Patent ID: 6147741
Filing Date: 2000-11-14
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
A digital scanner comprised of a plurality of individually addressable scanning elements stacked together along a common light path for serially receiving a common light beam, each of the plurality of individually addressable scanning elements being capable of operating in a plurality of discrete states in response to digital input signals applied to the digital scanner, each of the plurality of scanning elements including a pair of electrically conductive layers connected to receive one of the digital input signals to provide for the plurality of discrete states of operation including one of a straight passage and an optical deflection of a light beam passing therethrough in response to the one of the digital input signals, each of the plurality of scanning elements increasing the optical deflection of the common light beam from a previous scanning element in the optical deflection state so that the digital scanner operates in a discrete state of a plurality of discrete states dependent upon the discrete state of operation of each of the plurality of individually addressable scanning elements,wherein each of the plurality of individually addressable scanning elements is fabricated to include at least one molecular liquid crystal alignment layer, capable of altering the structural orientation of a liquid crystal material contained therein each scanning element when under the influence of an external voltage,wherein the at least one molecular liquid crystal alignment layer provides for a mechanically-induced molecular alignment of a plurality of liquid crystal molecules contained within the each of the plurality of individually addressable bi-stable scanning elements, andwherein the at least one molecular liquid crystal alignment layer is composed of an alignment material evaporated at spaced intervals on a substrate element, the alignment material varying in pre-tilt evaporation angles across a plurality of spaced intervals, thereby creating an alignment layer varying in molecular orientation, the alignment layer orienting the plurality of liquid crystal molecules within the spaced intervals, thereby storing phase information within each of the plurality of individually addressable bi-stable scanning elements.