Patent · US Expired

Beam-addressed micromirror direct view display

US6031656A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
25References
24Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 28, 1998
Grant dateFeb 29, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 28, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B26/0841
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A flat-panel direct view display positions an array of electrostatically-actuated cantilevered micromirrors in front of a contrasting background and opposite a flat-panel electron beam source. Depending upon the display configuration, the electron beam source addresses either the array of micromirrors or a reference surface a row at a time while the other is held at a reference potential. The electron beams modulate the potential difference between each micromirror and the reference surface thereby adjusting the magnitude of the attractive electrostatic force between the two. This in turn modulates the deflection of the micromirrors between their quiescent and fully actuated states to selectively cover and uncover the background thereby producing a grey scale direct-view image.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.