Texas Instruments Corporation

Jwei Wien Liu

John Patrick O'Connor

Bradley Morgan Haskett

Edward Carl Fisher

Steven Edward Smith

Frank Odell Armstrong

Ivan Kmecko

Vincent C Lopes

Mark Myron Miller

Daniel C Estabrook

Thomas Allan Kocian

Roger A Robbins

Jeffrey E Faris

Satyan R Kalyandurg

Jack C Smith

Joyce Wong Holton

Jeffrey E Farris

An improved method for fabricating a window frame/window piece assembly is disclosed in this application. A window frame having an opening in its inner portion is provided. According to one aspect, the window frame can be formed from a unitary piece of sheet metal. A transparent piece is attached to the inner portion of the window frame through a molding process. According to one embodiment, the window frame is placed within a mold such that the inner portion of the window frame projects into an inner cavity inside the mold. After the mold has been closed, a transparent material is injected into the inner cavity so that it bonds with the inner portion of the window frame. After the bond of between the transparent material and the window frame is set, the window frame/window piece assembly is removed from the mold. According to another embodiment, a plurality of window frames may be loaded into a single mold so that a plurality of window frame/window piece assemblies can be fabricated in a single batch.

Method and apparatus for forming a DMD window frame with molded glass

An improved window frame and window piece for a micromirror assembly is disclosed herein. The window frame includes a stress-relieving contour positioned in the middle of the frame that can absorb the mechanical stresses applied to the window frame from the ceramic base and from the window piece. The window frame may be comprised of a single piece of sheet metal that has been stamped to include a stress-relieving contour. The stress-relieving contour may be comprised of a variety of shapes, including a 'U' shape, an inverted 'U' shape, a curved step shape, or other combinations thereof.

Stress relieved flat frame for DMD window

A package that resists creation of particles in a package cavity. A package according to one embodiment of the present invention contains a mechanical device attached to the floor of the package substrate. Epoxy typically is used to attach the device. Electrical connections are provided by bond wires connecting bond pads on the substrate with bond pads on the device. A window is attached to the substrate to form a cavity around the device. A thin masking layer on portions of the package cavity surface prevents the surface from generating particles. The thin masking layer may be any material that resists particle generation. The masking layer on the cavity walls optionally extends out of the cavity and onto the upper surface of the package.

Masking layer in substrate cavity

An anchor to hold getter materials in place within a micromechanical device package substrate. First and second cavity faces define an anchor cavity and mechanically retain a getter away from a region holding the micromechanical device. The getter anchor may be formed in a substrate comprised of at least three layers. The layers form a cavity in the substrate with a wide bottom portion&#x2014;formed in the middle layer and a relatively narrower top portion&#x2014;formed by the top layer. The narrow portion helps to retain the getter in the cavity by creating a mechanical lock on the wide portion of getter in the bottom of the cavity.

Anchor for device package

Stress relieved frame

A drop-in environmental control material carrier assembly, which improves the performance and lowers the cost of semiconductor packages. The disclosed approach positions the environmental control materials inside the package cavity by means of a drop-in environmental control material carrier assembly, which can hold up to eight materials. In the case of a packaged micromirror, the getters consist of at least three types; i.e., (1) one for absorbing moisture inside the package, (2) one for absorbing adhesive outgassing constituents inside the package, and (3) one for storing the PFDA lubricant used to prevent the micromirror mirrors from sticking. The performance and lifetime of the micromirror devices are improved and the cost of projection display systems, in which these micromirrors are central components, is lowered. The preceding abstract is submitted with the understanding that it only will be used to assist in determining, from a cursory inspection, the nature and gist of the technical disclosure as described in 37 C.F.R. &#xa7; 1.72(b). In no case should this abstract be used for interpreting the scope of any patent claims.

Package with environmental control material carrier

A low-cost, high-performance, reliable micromirror package ( ) that replaces the ceramic substrate in conventional packages with a printed circuit board substrate ( ) and a molded plastic case ( ), and the cover glass with a window ( ), preferably an optically clear plastic window. The printed circuit board substrate ( ) allows for either external bond pads or flex cable connection of the micromirror package to the projector's motherboard. These packages support flexible snap-in, screw-in, ultrasonic plastic welding, or adhesive welding processes to overcome the high cost seam welding process of many conventional packages.

MEMS enclosure

A drop-in aperture , which improves the performance and lowers the cost of electro-optical SLM packages. The disclosed package provides a separate metal light shield (aperture) and antireflective coated cover , and positions the aperture inside the package in close proximity to the SLM's surface. This approach further uses an on-chip SLM light shield to define the projected screen border, thereby making the edge definition of the metal drop-in aperture less critical. Therefore, the cover can be mounted well away from the plane of the SLM, which relaxes the defect requirements of the cover and lowers the cost of the overall package. The package of this invention improves the performance and lifetime and lowers the cost of projection display systems.

Electro-optical package with drop-in aperture

A drop-in environmental control material carrier assembly 55, which improves the performance and lowers the cost of semiconductor packages. The environmental control materials are positioned inside the package cavity by means of a drop-in environmental control material carrier assembly 54, which can hold up to eight materials. Three types of environmental control materials are typically used in micromirror packages: (1) one for absorbing moisture inside the package, (2) one for absorbing adhesive outgassing constituents inside the package, and (3) one for storing the PFDA lubricant used to prevent the micromirror mirrors from sticking. The performance and lifetime of the micromirror devices are improved and the cost of projection display systems, in which these micromirrors are central components, is lowered.

A system and method of aligning a micromirror array to the micromirror package and the micromirror package to a display system. The system and method improve the alignment of the micromirror array to the display system by using a consistent set of precision reference regions. The micromirror package substrate engages an alignment fixture portion of a die mounter during the die mount operation, and a similar fixture when installed in a display system. The package substrate is held by the predefined regions on two edges and the three predefined regions on the top surface. When mounting the device in the package optical techniques may be used for x-y plane alignment. Spring plunger biases the substrate against the contact points on the top surface. In the display system or other end equipment, a socket contacts the same six points to align the device. The preceding abstract is submitted with the understanding that it only will be used to assist in determining, from a cursory inspection, the nature and gist of the technical disclosure as described in 37 C.F.R. &sect;1.72(b). In no case should this abstract be used for interpreting the scope of any patent claims.

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Plano, TX, United States of America

Jwei Wien Liu