Texas Instruments Corporation

Walter Marvin Duncan

Chih-Chen Cho

Benjamin Lowell Lee

Ajit P Paranjpe

Simon Joshua Jacobs

Francis Gabriel Celii

Han-Tzong Yuan

Claude E Tew

Shou-Kong Fan

Steven A Henck

Richard O Gale

Michael Richard Douglass

William V McLevige

Tsen H Lin

Friedrich H Doerbeck

Duane Scott Dewald

Donald L Plumton

Tae S Kim

Rajeev Ramanath

John David Jackson

Paul Lawrence Rancuret

Michael A Mignardi

Leigh Ann Files

Roger S Carver

Liem T Tran

James N Malina

Douglas L Mahlum

Larry A Taylor

Chin-Chen Cho

Thomas Russell Howell

Hal Edwards

A system comprises two or more light sources comprising a first light source and a second light source, each light source of the two or more light sources configured to provide light of a particular wavelength, wherein a first wavelength of a first light provided by the first light source differs from a second wavelength of a second light provided by the second light source, and wherein the first light has a first radiant energy that experiences roll-off. The system further comprises a controller configured to modulate an attribute of each light source to compensate for the roll-off, the modulation comprising modulating an attribute of the first light source, and the modulation further comprising modulating an attribute of the second light source, the modulation of the second attribute being different from the modulation of the first attribute.

Color splitting method for light sources

An image system comprises a light valve and an image capturing unit. The light valve comprises an array of individually addressable pixels capable of generating an image. The image capturing unit comprises a detector having an array of detector pixels capable of capturing images. The detector pixels are correlated with the light valve pixels.

Light valve projection of visible image correlated with non-visible image

In one embodiment, an apparatus for reducing adherence in a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device comprises a substrate. A MEMS is disposed outwardly from the substrate. The MEMS comprises structures and corresponding landing pads. Dibs are disposed outwardly from the substrate. Each dib has a surface with depressions. An adherence-reducing material is disposed within each depression. The adherence-reducing material reduces adherence between at least a portion of a structure and a corresponding landing pad.

Reducing adherence in a MEMS device

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for encoding an optical spectrum includes a dispersive element, a digital micromirror device (DMD) array, a detector, and a controller. The dispersive element receives light from a source and disperses the light to yield light components of different wavelengths. The digital micromirror device (DMD) array has micromirrors that modulate the light to encode an optical spectrum of the light. The detector detects the light that has been modulated. The controller generates an intensity versus time waveform representing the optical spectrum of the detected light.

Encoding optical spectra using a DMD array

The disclosure in one aspect provides an illuminator that includes a plurality of segmented diodes to generate a plurality of light beams. In another aspect, the illuminator may independently control current to some or all of the diodes.

Solid-state illuminator for display applications

A process for protecting a MEMS device used in a UV illuminated application from damage due to a photochemical activation between the UV flux and package gas constituents, formed from the out-gassing of various lubricants and passivants put in the device package to prevent sticking of the MEMS device's moving parts. This process coats the exposed surfaces of the MEMS device and package's optical window surfaces with a metal-halide film to eliminate this photochemical activation and therefore significantly extend the reliability and lifetime of the MEMS device.

MEMS device with controlled gas space chemistry

A method for assuring a blazed condition in a DMD device used in telecommunications applications. By meeting certain conditions in the fabrication and operation of the DMD, the device can achieve a blazed condition and be very effective in switching near monochromatic spatially coherent light, thereby opening up a whole new application field for such devices. This method determines the optimal pixel pitch and mirror tilt angle for a given incident angle and wavelength of near monochromatic spatially coherent light to assure blazed operating conditions. The Fraunhofer envelope is determined by convolving the Fourier transforms of the mirror aperture and the delta function at the center of each mirror and then aligning the center of this envelope with a diffraction order to provide a blazed condition. The method of the present invention presents a formula for precisely determining the mirror pitch and tilt angle to assure that a blazed condition exists for a given incident angle and wavelength of near monochromatic spatially coherent light. Considerations for the special case, know as Littrow conditions, where the incident and the reflected light transverse the same path, are also given. This case is particularly attractive for fiber optic/telecommunication applications since the same optics can be used for incoming and outgoing (reflected) light.

Two-dimensional blazed MEMS granting

Described is an optical device for combining multiple light sources in an optical projection system. One embodiment of the optical device includes at least two light sources having first and second wavelengths, and an optical element for substantially diffracting the first and second wavelengths of the two light sources and combining them into a single beam of light.

Holographic combiners for illumination of spatial light modulators in projection systems

A method of processing light includes generating a beam of light and periodically diffracting the beam of light by an acoustooptic cell to produce diffracted light having at least one direction change from the generated light. The method further includes spatially integrating the diffracted light and providing the spatially integrated light to a spatial light modulator.

Image enhancement of a microdisplay through acoustooptics

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a digital micro-mirror device having improved contrast and a method for the same are provided. The digital micro-mirror device includes a plurality of current-carrying conductors on an upper surface of a substrate, each current-carrying conductor having an upper surface; a low-reflectivity metal disposed upon the upper surfaces of the current-carrying conductors; first and second micro-mirrors forming an aperture above the substrate; and wherein the low-reflectivity metal disposed upon on the upper surfaces of the current-carrying conductors reduces reflection of light received through the aperture by the current-carrying conductors.

Digital micro-mirror device having improved contrast and method for the same

Two-dimensional blazed MEMS grating

A programmable amplifieroperable to independently adjust the amplification given to various optical signals passing through an optical fiber. An input optical fiberprovides a number of optical signals to a demultiplexer which separates each signal carried by the input fiberEach individual wavelength travels to a variable attenuatorwhich lowers the signal strength of each signal based on an input from the system controllerThe attenuated signals are combined by multiplexerand input to an optical amplifierThe optical amplifierreceives the combined signal and amplifies each signal in the combined DWDM signal across the entire bandwidth of the amplifierThe amplified signals are input to a splitterwhich removes a small portion of the entire spectrum output by the amplifierThe remaining portion of the signal passes to an output fiberand travels to the remainder of the optical network. The small portion of the signal separated by the splitteris input to a spectrum analyzerwhich detects the signal strength of each component signal traveling through the optical amplifierSignal strength information is passed to the system controllerThe system controllertypically a digital signal processor or programmable microcontroller, uses the information from the spectrum analyzerto control the variable attenuators and the gain of amplifierin order to level the various signals traveling through the amplifier

Optical amplifier

An embodiment of the instant invention is a scanning-probe microscope for measuring the topography of a surface of a sample, the scanning-probe microscope comprising: an XYZ piezo drive (piezo drive 1); a quartz tuning-fork oscillator (fork 2) having a first electrode (electrode 3 or 4) and a second electrode (electrode 3 or 4), wherein the quartz tuning-fork oscillator is attached to the XYZ piezo drive, and wherein the quartz tuning-fork oscillator is oriented such that the tines of the quartz tuning-fork oscillator each lie in the XY plane and their fundamental mode of oscillation vibrates the ends of the tines in the Z direction; a probe tip (probe tip 6) affixed to one of the tines, the probe tip comes to a point in the Z direction and directed away from the XYZ piezo drive; a signal source (source 7) to provide a drive signal to drive the first electrode at a mechanical resonant frequency of the quartz tuning-fork oscillator; a current-to-voltage amplifier (preamp 8) to monitor the electrical current flowing through the second electrode and having an output, wherein the electrical impedance of the quartz tuning-fork oscillator may be measured, and the resonant vibration amplitude of the quartz tuning-fork oscillator is monitored; and wherein the XYZ piezo drive is operable to move the probe tip close to the surface of the sample until the probe tip lightly taps the sample surface thereby decreasing and oscillation amplitude the electrical impedance of the quartz tuning-fork oscillator and wherein the interaction between the probe tip and the sample surface can be used to regulate the distance between the probe tip and the sample surface.

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Walter Marvin Duncan