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WO1986001625A1 - Dispositifs binaires actionnes electrostatiquement, disposes en rangees, et procedes de production - Google Patents

Dispositifs binaires actionnes electrostatiquement, disposes en rangees, et procedes de production Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1986001625A1
WO1986001625A1 PCT/US1985/001584 US8501584W WO8601625A1 WO 1986001625 A1 WO1986001625 A1 WO 1986001625A1 US 8501584 W US8501584 W US 8501584W WO 8601625 A1 WO8601625 A1 WO 8601625A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
flap
stator
electrode regions
electrode
film
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/US1985/001584
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
George R. Simpson
Herbert W. Sullivan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of WO1986001625A1 publication Critical patent/WO1986001625A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
    • B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
    • B82Y15/00—Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
    • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
    • G09F9/37—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being movable elements
    • G09F9/372—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being movable elements the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F05—INDEXING SCHEMES RELATING TO ENGINES OR PUMPS IN VARIOUS SUBCLASSES OF CLASSES F01-F04
    • F05C—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO MATERIALS, MATERIAL PROPERTIES OR MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR MACHINES, ENGINES OR PUMPS OTHER THAN NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES
    • F05C2225/00—Synthetic polymers, e.g. plastics; Rubber
    • F05C2225/08—Thermoplastics

Definitions

  • This invention relates to electrostatically controllable electromechanical binary devices for use as an array in visual displays, switching matrices, memories, and the like.
  • U.S. 1,984,683 and 3,553,364 includes light valves having flaps extending parallel with the approaching light, with each flap electrostatically divertable to an oblique angle across the light path for either a transmissive or reflective display.
  • U.S. 3,897,997 discloses an electrode which is electrostatically wrapped about a curved fixed electrode to affect the light reflective character of the fixed electrode. Further prior art such as is described in ELECTRONICS, 7 December 1970, pp. 78-83 and I.B.M. Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 13, No.
  • the present invention provides an electrostatically controllable electromechanical binary device for light reflective or light transmissive display arrays, switching matrices, memories, and the like. Each binary element in the array can be controlled individually.
  • the invention will be described in the context of use as a visual display, including black and white and multi-color alpha-numeric and pictorial displays.
  • a display element (pixel) of the invention has a stator including stationary electrodes and an adjacent moveable flap electrostatically controllable between a position removed from the stationary electrodes and a position overlying the stationary electrodes.
  • the stator has a flat surface normal to the light path, with a curled flap, when attracted, uncurling to roll adjacent to and covering the stationary electrodes on the flat stator surface.
  • the display element can control light transmission or can affect light reflection qualities for a light reflective device. It is two-state or binary. It can be latched in either state.
  • the display elements or pixels of the present invention are provided with conductive electrode regions on both the stator and the flap.
  • one of the regions is designated as an X electrode, and another is designated as a Y electrode. All X electrodes in a row are connected together as are Y electrodes in a column. That pixel at the intersection of the column and the row is actuated to change status.
  • one of either the X or Y regions is located on the flap and the other on the stator. Both the flap and stator have further electrode regions designated hold-down which serve to latch the actuated pixel in the actuated status after the X and Y electrodes are de-energized.
  • a manufacturing method for making arrays of a myriad of small pixels, each independently addressable, is useable with photo-etch techniques or with direct printing of conductive inks.
  • Figure 1 is a plan view of the flap member of an electrostatically operated binary element according to the present invention.
  • Figure 2 is a plan view of the stator member.
  • Figure 3 is a view of the assembly in section taken along line III-III of Figures 1 and 2.
  • Figure 4 is a partial view in section of the substrate for an array of the binary elements of Figures 1-3.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic view of a fixture for making the array.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic view of two fixtures for making the array.
  • Figure 7 is an. enlarged partial view of an unfinished binary element of the array.
  • Figure 8 is a view in section along line VIII-VIII of Figure 7 showing the finished element.
  • Figure 1 shows the configuration of one repeat of a pattern of conductive regions separated by gaps of chevron shape on the moveable flap 10.
  • the flexible substrate 11 is a film such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), sold as "MYLAR".
  • PET polyethylene terephthalate
  • the conductive regions 12, 14, and 16, as well as the conductor leads 17 and X are formed in the pattern shown in Figure 1 by direct printing with conductive ink or by photo- etching away portions of a conductive coating such as aluminum which has been vacuum deposited on the substrate 11.
  • Region 12 is a hold-down region electrically connected to region 16.
  • Region 14 is the X region and is integral with conductive lead X for electrical connection.
  • Region 16 is a hold-down region and is integral with conductive lead 17.
  • a slot (ndicated by dashed line 18) is cut, preferably by a laser beam, to free the flap on three sides.
  • Figure 2 shows the conductive regions separated by gaps of chevron shape on the stator member 20.
  • the PET substrate 21 is provided with conductive regions 22, 24, and 26 as well as conductive leads Y and 27 in the manner described for the flap 10.
  • Region 24 is the Y region and is integral with lead Y.
  • Hold-down regions 22 and 26 are integral with lead 27.
  • FIG. 3 is a section taken along line III-III after superposition of stator member 20 ( Figure 2) over flap member 10 ( Figure 1). Since the slot 18 has been cut, such as by laser beam, the flap ⁇ o is now free to curl as is shown.
  • the X region 14 of the flap 10 When actuated to flatten the flap, the X region 14 of the flap 10 will underlie hold-down region 22 of the stator 20; Y region 24 of the stator will overlie hold-down region 16 of the flap; and hold-down region 26 of the stator will overlie hold-down region 16 of the flap.
  • Each pixel in the array of this example is 22 mils (thousanths of an inch) high and 20 mils wide.
  • Each pixel is a superposition of the patterned substrates of Figures 1 to 3 overlying a channel approximately 15 mils deep defined by parallel walls about 3 mils thick formed on a flat sheet of rigid material such as glass.
  • Figure 4 is a sectional view showing a sheet 40 of glass 12 X 16 X .125 to which a 15 mil coating of photo-etch resist polymer 42 has been applied.
  • the resist coating is exposed to a source columnated (parallel) light 46 through a negative mask 44 having a photographically generated opaque grid 45 representing the pattern of resist to be retained.
  • T e exposed areas of resist 42 are susceptible to etchant or solvent for removal whereas the unexposed areas 43 will remain after etching to form the 3 X 15 mil walls of the 20 mil wide channels.
  • a converse resist which becomes etch resistant where exposed may be used with a converse mask.
  • the channel pattern of walls can be formed by other techniques than photo-etching. Mass production could justify injection molding dies to mold or cast the walls and substrate 40 as an integral piece of appropriate thermoplastic polymer.
  • FIG 5 is a sectional view showing a sheet 52 of 0.06 mil thick polyethylene terephtalate (PET) film (MYLAR) wrapped about a mandrel or fixture 50 of metal or glass.
  • PET polyethylene terephtalate
  • MYLAR polyethylene terephtalate
  • the very thin PET film can be held flat by surface tension of a liquid or by electrostatic force.
  • the film is aluminized on both sides by well known vacuum vapor deposition techniques.
  • the held film is stress relieved by heating to about 212°F.
  • Figure 6 is a sectional view showing a similar fixture 60 to which is clamped a clear. uncoated sheet 62 of 0.06 mil PET film which has been stretched in tension in one direction indicated by the double-headed arrow. While held on fixture 60, uniaxially stressed sheet 62 is laminated to stress-free alu inized sheet 52 held on fixture 50.
  • One method of laminating sheet 62 to sheet 52 is to stress relieve PET sheet 52 while maintaining an electrical potential between the aluminum coatings 53 and 54. Doing so renders the PET.an electret with a permanent electrostatic charge. The charge is sufficient to adhere sheets 52 and 62 together.
  • the laser beam cutting performed in a later step serves to weld together the edges of sheets 52 and 62 when they are cut into flaps 10.
  • the laminate of tensioned film 62 and stress relieved aluminized film 52 is bonded to the top surfaces of the walls 73 of resist polymer which remain after the photoetching step described in connection with Figure 4. The result is shown in Figure 7 which is an enlargement. Channel walls 73 typically are 3 mils thick, 15 mils high, and separated by the 20 mil width of a pixel.
  • the extremely thin aluminized coatings 53 and 54 are found on each surface of film sheet 52.
  • the substrate 0 is the sheet of glass upon which the photo-etched channel pattern was formed.
  • a photo-etch resist is sprayed onto the upper surface of sheet 52 of the laminate.
  • the pattern of conductive regions of the flap is projected by the well known step-and-repeat photographic technique widely used in integrated circuit manufacture.
  • the aluminum coating 53 is then etched to produce the conductive pattern of Figure 1 at each of the 340,200 pixel locations in the array.
  • a programmed laser beam cutting device then cuts a slot around three sides of the flap 10 to free it.
  • the cutting line is indicated by dashed line 18 in Figure 1.
  • the lamination of stressed PET film 62 to stress relieved PET film 52 causes the now free flap 10 to curl as is shown in Figure 8.
  • a third 0.06 mil thick film 84 of PET is stress relieved.
  • Film 84 is provided with a transparent coating 82 which is slightly electrically conductive on the outer surface (the lower surface of 84 in Figure 8) and with an indium-tin oxide coating 86 which is a transparent, excellent electrical conductor on the inside surface (the upper surface of sheet 84 in Figure 8).
  • the coated, stress relieved sheet 84 is bonded to the upper surface of sheet 52 of the flap laminate 52, 62 as is shown in Figure 8.
  • the transparent, conductive indium-tin oxide coating 84 is coated with resist, exposed in the pattern shown in Figure 2 and etched to form the stator conductive regions 22, 24, 26 also shown in Figures 2 and 3.
  • a sheet of glass 88 or transparent non-conductive polymer is added for protection and strength to complete the assembly of the array.
  • a photo-etched indium-tin oxide coating on the glass sheet 88 can be used in substitution for the separate PET sheet 84 described above.
  • a pixel at a particular X-Y address in the array can be actuated independently of all other pixels.
  • Application of an electrical drive potential to the X lead for the selected row partially will attract all flaps 10 in that row because the X electrode areas 14 are energized.
  • Application of an electrical drive potential to the Y lead for the selected column will cause no attraction of any pixel in the column other than the one at the desired address. This is because the Y electrode areas 24 are too remote from the other flaps 10 of the selected column. That of the selected pixel is, by virtue of partial actuation of all X electrodes 14 in its row, sufficiently proximate the Y electrode 24 to be attracted toward it. Thus, only the pixel at the selected address is actuated.
  • All hold-down regions 12, 16 of the flaps 10 are interconnected as are all hold-down regions 22, 26 of the stators 20.
  • Application of an electrical potential between the flap and stator hold-down leads will cause the just actuated pixel to remain actuated (flattened) after extinction of the X and Y drive potentials.
  • Each pixel subsequently, previously, or concurrently addressed will also remain actuated until the hold-down potential is extinguished.
  • the array can be operated in the converse by starting with all pixels actuated, extinguishing the hold-down potential, energizing all X and Y columns and rows, and then extinguishing the X and Y potentials in sequence for each selected pixel.
  • Restoration of the hold-down potential serves to preserve the unaffected status of pixels not addressed. This mode of operation is well suited to forming dark characters on a light (silver) field or, for characters which emit light from an illumination source behind the array.
  • the gaps between adjacent electrode regions are oblique to the direction of flap movement.
  • the chevron shape of the gaps provides a symmetry of electrostatic force to uncurl the flaps 10 without skewing.
  • the oblique or chevron shape insures that the energized regions of the stator and flap have some overlap at the start of uncurling to initiate movement.
  • the gap forming the distal (to the right in Figure 3) demarcation of discrete X electrode region 14 of the flap is congruent with the gap for the distal demarcation of the proximal stator hold-down electrode region 22, and thereby the proximal demarcation of the discrete Y electrode region 24 of the stator is congruent with the proximal demarcation of the distal hold-down electrode region 16 of the flap.
  • This geometry assures that, when the stator and flap are in registry with each other, the X electrode region 14 and the stator proximal electrode region 22 align for maximum electrostatic force and that the Y electrode region 24 of the stator similarly aligns with the distal hold-down electrode region 16 of the flap.
  • Pixel arrays according to the present invention can be used as capacitance switching arrays to reduce by a large factor the number of external leads required to control a display array.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Nanotechnology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Molecular Biology (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Crystallography & Structural Chemistry (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
  • Mechanical Light Control Or Optical Switches (AREA)

Abstract

Des rangées de dispositifs binaires actionnés électrostatiquement possèdent des rabats pouvant être attirés électrostatiquement pour changer d'état. Les rabats possèdent plusieurs régions d'électrodes tout comme les stators vers lesquels ils peuvent être attirés. Un procédé de fabrication d'une telle rangée assure le caractère de reproduction et de précision. Les rangées peuvent être utilisées pour un affichage d'image visuel ou alphanumérique, pour la commutation de matrices et pour des mémoires.
PCT/US1985/001584 1984-08-21 1985-08-19 Dispositifs binaires actionnes electrostatiquement, disposes en rangees, et procedes de production Ceased WO1986001625A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US64299784A 1984-08-21 1984-08-21
US642,997 1984-08-21

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1986001625A1 true WO1986001625A1 (fr) 1986-03-13

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1985/001584 Ceased WO1986001625A1 (fr) 1984-08-21 1985-08-19 Dispositifs binaires actionnes electrostatiquement, disposes en rangees, et procedes de production

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EP (1) EP0191840A1 (fr)
JP (1) JPS61503055A (fr)
WO (1) WO1986001625A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3373422A (en) * 1965-09-21 1968-03-12 Electronix Ten Inc Signalling device having vane rotated about an axis by an electrostatic field
US3600798A (en) * 1969-02-25 1971-08-24 Texas Instruments Inc Process for fabricating a panel array of electromechanical light valves
US4235522A (en) * 1978-06-16 1980-11-25 Bos-Knox, Ltd. Light control device
US4266339A (en) * 1979-06-07 1981-05-12 Dielectric Systems International, Inc. Method for making rolling electrode for electrostatic device

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3373422A (en) * 1965-09-21 1968-03-12 Electronix Ten Inc Signalling device having vane rotated about an axis by an electrostatic field
US3600798A (en) * 1969-02-25 1971-08-24 Texas Instruments Inc Process for fabricating a panel array of electromechanical light valves
US4235522A (en) * 1978-06-16 1980-11-25 Bos-Knox, Ltd. Light control device
US4266339A (en) * 1979-06-07 1981-05-12 Dielectric Systems International, Inc. Method for making rolling electrode for electrostatic device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0191840A1 (fr) 1986-08-27
JPS61503055A (ja) 1986-12-25

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