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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7417735 | Systems and methods for measuring color and contrast in specular reflective devices Disclosed herein are systems and methods for measuring color and contrast in specular reflective devices such as interferometric modulators. To make color and contrast determinations, light reflected from a specular reflective device may be measured in-line with ill... | 08/26/2008 |
| 7360893 | Systems and methods for shaping wavefronts in polychromatic light using phase shifting elements A system for producing polychromatic light having selectively shaped wavefronts includes a source for generating light beams of at least two wavelengths (λ1, λ2). The beams are made up of a plurality of contiguous sub-beams that establish λ | 04/22/2008 |
| 7339714 | Variable blazed grating based signal processing A light processing system includes an array of optical signal processing devices. The array of processing devices are operable to receive at least some of a first signal part and to modulate the first signal part based at least in part on a control signal received f... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7286764 | Reconfigurable modulator-based optical add-and-drop multiplexer An optical add and drop multiplexer system comprising a first module for providing a first signal; a second module for providing a second signal; and a modulator for receiving a channel of the first signal at a first location, the first location configured to actuat... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7280265 | Interferometric modulation of radiation An Interferometric Modulator (IMod) is a microelectromechanical device for modulating light using interference. The colors of these devices may be determined in a spatial fashion, and their inherent color shift may be compensated for using several optical compensati... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7234813 | Apparatus for displaying image by projection on retina of viewer with eliminated adverse effect of intervening optics An apparatus for use in image display, of projecting a light beam onto a retina of a viewer, to thereby allow the viewer to perceive an image, is disclosed. The apparatus is constructed to include: a light emitter emitting a light beam; a scanner scanning the light ... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7221495 | Thin film precursor stack for MEMS manufacturing This invention provides a precursor film stack for use in the production of MEMS devices. The precursor film stack comprises a carrier substrate, a first layer formed on the carrier substrate, a second layer of an insulator material formed on the first layer, and a ... | 05/22/2007 |
| 7177081 | High contrast grating light valve type device A grating light valve has with a plurality of spaced reflective ribbons are spatially arranged over a substrate with reflective surfaces. The grating light valve is configured to optimized the conditions for constructive and destructive interference with an incident... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7164520 | Packaging for an interferometric modulator A package is made of a transparent substrate having an interferometric modulator and a back plate. A non-hermetic seal joins the back plate to the substrate to form a package, and a desiccant resides inside the package. A method of packaging an interferometric modul... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7142347 | Method and system for processing photonic systems using semiconductor devices An optical processing system includes an amplifier, a receiving device, an electronic processor, and a transmitting device. The receiving device includes a first wave-guide based router and an array of detectors. The array of detectors receives the first optical sig... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7126738 | Visible spectrum modulator arrays Light in the visible spectrum is modulated using an array of modulation elements, and control circuitry connected to the array for controlling each of the modulation elements independently, each of the modulation elements having a surface which is caused to exhibit ... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7116862 | Apparatus and method for providing gain equalization In one aspect of the invention, a gain equalizer comprises a wavelength division demultiplexer operable to separate one or more communication bands into a plurality of wavelengths and an array of phase shifter stages. Each phase shifter stage comprises a micro-elect... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7099358 | Tunable laser light source A gain medium 12 and a tunable filter are provided in an optical path of laser oscillation. The tunable filter has an optical beam deflector for periodically changing an optical beam at a constant angular speed, a prism 26 on which deflected light is m... | 08/29/2006 |
| 7081928 | Optical system for full color, video projector using single light valve with plural sub-pixel reflectors A full color video projector system using a light source and a single light valve. The output of the light source passes through a condenser lens. The lens is directed toward a splayed array of red, green, and blue dichroic reflector color filters. The reflected thr... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7075692 | Optical scanning apparatus and projecting apparatus The present invention provides an optical scanning apparatus which has a light modulating element capable of changing the propagating state of light, an illuminating optical system for illuminating the light modulating element with light, and a scanning optical syst... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7068372 | MEMS interferometer-based reconfigurable optical add-and-drop multiplexor The interferometer comprises a beam splitter, a mirror and a phase modulator. The beam splitter splits a signal into a first portion and a second portion. The mirror reflects the first portion. The first portion includes an optical path length, which is fixed. The p... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7057819 | High contrast tilting ribbon blazed grating The light modulator includes elongated elements and a support structure coupled to the elongated elements. Each element includes one or more lengthwise slits within an active optical area, and a light reflective planar surface with the light reflective planar surfac... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7054515 | Diffractive light modulator-based dynamic equalizer with integrated spectral monitor An integrated device of the present invention comprises free-space optics, a bi-directional multiplexor/de-multiplexor, a diffractive light modulator, a beam splitter, an optical performance monitor, and a controller. The free-space optics collimate, transform and i... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7049164 | Microelectronic mechanical system and methods The current invention provides for encapsulated release structures, intermediates thereof and methods for their fabrication. The multi-layer structure has a capping layer, that preferably comprises silicon oxide and/or silicon nitride, and which is formed over an et... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7042611 | Pre-deflected bias ribbons A modulator for and a method of modulating an incident beam of light including means for supporting a plurality of active elements and a plurality of bias elements, each active and bias element including a light reflective planar surface with the light reflective pl... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7030894 | Image display system and method A method of displaying an image includes receiving image data for the image, buffering the image data for the image, including creating a frame of the image, defining a first sub-frame and at least a second sub-frame for the frame of the image from the image data, t... | 04/18/2006 |
| 7027202 | Silicon substrate as a light modulator sacrificial layer An optical MEM device is fabricated with a patterned device layer formed on a silicon wafer. Preferably, the patterned device layer is patterned with plurality of ribbons and/or access trenches. The central portion of the ribbon is released from the silicon wafer us... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7023607 | Double substrate reflective spatial light modulator with self-limiting micro-mechanical elements A spatial light modulator including first and second substrate, and an array of deflectable elements disposed within a gap between the first and second substrates is disclosed herein. For electrostatically actuating the deflectable elements, an array of electrodes a... | 04/04/2006 |
| 7012733 | Double substrate reflective spatial light modulator with self-limiting micro-mechanical elements A spatial light modulator including first and second substrate, and an array of deflectable elements disposed within a gap between the first and second substrates is disclosed herein. For electrostatically actuating the deflectable elements, an array of electrodes a... | 03/14/2006 |
| 6997560 | Micromirror device with adjacently disposed support region An optical system including two or more micromirror arrays is disclosed. The micromirror arrays include alternately disposed transparent and opaque surfaces. The system spatially separates an image toward the micromirror arrays, the image is reflected from the micro... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6992830 | Projection display having an angle-selective coating for enhanced image contrast, and method for enhancing image contrast A projection display includes a light source, a spatial light modulator that receives a light from the light source, and an angle-selective coating disposed to receive the light beam from the spatial light modulator. The angle-selective coating is oriented at a non-... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6993255 | Method and apparatus for providing adaptive illumination An illumination system (20, 72, 110, 142) for illuminating a scene comprising: an illuminator (24, 74, 116) having a plurality of substantially contiguous independently controllable light (26, 76) providing regions each of which provides light t... | 01/31/2006 |
| 6975366 | Digital display system using pulsed lasers An image projection system comprises a laser source that generates a series of periodic pulses having substantially uniform energy content, a spatial light modulator, and a modulator driver synchronized with the laser pulses so that transition intervals of the modul... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6972886 | Variable blazed grating In one aspect of the invention, an apparatus operable to provide optical signal processing includes an inner conductive layer including an at least substantially conductive material and a plurality of at least partially reflective mirror strips disposed outwardly fr... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6956878 | Method and apparatus for reducing laser speckle using polarization averaging A method and apparatus for reducing speckle uses polarization averaging. A polarizing beam splitter divides a first polarized laser output into a second polarized laser output and a third polarized laser output. A plurality of mirrors creates an optical path differe... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6956995 | Optical communication arrangement An arrangement for optical communication comprises an optical coupler, an opto-electronic board, and an optical fiber. The optical fiber comprises a first refraction surface, a second refraction surface, and an internal reflector. The first refraction surface has a ... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6950225 | Micromechanical optical switch An optical switch element is described, which includes a fixed layer disposed outwardly from a substrate and a movable mirror assembly disposed outwardly from the fixed layer. The moveable mirror assembly is operable to move relative to the fixed layer responsive to... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6947613 | Wavelength selective switch and equalizer A device comprising a light modulator including a plurality of elements wherein each element is selectively operable such that the plurality of elements are dynamically configurable to combine selected ones of a plurality of grating periods such that selected portio... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6947200 | Double substrate reflective spatial light modulator with self-limiting micro-mechanical elements A spatial light modulator includes an upper optically transmissive substrate held above a lower substrate containing addressing circuitry. One or more electrostatically deflectable elements are suspended by hinges from the upper substrate. In operation, individual m... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6934070 | Chirped optical MEM device A light modulator comprises a series of ribbons divided by a series of gaps. Sequences of consecutive ribbons and gaps are grouped together to form a plurality of pixels that are configured to process a respective plurality of wavelengths. The spacing from center-li... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6927891 | Tilt-able grating plane for improved crosstalk in 1×N blaze switches A light modulator includes elongated elements arranged parallel to each other. Each elongated element includes a light reflective planar surface with the light reflective planar surfaces configured in a first grating plane. A support structure is coupled to the elon... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6928207 | Apparatus for selectively blocking WDM channels An apparatus for selective blocking WDM channels comprises a light modulator, a diffraction grating, and a transform lens. The light modulator comprises an array of pixels. Each pixel of the light modulator is selectively operable to direct light into a first mode a... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6922272 | Method and apparatus for leveling thermal stress variations in multi-layer MEMS devices A MEMS device such as a grating light valve™ light modulator is athermalized such that the force required to deflect the movable portion of the MEMS device remains constant over a range of temperatures. In MEMS embodiments directed to a grating light valve™ ligh... | 07/26/2005 |
| 6908201 | Micro-support structures A MEM device in accordance with the invention comprises one or more movable micro-structures which are preferably ribbon structures or cantilever structures. The ribbon structures or cantilever structures are preferably coupled to a substrate structure through one o... | 06/21/2005 |
| 6751006 | Processing techniques for superimposing images for image projection Addressed herein are techniques and equipment for pre-processing digital images to be superimposed for display. Filtering, re-sampling, and decimation are variously used to process images and sub-images to produce to-be-superimposed images. One of the described tech... | 06/15/2004 |
