Electron gun activated grating light valve
US6130770A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 10, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S359/90
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A grating light valve is configured to either reflect or diffract an incident beam of light from a light source. Each grating light valve includes a plurality of deformable reflective ribbon structures. Preferably, the grating light valve is located within a vacuum chamber. A directable low power electron gun is also positioned within the chamber. To form an image the gun is scanned across an array of grating light valves and selectably irradiates predetermined ones of the ribbons to charge each such ribbon to a predetermined level. Depending upon the amount of charge so deposited onto the ribbon, it will deflect a predetermined distance toward an underlying substrate. The ribbons are preferably erased in one of two ways. According to the preferred embodiment, each ribbon includes a path of impedance to allow the charge to bleed into the substrate. The impedance is selected to discharge a fully charged ribbon in a period of a single frame. Alternatively, the electron gun can be used to generate high energy electrons. Upon impinging a ribbon a single high energy electron will cause the ribbon to emit more than one secondary electron. By applying a sufficient number of these high ene…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.