Patent ID: 6031657
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
A projection display, comprising:a light source that emits light;a turning mirror that redirects the light;a field lens that collimates the light;a large aperture reflective imager that imparts a spatial modulation onto the collimated light, said spatially modulated light being reflected back through said field lens where it is focused onto a plane, said imager comprisinga vacuum cell;a charge controlled mirror (CCM) mounted in said vacuum cell, comprising,a glass substrate;a transparent equipotential layer on said glass substrate;an array of electrostatically-actuable micromirrors on said equipotential layer that are both held at an reference potential;an array of insulating posts on said substrate;a floating-potential insulating membrane supported by said posts above said array of micromirrors; anda collector grid spaced apart from said insulating membrane opposite said micromirrors and held at a grid potential; anda source that emits primary electrons that are accelerated through said collector grid and strike portions of said insulating membrane above respective micromirrors causing secondary electrons to be ejected and collected on the collector grid thereby leaving a predetermined charge pattern on said membrane that produces finely-resolved attractive electrostatic forces that cause said micromirrors to pivot and deflect towards the membrane thereby imparting said spatial modulation onto said collimated light;a Schlieren stop at said plane that converts the spatially modulated beam into an intensity modulated beam; anda projection lens that collimates the intensity modulated light to form an image.