Victor Company of Japan, Limited

Nozomu Ohkouchi

Shigeo Shimizu

Toshio Konno

Masanobu Shigeta

Hiromitsu Takenaka

Tadayuki Shimada

Takashi Moroboshi

Tatsushi Nakanishi

Takeshi Hosoya

Masami Sonda

Nobuyasu Katayama

Hiroyuki Natsuhori

Dai Imanishi

Kazushige Ohtawara

An alignment layer to be used for liquid crystal displays each having at least two substrates with liquid crystals sealed therebetween is formed as follows. The substrates placed on each of several substrate trays are heated in a first load-lock chamber. At least one of the two substrates is irradiated with evaporated particles of oxide silicon (SiOx: 1.0&lE;&times;&lE;2.0) by vacuum deposition at an angle in the range from 45&deg; to 60&deg; from a direction of the normal line on the substrate surface to form an alignment layer thereon while the substrate trays are being moved in a layer-deposition chamber intermittently or sequentially. The substrate trays are cooled in a second load-lock chamber, thus producing substrates each formed the alignment layer thereon. The deposition chamber may be set under a requirement 0&lE;&Dgr;&thgr;&lE;3&deg; in &Dgr;&thgr;&equals;tan )dcos &thgr;/(D&plus;d sin &thgr;)), &ldquo;d&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of a substrate edge, &ldquo;D&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of an evaporation source containing the oxide silicon, and &thgr; an angle formed between a direction in which the normal line extends on the substrate center and another direction in which evaporated particles of oxide silicon are deposited on the substrate center from the evaporation source. The alignment layer may be formed at an angle of layer deposition in the range from 3&deg; to 10&deg;.

Apparatus and method of producing alignment layer for liquid crystal display

An alignment layer to be used for liquid crystal displays each having at least two substrates with liquid crystals sealed therebetween is formed as follows: The substrates placed on each of several substrate trays are heated in a first load-lock chamber. At least one of the two substrates is irradiated with evaporated particles of oxide silicon (SiOx: 1.0&lE;&times;&lE;2.0) by vacuum deposition at an angle in the range from 45&deg; to 60&deg; from a direction of the normal line on the substrate surface to form an alignment layer thereon while the substrate trays are being moved in a layer-deposition chamber intermittently or sequentially. The substrate trays are cooled in a second load-lock chamber, thus producing substrates each formed the alignment layer thereon. The deposition chamber may be set under a requirement 0&lE;&Dgr;&thgr;&lE;3&deg; in &Dgr;&thgr;&equals;tan (d cos &thgr;/(D&plus;d sin &thgr;)), &ldquo;d&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of a substrate edge, &ldquo;D&rdquo; a distance from the substrate center to the center of an evaporation source containing the oxide silicon, and &thgr; an angle formed between a direction in which the normal line extends on the substrate center and another direction in which evaporated particles of oxide silicon are deposited on the substrate center from the evaporation source. The alignment layer may be formed at an angle of layer deposition in the range from 3&deg; to 10&deg;.

A spatial light modulator capable of displaying a good contrast and high resolution moving pictures without an after-image effect is disclosed. The modulator comprises a pair of transparent electrodes for generating an electric field therebetween and at least a photoconductive member and a photo modulation member being laminated and interposed between the transparent electrodes, the photoconductive member is a film having a thickness ranged from 10 .mu.m to 30 .mu.m and is made of hydrogenated amorphous silicon doped with boron such that an amount of the boron with respect to silicon in the hydrogenated amorphous silicon in atomic percent is, 0.1 to 1.0 ppm. To enhance the modulator performance, a thickness of the photoconductive member is so selected to have light absorptance ranged 70% to 95% at a wavelength of a writing light which writes information in the modulator.

Spatial light modulator with photoconductor of hydrogenated amorphous

A spatial light modulator capable of providing high contrast ratio and resolution moving pictures without an after-image effect is disclosed. The spatial light modulator comprises a pair of transparent electrodes for forming a driving electric field therebetween, and at least one photo-modulation member and a photoconductive member laminated between the pair of transparent electrodes, where the photoconductive member comprises a hydrogenated amorphous silicon film having thickness of 10 .mu.m to 30 .mu.m, and is doped with boron as such that an amount of the boron in the hydrogenated amorphous silicon film in atomic ratio with respect to silicon therein is 0.1 ppm to 1 ppm.

There is provided an optical image processor for forming a charge image according to a first optical image by photoelectric effect when illuminated with an electro-magnetic radiation beam for writing carrying the first optical image and forming, in accordance with the charge image, a second optical image correlating with the first optical image by light-modulation when illuminated with an electro-magnetic radiation beam for reading, in the presence of an electric field. The processor comprises a plurality of photoconductive segments two-dimensionally arranged with a space among the photoconductive segments for forming the charge image when illuminated with the electro-magnetic radiation beam for writing and a high resistive member provided in the space for preventing transfer of electric charges of the formed charge image among the photoconductive segments.

Optical image processor

A spatial light modulator providing an improved contrast, has a laminated structure of multiple layers including typically a photoconductive layer, an optical modulation layer, and a pair of electrode layers interposing the photoconductive and optical modulation layers. The thickness of at least one of the electrode layers having a predetermined relationship with a wavelength of light incident to the one of the electrode layers for writing or reading-out information into or from the spatial light modulator. The electrode layer may further comprise an electrode member and an intermediate layer disposed between the electrode member and an adjacent layer laminated adjacent to the one of the electrode layers, the electrode member having a first refractive index, the adjacent layer having a second refractive index, and the intermediate layer having a third refractive index determined to be in between the first and second indices, the thickness of the intermediate layer having an another predetermined relationship with the wavelength of the light incident to the one of the electrode layers for writing or reading-out information into or from the spatial light modulator. The intermediate layer may be a single layer-member or multiple layer-members having different refractive indices each other.

Spatial light modulator

A spatial-light modulator provided with a first electrode formed by a transparent member that receives irradiation of write light corresponding to an optical image in order to form a charge image; a second electrode formed by a transparent member to receive read light irradiated in order to read a formed charge image and to discharge output light equivalent to a read charge image; an optical modulation layer provided to the first electrode side of the second electrode and formed by polymer dispersed liquid crystal material in order to change the intensity distribution of the read light irradiated via the second electrode in accordance with an electrical field intensity distribution due to the charge image; a photoconductive member provided between the first electrode and the optical modulation layer, formed with two different materials of at least amorphous silicon carbide and amorphous silicon as the primary components, and formed in a plural number of layers and having a laminated structure having an optical sensitivity that differs between the first electrode side and the second electrode side; and a dielectric mirror provided between the optical modulation layer and the photoconductive member, that reflects the read light modulated by the optical modulator in the direction of irradiation, and performs the reading of the charge image.

Growing community of inventors

Yokosuka, Japan

Nozomu Ohkouchi