Interferometric modulation
AssigneeEtalon, Inc.
InventorMark W. Miles
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An interferometric modulator (Imod) cavity has a reflector and an induced absorber. A direct view reflective flat panel display may include an array of the modulators. Adjacent spacers of different thicknesses are fabricated on a substrate by a lift-off technique used to pattern the spacers which are deposited separately, each deposition providing a different thickness of spacer. Or a patterned photoresist may be used to allow for an etching process to selectively etch back the thickness of a spacer which was deposited in a single deposition. A full-color static graphical image may be formed of combined patterns of interferometric modulator cavities. Each cavity includes a reflector, and an induced absorber, the induced absorber including a spacer having a thickness that defines a color associated with the cavity.
Claims22
A direct view reflective flat panel display comprising an array of interferometric modulators, each of said modulators comprising
- a reflector surface, and
- a transmissive induced absorber that attenuates light incident upon it interposed between the reflective surface and a medium from which radiation is incident on the display, the induced absorber having radiation admittance characteristics that match the admittance of the reflector surface to the admittance of the incident medium.
A full-color static graphical image comprising
- an array of interferometric modulator cavities, each cavity including
- a reflector, and
- an induced absorber, the induced absorber including a spacer having a fixed thickness that defines a color associated with the cavity, the fixed thicknesses being different for respective ones of the cavities in accordance with the static graphical image.
A full-color static graphical image comprising patterns of image elements, the elements of each of the patterns comprising interferometric cavities sharing a common fixed cavity thickness that defines a color associated with the pattern, the patterns together producing the image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.