The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 14, 1999
Filed:
Oct. 27, 1997
Applicant:
Inventors:
James L Conner, Rowlett, TX (US);
Michael J Overlaur, Plano, TX (US);
Jeffrey W Clark, Garland, TX (US);
Herman A Groller, Mesquite, TX (US);
Assignee:
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G02B / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
359298 ; 359223 ; 359290 ; 359291 ; 359295 ;
Abstract
A spatial light modulator (10) having a micromechanical active portion (12) encompassed by a light shield (14). The light shield (14) is fabricated upon a substrate (36) and has a plurality of openings (72, and 80) to permit underlying layers of photoresist (90, 92) to be undercut from beneath the light shield. Removal of the photoresist layers provides a sufficiently flat light shield, and eliminates the possibility that particles from the photoresist layer could migrate to beneath active micromirrors (30) of the spatial light modulator (12).