Spacer Maintaining Light Guide Alignment in MEMS Displays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Direct-view displays using mechanical light modulators face challenges in achieving high brightness and low power consumption while maintaining high speed and low voltage operation for improved image quality and reduced power consumption.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus featuring a substrate with an aperture layer, a light guide, and MEMS light modulators, along with a spacer that maintains mechanical alignment and separates the light guide from the substrate, allowing for efficient light modulation and alignment of components to enhance image quality and reduce power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a spacer is used to maintain alignment between the light guide and substrate, then mechanical alignment and component positioning are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer acts as an intermediary component between the light guide and substrate, providing mechanical support and maintaining precise alignment. The spacer includes locating features that engage with corresponding features on the light guide and substrate, ensuring accurate positioning without requiring complex alignment mechanisms during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is divided into multiple functional segments: a body portion that maintains the gap distance, locating features for alignment, and adhesive regions for bonding. This segmentation allows each feature to perform its specific function optimally while simplifying the overall assembly process.
2Length of stationary object
If the light guide is positioned closer to the substrate to reduce device thickness, then device compactness is improved, but light modulation efficiency and image quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer incorporates compliant elements and flexible adhesive regions that allow for dynamic adjustment during assembly. This enables the system to accommodate variations in component thickness while maintaining the optimal gap distance for light modulation, ensuring both compactness and image quality are achieved.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is designed with specific dimensional parameters including gap distance, locating feature dimensions, and adhesive layer thickness. These parameters are optimized to maintain the precise spacing required for effective light modulation while minimizing the overall device thickness through careful parameter selection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables the creation of fast, bright, and low-powered direct-view displays with improved image quality by effectively guiding and modulating light, while maintaining mechanical alignment and reducing power consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide for guiding light towards the aperture layer
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of MEMS light modulators for modulating light passing through the aperture layer from the light guide
Implementation Method 3
The aperture layer may include a reflective aperture layer
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming a display apparatus. According to one aspect of the invention, the display apparatus includes a first substrate having an aperture layer formed thereon, a light guide for guiding light towards the aperture layer, a plurality of MEMS light modulators for modulating light passing through the aperture layer from the light guide, and a spacer substantially surrounding the light guide for keeping the light guide and the first substrate a predetermined distance apart from one another, thereby forming a gap between the first substrate and the light guide. Alternatively or in addition, the first substrate may have a control matrix formed thereon.