axes. The modulator is pixellated and each pixel includes a switchable phase-only diffraction grating. Each pixel is switchable between a first mode in which incident light is output in the zero-th order diffraction lobe and a second mode in which incident light is deflected into higher order diffraction lobes. The spatial light modulator may be used in high brightness projection displays.

Liquid crystal diffractive spatial light modulator and display having

A polarization independent optical phase modulator comprises first and second substrates. A reflector is disposed between the first and second substrates and a quarterwave plate is disposed between the reflector and the first substrate. A polarization dependent electrooptic layer is disposed between the quarterwave plate and the first substrate. The quarterwave plate has an optic axis which is aligned at 45 degrees to the polarization whose phase is modulated by the electrooptic layer.

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Stadhampton, United Kingdom

Craig Tombling