Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7209276?dq=6446111
Timestamp: 2014-07-13 04:21:45
Document Index: 307521359

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 533', 'arts 531', 'arts 533', 'arts 533', 'arts 533', 'arts 533', 'arts 533', 'arts 533', 'arts 531', 'arts 533', 'arts 531', 'art 531', 'arts 533', 'arts 533']

Patent US7209276 - Fishbone diffraction-type light modulator - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign in<nobr>Advanced Patent Search</nobr>PatentsDisclosed is a fishbone diffraction-type light modulator. In the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator, a lower micromirror is provided on a silicone substrate, and an upper micromirror is spaced apart from the silicone substrate and has a plurality of openings through both sides thereof. The upper...http://www.google.com/patents/US7209276?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7209276 - Fishbone diffraction-type light modulatorAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7209276 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/244,562Publication dateApr 24, 2007Filing dateOct 6, 2005Priority dateOct 15, 2004Fee statusLapsedAlso published asUS20060082854Publication number11244562, 244562, US 7209276 B2, US 7209276B2, US-B2-7209276, US7209276 B2, US7209276B2InventorsYoon Shik Hong, Seung Do An, Seung Heon HAN, Hyun Ju YiOriginal AssigneeSamsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (2), Referenced by (1), Classifications (4), Legal Events (4) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetFishbone diffraction-type light modulatorUS 7209276 B2Abstract Disclosed is a fishbone diffraction-type light modulator. In the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator, a lower micromirror is provided on a silicone substrate, and an upper micromirror is spaced apart from the silicone substrate and has a plurality of openings through both sides thereof. The upper micromirror and the lower micromirror deposited on the silicone substrate form pixels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above disadvantages occurring in the prior arts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fishbone diffraction-type light modulator, in which a lower micromirror is provided on a silicone substrate, and an upper micromirror is spaced apart from the silicone substrate and has a plurality of openings through both sides thereof, so that the upper micromirror and the lower micromirror form pixels.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line A�A′ of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along the line B�B′ of FIG. 5, in which driving voltage is not applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line B�B′ of FIG. 5, in which the driving voltage is applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of the present invention, with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.
Referring to FIG. 4, the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention comprises a substrate 500, a pair of supporting members 510 a, 510 a′, a plurality of diffraction members 530 a�530 c, and a plurality of driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′. The substrate 500 is thinly coated with reflective material reflecting light on an upper side thereof, thereby forming a lower micromirror and reflecting incident light.
A pair of supporting members 510 a, 510 a′ are opposite each other and attached to the substrate 500, and support the diffraction members 530 a�530 c. The diffraction members 530 a�530 c are attached to side ends of the supporting members 510 a, 510 a′ at both ends thereof, and include pairs of driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′, connection parts 531 a�531 c, and a plurality of diffraction branches 532 a�532 c, 532 a′�532 c′. The driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′ are attached to the supporting members 510 a, 510 a′ at first ends thereof, and attached to the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′ at second ends thereof.
As shown in FIG. 8, the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′ each include a lower electrode, a piezoelectric material layer layered on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode layered on an upper side of the piezoelectric material layer. If voltage is applied to the upper electrodes of the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′, the piezoelectric material layers laterally shrink. At this time, first ends of the piezoelectric material layers are fixed to the supporting members 510 a, 510 a′, thus the first ends of the piezoelectric material layers do not shrink. However, since second ends of the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′ are attached to the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′, shrinkage force is applied to the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′. Since the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′ are capable of moving upward or downward, the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′ are lifted by the shrinkage of the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′. Accordingly, when voltage is applied to the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′, the driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′ are lifted, resulting in the lifted diffraction members 530 a�530 c. Meanwhile, the diffraction members 530 a�530 c are arranged parallel to each other, and moved upward or downward by the driving units 540 a�540 c, 540 a′�540 c′ as described above. Material for the diffraction members 530 a�530 c may be exemplified by Si oxides (e.g. SiO2), Si nitrides (e.g. Si3N3), ceramic substrates (Si, ZrO2, Al2O3), or Si carbides. It is preferable to use rigid material in order to maintain flatness when the diffraction members 530 a�530 c move upward or downward.
The diffraction members 530 a�530 c include connection parts 531 a�531 c to connect the first and second driving parts 533 a�533 c, 533 a′�533 c′ to each other.
A plurality of diffraction branches 532 a�532 c, 532 a′�532 c′ protrudes from both sides of the connection parts 531 a�531 c. Surfaces of the diffraction members 530 a�530 c are thinly coated with reflective materials, thereby forming upper micromirrors. The upper micromirrors reflect incident light.
Furthermore, the plurality of diffraction branches 532 a�532 a′ of the diffraction member 530 a protrudes from the connection part 531 a, thus forming a fishbone shape. In the present invention, shapes of both diffraction branches 532 a, 532 a′ are symmetrical with each other.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line A�A′ of FIG. 5, and shows the lower micromirror 501 which is made of the reflective material thinly applied to a surface of the substrate 500.
Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows the upper micromirror 534 a made of the reflective material thinly applied to a surface of the diffraction member 530 a. The driving units 540 a, 540 a′ comprise the lower electrodes consisting of the upper micromirror 534 a (which is the same as FIG. 8 in terms of constitution), the piezoelectric material layers 541 a, 541 a′ which are provided on the supporting members 510 a, 510 a′ at first ends thereof and on the driving parts 533 a, 533 a′ at second ends thereof, and the upper electrodes 542 a, 542 a′ layered on the piezoelectric material layers 541 a, 541 a′. With respect to this, as shown in FIG. 8, the driving units 540 a, 540 a′ may comprise additional lower electrodes instead of the lower electrodes consisting of the upper micromirror 534 a. Electrode material for the lower electrodes (the additional lower electrodes) may be exemplified by Pt, Ta/Pt, Ni, Au, Al, or RuO2, and the electrode material is deposited in a thickness of 0.01�3 μm in using a sputtering or evaporation process.
The piezoelectric material layers 541 a, 541 a′ may be formed in a thickness of 0.01�20.0 μm through a wet process (screen printing, sol-gel coating or the like) or a dry process (sputtering, evaporation, MOCVD, vapor deposition or the like). Any of upper and lower piezoelectric materials and left and right piezoelectric materials may be used as the piezoelectric material layers. The piezoelectric material may be exemplified by PZT, PNN-PT, PLZT, AIN, or ZnO, and piezoelectric electrolytic material containing at least one of Pb, Zr, Zn, or titanium may be used.
As well, electrode material for the upper electrodes 542 a, 542 a′ may be exemplified by Pt, Ta/Pt, Ni, Au, Al, Ti/Pt, IrO2, or RuO2, and the upper electrodes are formed in a thickness of 0.01�3 μm using the sputtering or evaporation process.
FIG. 7A is a sectional view taken along the line B�B′ of FIG. 5, in which driving voltage is not applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention, and FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line B�B′ of FIG. 5, in which the driving voltage is applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention.
With reference to FIG. 7A, when the driving voltage is not applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention, the distance between a plurality of upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af on a plurality of diffraction branches 532 aa�532 af and the lower micromirror 501 is designed to be λ/2 if the wavelength of incident light is λ. Needless to say, the above distance is an example, and the distance may be multiples of λ/2, or multiples of λ/4 so that diffraction of incident light occurs.
As described above, if the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 is designed to be λ/2, light beams, which are reflected from the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and from the lower micromirror 501 after passing between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af, do not form diffracted light.
Therefore, the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 act as a reflecting mirror.
FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along the line B�B′ of FIG. 5, in which the driving voltage is applied to the fishbone diffraction-type light modulator according to the present invention.
When the first and second driving parts 533 a, 533 a′ are moved upward, the diffraction member 530 a is moved upward. At this time, if the voltage applied to the driving units 540 a, 540 a′ is appropriately controlled, when the wavelength of incident light is λ, it is possible to design the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 to be multiples of λ/4.
For example, if the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 is λ/4, light reflected from the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af forms diffracted light in conjunction with light reflected from the lower micromirror 501 after passing between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af. Meanwhile, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the driving voltage is not applied to the driving units 540 a, 540 a′, the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 is designed to be multiples of λ/2 with an assumption that the wavelength of incident light is λ, thereby generating only reflected light. However, when the wavelength of incident light is λ, it is possible to design the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 so as to be multiples of λ/4, thereby generating diffracted light. If only reflected light, and not diffracted light is needed, when the driving voltage is applied to the driving units 540 a, 540 a′, the distance between the upper micromirror pieces 534 aa�534 af and the lower micromirror 501 is designed so as to be multiples of λ/2 with the assumption that the wavelength of incident light is λ.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS5311360Apr 28, 1992May 10, 1994The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford, Junior UniversityMethod and apparatus for modulating a light beamUS6712480 *Sep 27, 2002Mar 30, 2004Silicon Light MachinesControlled curvature of stressed micro-structures* Cited by examinerReferenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS7420730 *Dec 28, 2006Sep 2, 2008Anvik CorporationSpatial light modulator features* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification359/237International ClassificationG02B26/00Cooperative ClassificationG02B26/0808European ClassificationG02B26/08DLegal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionJun 14, 2011FPExpired due to failure to pay maintenance feeEffective date: 20110424Apr 24, 2011LAPSLapse for failure to pay maintenance feesNov 29, 2010REMIMaintenance fee reminder mailedOct 5, 2005ASAssignmentOwner name: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD., KOREA, REPUBLFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:HONG, YOON SHIK;AN, SEUNG DO;HAN, SEUNG HEON;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:017076/0161Effective date: 20050730RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google