Xerox Corporation

Palo Alto Research Center Inc.

Jackson H Ho

Ronald T Fulks

David Kirtland Fork

Jeng Ping Lu

JengPing Lu

Tzu-Chin Chuang

Rachel King-ha Lau

Robert R Allen, Deceased

Raj B Apte

Jurgen Hans Daniel

Richard H Bruce

Michael L Chabinyc

William W Yao

Tsu-Jae King

Chinnwen Shih

Eric Peeters

Michael G Hack

Eugene Michael Chow

Ping Mei

Patrick Yasuo Maeda

Joel A Kubby

William S Wong

Meng H Lean

Armin R Volkel

Yu Wang

Robert L Thornton

Decai Sun

Russel A Martin

Ana Claudia Arias

Philip D Floyd

Louis D Silverstein

Rene A Lujan

Alan G Lewis

Huangpin Ben Hsieh

William D Turner

Tuan Anh Vo

James B Boyce

Ross D Bringans

Armin Rainer Völkel

James C Mikkelsen

Thomas G Fiske

Malcolm J Thompson

Gregory P Crawford

Kathleen Dore Boyce, Legal Representative

Jürgen H Daniel

Feixia Pan

G A Neville Connell

William P Meuli

Chinwen Shih

Hugo L Steemers

Rachel Lau

Rachel King-Ha Lau

JengPing Liu

Susan M Stuber

Koenraad Van Schuylenbergh

A backplane test system is provided that uses a pressed or deposited resistive film and infra-red (IR) imaging to visualize and quantify the current drive of pixels. In one form, the system is used for measuring organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) backplanes or other current-actuated-display (CAD) backplanes.

Current-actuated-display backplane tester and method

An embodiment is a method and apparatus to fabricate a flat panel display. A poly-last structure is formed for a display panel using an amorphous silicon or amorphous silicon compatible process. The poly-last structure has a channel silicon precursor. The display panel is formed from the poly-last structure using a polysilicon specific or polysilicon compatible process.

Flat-panel display semiconductor process for efficient manufacturing

Cells can include variable volumes defined between a flexible structure, such as a polymer layer, and a support surface, with the flexible structure and support surface being attached in a first region that surrounds a second region in which they are unattached. Various adhesion structures can attach the flexible structure and the support surface. When unstretched, the flexible structure can lie in a flat position on the support surface. In response to a stretching force away from the support surface, the flexible structure can move out of the flat position, providing the variable volume. Electrodes, such as on the flexible structure, on the support surface, and over the flexible structure, can have charge levels that couple with each other and with the variable volume. A support structure can include a device layer with signal circuitry that provides a signal path between an electrode and external circuitry. One or more ducts can provide fluid communication with each cell's variable volume. Arrays of such cells can be implemented for various applications, such as optical modulators, displays, printheads, and microphones.

Variable volume between flexible structure and support surface

A backplane circuit includes an array of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), each OTFT including a source contact, a drain contact, and an organic semiconductor region extending between the source and drain contacts. The drain contacts in each row are connected to an address line. The source and drain contacts and the address lines are fabricated using a multi-layer structure including a relatively thick base portion formed of a relatively inexpensive metal (e.g., aluminum or copper), and a relatively thin contact layer formed of a high work function, low oxidation metal (e.g., gold) that exhibits good electrical contact to the organic semiconductor, is formed opposite at least one external surface of the base, and is located at least partially in an interface region where the organic semiconductor contacts an underlying dielectric layer.

Organic thin-film transistor backplane with multi-layer contact structures and data lines

Various traveling wave grids and related systems are disclosed that are particularly beneficial for the separation, transport, and focusing of biomolecules or other charged species. An implementation of a vertically integrated traveling wave module is described which allows for scalability to arbitrary gel dimensions through tiling. In addition, several unique traveling wave algorithms are also described which when used in conjunction with the traveling wave grids, impart selective motion to biomolecules or other charged species.

Traveling wave grids and algorithms for biomolecule separation, transport and focusing

Controlled overetching is utilized to produce metal patterns having gaps that are smaller than the resolution limits of the feature patterning (e.g., photolithography) process utilized to produce the metal patterns. A first metal layer is formed and masked, and exposed regions are etched away. The etching process is allowed to continue in a controlled manner to produced a desired amount of over-etching (i.e., undercutting the mask) such that an edge of the first metal layer is offset from an edge of the mask by a predetermined gap distance. A second metal layer is then deposited such that an edge of the second metal layer is spaced from the first metal layer by the predetermined gap distance. The metal gap is used to define, for example, transistor channel lengths, thereby facilitating the production of transistors having channel lengths defined by etching process control that are smaller than the process resolution limits.

Sub-resolution gaps generated by controlled over-etching

An apparatus integrating electrostatically actuated MEMS devices and high voltage driver (actuator) electronics on a single substrate, where the driver electronics utilize offset-gate high voltage thin-film transistors (HVTFTs) that facilitate the transmission of high actuating voltages using relatively low control voltages, thereby facilitating the formation of large arrays of electrostatically-actuated MEMS devices. The driver circuit is arranged such that the high actuating voltage is applied to an actuating electrode of the actuated MEMS device and drain electrode of the HVTFT when the HVTFT is turned off, thereby minimizing dielectric breakdown. When the HVTFT is turned on in response to the relatively low control voltage, the high actuating voltage is discharged to ground from the drain (offset) electrode to the source (not offset) electrode.

Integrated driver electronics for MEMS device using high voltage thin film transistors

Efficient methods for lithographically fabricating spring structures onto a substrate containing contact pads or metal vias by forming both the spring metal and release material layers using a single mask. Specifically, a pad of release material is self-aligned to the spring metal finger using a photoresist mask or a plated metal pattern, or using lift-off processing techniques. A release mask is then used to release the spring metal finger while retaining a portion of the release material that secures the anchor portion of the spring metal finger to the substrate. When the release material is electrically conductive (e.g., titanium), this release material portion is positioned directly over the contact pad or metal via, and acts as a conduit to the spring metal finger in the completed spring structure. When the release material is non-conductive, a metal strap is formed to connect the spring metal finger to the contact pad/via.

Method for fabricating a spring structure on a substrate

Efficient methods for lithographically fabricating spring structures onto a substrate containing contact pads or metal vias by forming both the spring metal and release material layers using a single mask. Specifically, a pad of release material is self-aligned to the spring metal finger using a photoresist mask or a plated metal pattern, or using lift-off processing techniques. A release mask is then used to release the spring metal finger while retaining a portion of the release material that secures the anchor portion of the spring metal finger to the substrate. When the release material is electrically conductive (e.g., titanium), this release material portion is positioned directly over the contact pad or metal via, and acts as a conduit to the spring metal finger in the completed spring structure. When the release material is non-conductive, a metal strap is formed to connect the spring metal finger to the contact pad or metal via, and also to further anchor the spring metal finger to the substrate.

Spring structure with self-aligned release material

A top gate, self-aligned polysilicon (poly-Si) thin film transistor (TFT) is formed using a single laser anneal to crystallize the active silicon and to activate the source-drain region. The poly-Si TFT includes a substrate, dummy gate, a barrier oxide layer, a polysilicon pattern having a source region and a drain region, a gate oxide, and a gate.

Top gate self-aligned polysilicon TFT and a method for its production

A micro-electromechanical bistable shutter display device is provided capable of being implemented for both small screen, high resolution devices and for large billboard-type displays. The micro-electromechanical shutter assembly has bi-stability characteristics which allow the use of only a holding voltage to maintain an image. The micro-electromechanical shutter assembly includes a shutter having petal-like shutter segments covering reflective or transmittive films. To expose the film in a particular shutter assembly, its shutter segments are moved from the horizontal to a vertical position using electrostatic attraction forces to &ldquo;collapse&rdquo; the torsionally-hinged shutter segments. The shutter assembly can have a number of segments, as long as the resulting shutter assembly shape can be stacked to form a dense 2D array.

Micro-electromechanical based bistable color display sheets

A liquid crystal display is provided having two substrates. One substrate includes active aperture areas and a non-active area. A spacing layer is provided between the two substrates and includes spacing elements of anisotropic shape and geometry. The anisotropic spacing elements are formed only within the non-active areas of the substrate. A method of manufacturing is also provided including mechanically rubbing the liquid crystal display after the spacing elements are formed on the one substrate.

Smart spacers for active matrix liquid crystal projection light valves

A new process to form a polycrystalline silicon film using a polycrystalline silicon-germanium (poly-Si.sub.1-x Ge.sub.x) capping film to 'seed' crystallization of an amorphous silicon film on an upper surface of a substrate. The polycrystalline silicon film has no nucleation sites and a greater number of grain boundaries in the region near the polycrystalline silicon upper surface than in the region near the polycrystalline silicon and substrate upper surface interface. This indicates that crystallization and crystal growth occurred from the polycrystalline silicon upper surface and proceeded in a direction towards the substrate upper surface.

Solid phase epitaxial crystallization of amorphous silicon films on

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

Jackson H Ho