Patent ID: 6972881
Filing Date: 2005-12-06
Classification: G02B,G09G,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A display with on-substrate muxing comprising: a display substrate; a display array of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Switches (MEMS) display elements for altering visible light, the MEMS display elements controlled by row and column signals, wherein each MEMS display element is controlled by a row electrode connected to a row signal and by a column electrode connected to a column signal; a column mux having MEMS contact-switch elements, the MEMS contact-switch elements having a pair of contact electrodes that is electrically connected together when the MEMS contact-switch element is closed, but the pair of contact electrodes is electrically isolated when the MEMS contact-switch element is open; wherein the column mux and the display array are formed on the display substrate, wherein the column signals to the display array are generated by the column mux; wherein the column signals are not driven by an off-substrate column driver but are driven by the column mux; and wherein an off-substrate interface to the column mux has fewer signals than a number of the column signals to the display array, whereby off-substrate interface signals for display columns are reduced using the column mux that is on the display substrate.