Pixtronix, Incorporated

Analog Devices,inc.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

American Telephone & Telegraph Co., At&t Bell Laboratories

Snaptrack Incorporated

Smiths Detection Inc.

Polychromix Corporation

Richard S Payne

Jasper Lodewyk Steyn

Roger W Barton

Jignesh Gandhi

John Fijol

Nesbitt W Hagood

Timothy J Brosnihan

Nesbitt Ward Hagood, Iv

Yang Zhao

Roger T Howe

Stephen R Lewis

Mark B Andersson

Joyce H Wu

Eugene E Fike, Iii

Javier Villarreal

Abraham McAllister

Theresa A Core

Stephen F Bart

Steven J Sherman

Jianru Shi

Kevin Hin-Leung Chau

Steven M Hemmah

Steven A Sunshine

Edward Buckley

Chang-Meng Hsiung

Malcolm C Smith

Beth C Munoz

Louis C Parrillo

Robert K Nakayama

Robert W Tsang

Je Hong Kim

Cait Ni Chleirigh

Jing Li

Jeffrey A Farash

Frank M Ogureck

Ralph C Tuttle

Eugene Fike

A display apparatus incorporating electromechanical light modulators and a layer of material including apertures corresponding to the electromechanical light modulators that results in the display apparatus having lower power-consumption.

MEMS-based display apparatus

The invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming images on a display utilizing a control matrix to control the movement of MEMs-based light modulators.

Circuits for controlling display apparatus

This application relates to a display including a first layer of material including a first aperture having at least one side, a first substrate separated from the first layer of material by a gap, where the first substrate is arranged to pass through a portion of light emitted from a light source into the gap. The display further includes a movable shutter arranged within the gap, where the shutter is movable to at least a first position and a second position, to obstruct passage of the portion of light through the first aperture at the first position. The movable shutter has a first edge, and in the first position, the movable shutter is aligned with the first aperture such that the first edge extends a first length past the at least one side of the first aperture.

Alignment methods in fluid-filled MEMS displays

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.

Display apparatus and methods for manufacture thereof

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for providing relatively thinner and less stiff compliant beams for a shutter assembly. A protective coating is deposited and patterned over the shutter assembly before it is released from a sacrificial mold over which the shutter assembly is formed. Because some primary surfaces of the compliant beams are in contact with the sacrificial mold, these primary surfaces are not coated with the protective coating. Therefore, when the shutter assembly is finally released, the resulting compliant beams are relatively thinner and less stiff providing a reduction in an actuation voltage used to operate the shutter assembly. In some instances, the protective coating is patterned into discontinuous segments before release.

Low-voltage MEMS shutter assemblies

This invention relates to MEMS display apparatus and methods for assembly thereof that include a plurality of light modulators having components substantially surrounded in a liquid that reduces the effects of stiction and improves the optical and electromechanical performance of the display apparatus. The invention also relates to methods for aligning components of a MEMS display to establish a correspondence between the plurality of light modulators and a plurality of apertures to regulate the transmission of light through the apparatus.

An apparatus for displaying three-dimensional (3D) images includes an array of display elements and a controller. The controller can control a set of display elements in the array to form, at a first time, a first eye image corresponding to input data by causing the light modulators to be driven into a first set of positions. The first eye image includes an angular distribution of light weighted towards a first side of the display. The controller also can control the same set of display elements to form, at a second time, a second eye image corresponding to input data by causing the light modulators to be driven into a second set of positions. The second eye image includes an angular distribution of light weighted towards an opposite side of the display.

Three dimensional (3D) image generation using electromechanical display elements

A display apparatus includes a plurality of electromechanical systems (EMS) devices disposed on a first surface defined by a face of a substrate. Each EMS device includes a component which is movable in a plane that is substantially parallel to the first surface. The apparatus also includes a second surface positioned proximate to the substrate such that the plurality of EMS devices are located between the first surface and the second surface. In addition, each EMS device includes at least one anti-stiction projection positioned between the movable component and the second surface.

Display apparatus with stiction reduction features

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for providing multi-level multi-state shutter assemblies. The shutter assembly includes at least a first shutter at a first height over a substrate and a second shutter at a second height over the substrate. Both the first shutter and the second shutter can be operated in an open or closed state for passing or partially blocking light propagating through an aperture. In some implementations, the shutter assembly can operate in four states: a fully transmissive state, a fully obstructive state and two partially transmissive states based on the open or closed states of the first and second shutters.

Display apparatus incorporating multi-level shutters

The invention relates to a light modulator including a substrate having a surface and a modulation assembly coupled to the substrate that includes a modulation element and a first compliant beam. The first compliant beam includes a first segment that extend away from a first anchor and a second segment that extends back towards the first anchor. The length of the first segment is different than the length of the second segment.

Mechanical light modulators with stressed beams

The invention relates to a spatial light modulator including a substrate having a surface and a modulation assembly coupled to the substrate including a modulation element and a compliant beam. The modulation assembly is configured to limit the bending of the compliant beam towards an opposing surface that would otherwise be caused by inherent stresses within the compliant beam. The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a spatial light modulator including the steps of forming and releasing a modulation assembly that has a modulation element and a compliant beam formed in a pre-release position to have an intended inherent stress state. As a result of the stress state in the compliant beam, upon release of the compliant beam, the compliant beam bends into a rest position which is different than the pre-release position, where the rest position is based in part on the intended inherent stress state.

Display devices incorporating shutter-based light modulators are disclosed along with methods of manufacturing such devices. The methods are compatible with thin-film manufacturing processes known in the art and result in displays having lower power-consumption.

This invention relates to display apparatuses having an array of light modulators and a plurality of spacers distributed within the interior of the array. The display apparatus may also include a reflective aperture layer disposed on a front facing surface of a substrate included in the display apparatus.

MEMS display apparatus

This invention relates to display apparatuses having an array of light modulators and a plurality of apertures formed in a layer of material. Each light modulator corresponds to one or more apertures and has a portion which may overlap a corresponding aperture, where the size of the overlap is proportional to a distance between the array and the layer of material.

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Andover, MA, United States of America

Richard S Payne