Active matrix light emitting diode pixel structure and concomitant method

Abstract
A LED pixel structure that reduces current nonuniformities and threshold voltage variations in a “drive transistor”of the pixel structure is disclosed. The LED pixel structure incorporates a current source for loading data into the pixel via a data line. Alternatively, an auto zero voltage is determined for the drive transistor prior to the loading of data.
Description




The invention relates to an active matrix light emitting diode pixel structure. More particularly, the invention relates to a pixel structure that reduces current nonuniformities and threshold voltage variations in a “drive transistor” of the pixel structure and method of operating said active matrix light emitting diode pixel structure.




BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE




Matrix displays are well known in the art, where pixels are illuminated using matrix addressing as illustrated in

FIG. 1. A

typical display


100


comprises a plurality of picture or display elements (pixels)


160


that are arranged in rows and columns. The display incorporates a column data generator


110


and a row select generator


120


. In operation, each row is sequentially activated via row line


130


, where the corresponding pixels are activated using the corresponding column lines


140


. In a passive matrix display, each row of pixels is illuminated sequentially one by one, whereas in an active matrix display, each row of pixels is first loaded with data sequentially. Namely, each row in the passive matrix display is only “active” for a fraction of the total frame time, whereas each row in the active matrix display can be set to be “active” for the entire total frame time.




With the proliferation in the use of portable displays, e.g., in a laptop computer, various display technologies have been employed, e.g., liquid crystal display (LCD) and light-emitting diode (LED) display. An important distinction between these two technologies is that a LED is an emissive device which has power efficiency advantage over non-emissive devices such as (LCD). Generally, an important criticality in portable displays is the ability to conserve power, thereby extending the “on time” of a portable system that employs such display.




In a LCD, a fluorescent backlight is on for the entire duration in which the display is in use, thereby dissipating power even for “off” pixels. Namely, all pixels in a LCD are illuminated, where a “dark” or “off” pixel is achieved by causing a polarized layer to block the illumination through that pixel. In contrast, a LED (or OLED) display only illuminates those pixels that are activated, thereby conserving power by not having to illuminate off pixels.




Although a display that employs an OLED pixel structure can as reduce power consumption, such pixel structure exhibits nonuniformity in intensity level over time. Namely, the OLED structure will degrade with use, where it has been found that the turn-on voltage of an organic OLED increases over life, with the voltage increase dependent on the total time-integrated charge density through the OLED.




With use, the gate to source voltage (threshold voltage) of the “drive transistor” M


2


may vary, thereby causing a change in the current passing through the LED. This varying current contributes to the nonuniformity in the intensity of the display.




Another contribution to the nonuniformity in intensity of the display can be found in the manufacturing of the “drive transistor”. In some cases, the “drive transistor” is manufactured from a material that is difficult to ensure uniformity of the transistors such that variations exist from pixel to pixel.




However, it has been observed that the brightness of the OLED is proportional to the current passing through the OLED. Therefore, a need exists in the art for a pixel structure and concomitant method that reduces current nonuniformities and threshold voltage variations in a “drive transistor” of the pixel structure.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In one embodiment of the present invention, a current source is incorporated in a LED (OLED) pixel structure that reduces current nonuniformities and threshold voltage variations in a “drive transistor” of the pixel structure. The current source is coupled to the data line, where a constant current is initially programmed and then captured.




In another embodiment, the constant current is achieved by initially applying a reference voltage in an auto-zero phase that determines and stores an auto zero voltage. The auto zero voltage effectively accounts for the threshold voltage of the drive transistor. Next, a data voltage which is referenced to the same reference voltage is now applied to illuminate the pixel.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The teachings of the present invention can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

depicts a block diagram of a matrix addressing interface;





FIG. 2

depicts a schematic diagram of an active matrix LED pixel structure of the present invention;





FIG. 3

depicts a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of the present active matrix LED pixel structure;





FIG. 4

depicts a schematic diagram of another alternate embodiment of the present active matrix LED pixel structure;





FIG. 5

depicts a block diagram of a system employing a display having a plurality of active matrix LED pixel structures of the present invention; and





FIG. 6

depicts a schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of the active matrix LED pixel structure of FIG.


2


.




To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION





FIG. 2

depicts a schematic diagram of an active matrix LED pixel structure


200


of the present invention. In the preferred embodiment, the active matrix LED pixel structure is implemented using thin film transistors (TFTs), e.g., transistors manufactured using amorphous or poly-silicon. Similarly, in the preferred embodiment, the active matrix LED pixel structure incorporates an organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Although the present pixel structure is implemented using thin film transistors and an organic light-emitting diode, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented using other types of transistors and light emitting diodes. For example, if transistors that are manufactured using other materials exhibit the threshold nonuniformity as discussed above, then the present invention can be employed to provide a constant current through the lighting element.




Although the present invention is illustrated below as a single pixel or pixel structure, it should be understood that the pixel can be employed with other pixels, e.g., in an array, to form a display. Furthermore, although the figures below illustrate specific transistor configuration, it should be understood that the source of a transistor is relative to the voltage sign.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, pixel structure


200


comprises three PMOS transistors


240


,


250


,


260


, a NMOS transistor


270


, a capacitor


280


and a LED (OLED)


290


(light element). A select line


210


is coupled to the gate of transistors


240


,


250


and


270


. A data line is coupled to the source of transistor


250


and a +V


DD


line is coupled to the drain of transistor


270


. One electrode of the OLED


290


is coupled to the drain of transistors


240


and


260


. The source of transistor


240


is coupled to the gate of transistor


260


and to one terminal of capacitor


280


. Finally, the drain of transistor


250


, the source of transistor


270


, the source of transistor


260


and one terminal of the capacitor


280


are all coupled together.




The present pixel structure


200


provides a uniform current drive in the presence of a large threshold voltage (V


t


) nonuniformity. In other words, it is desirable to maintain a uniform current across the OLED, thereby ensuring uniformity in the intensity of the display.




More specifically, the OLED pixel structure is operated in two phases, a load data phase and a continuous illuminating phase.




Load Data Phase




A pixel structure


200


can be loaded with data by activating the proper select line


210


. Namely, when the select line is set to “Low”, transistor P


4


(


240


) is turned “On”, where the voltage on the anode side of the OLED


290


is transmitted to the gate of the transistor P


2


(


260


). Concurrently, transistor P


1


(


250


) is also turned “ON” so that the constant current from the data line


220


flows through both the transistor P


2


(


260


) and the OLED


290


. Namely, the transistor


260


must turn on to sink the current that is being driven by the current source


230


. The current source


230


that drives the data line is programmed by external data. The gate to source voltage of transistor


260


(drive transistor) will then settle to a voltage that is necessary to drive the current. Concurrently, transistor N


1


(


270


) is turned “Off”, thereby disconnecting the power supply +V


DD


from the OLED


290


. The constant current source


230


will also self-adjust the source-to-gate voltage to accommodate a fixed overdrive value (voltage) for transistor


260


and will compensate the threshold variation on the polysilicon TFT


260


. The overdrive voltage is representative of the data. In turn, the data is properly stored on the storage capacitor Cs


280


. This completes the load or write cycle for the data.




Continuous Illuminating Phase




When the select line is set “High”, both transistors of P


1


(


250


) and P


4


(


240


) are turned “Off” and the transistor N


1


(


270


) is turned “On”. Although the source voltage of the transistor


260


may vary slightly, the source-to-gate voltage of the transistor


260


controls the current level during the illumination cycle. The Vsg of transistor


270


across the capacitor


280


cannot change instantaneously. Thus, the gate voltage on transistor


260


will track with its source voltage such that the source-to-gate voltage is maintained the same throughout the entire Load and Illumination phases. The leakage current of polysilicon TFT and voltage resolution required for gray scale luminance of OLED will determine the size of storage capacitor needed for holding a valid data for a frame time. In the preferred embodiment, the capacitor is on the order of approximately 0.25 pf. Namely, the capacitor must be large enough to account for the current leakage of transistor


260


. This completes the pixel operation for the illumination phase.




It should be noted that each data/column line


220


has its own programmed constant current source


230


. During the illumination phase, the subsequent programmed current source on the data lines feeds through and loads the next rows of all pixels, while the pixels of previous rows are operating in the illumination phase for the whole frame time. Thus, this pixel structure of

FIG. 2

requires only 3 PMOS transistors and 1 NMOS transistor with 2.5 lines. (select line, data line-current source and V


DD


voltage supply which can be shared with adjacent pixels). Alternatively,

FIG. 6

illustrates an implementation where the pixel structure of

FIG. 2

is implemented with all PMOS transistors, which will provide economy for using either PMOS or NMOS processes only. The NMOS transistor N


1


is replaced with a PMOS P


3


transistor


610


. However, an additional line (control line)


620


is coupled to the gate of transistor


610


for addressing the additional PMOS transistor, thereby requiring a total of 3.5 lines, i.e., an additional voltage supply for controlling the additional PMOS gate.




In sum, the pixel structures of FIG.


2


and

FIG. 6

are designed to compensate the threshold variation of both polysilicon TFT and the OLED by self-adjusting/tracking mechanism on Vsg of transistor


260


and by supplying a constant current source through the OLED


290


. In fact, the pixel structures of FIG.


2


and

FIG. 6

are able to accomplish proper operation during both Load and Illumination phases with hard voltage supply. These pixel structures can be implemented to design high-quality OLED displays with good gray scale uniformity and high lifetime despite instabilities in either the OLED or the pixel polysilicon TFT.





FIG. 3

illustrates an alternate embodiment of the present active matrix pixel structure. In this alternate embodiment, the data line voltage is converted into a current within the pixel structure without the need of a voltage-to-current converter such as the implementation of a current source as discussed above in

FIGS. 2 and 6

.




Referring to

FIG. 3

, pixel structure


300


comprises four PMOS transistors (


360


,


365


,


370


,


375


), two capacitors


350


and


355


and a LED (OLED)


380


. A select line


320


is coupled to the gate of transistor


360


. A data line


310


is coupled to the source of transistor


360


and a +V


DD


line is coupled to the source of transistor


365


and one terminal of capacitor


355


. An auto-zero line


330


is coupled to the gate of transistor


370


and an illuminate line is coupled to the gate of transistor


375


. One electrode of the OLED


280


is coupled to the drain of transistor


375


. The source of transistor


375


is coupled to the drain of transistors


365


and


370


. The drain of transistor


360


is coupled to one terminal of capacitor


350


. Finally, the gate of transistor


365


, the source of transistor


370


, one terminal of the capacitor


350


and one terminal of the capacitor


355


are all coupled together.




More specifically,

FIG. 3

illustrates a pixel structure


300


that is operated in three phases: 1) an auto-zero phase, 2) a load data phase and 3) an illuminating phase.




Auto-zero




When auto-zero line


330


and the illuminate line


340


are set to “Low”, transistor P


2


(


375


) and P


3


(


370


) are turned “On” and the voltage on the drain side of transistor P


1


(


365


) is transmitted to the gate and is temporarily connected as a diode. The data line


310


is set to a “reference voltage” and the select line


320


is set to “Low”. The reference voltage can be arbitrarily set, but it must be greater than the highest data voltage.




Next, the illuminate line


340


is set to “High”, so that transistor P


2




375


is turned “Off”. The pixel circuit now settles to a threshold of the transistor P


1




365


(drive transistor), thereby storing a voltage (an auto-zero voltage) that is the difference between the reference voltage on the data line and the threshold voltage of the transistor P


1




365


on the capacitor C


c




350


. This sets the gate voltage, or more accurately V


SG


of transistor


365


to the threshold voltage of transistor


365


. This, in turn, will provide a fixed overdrive voltage on transistor P


1


(


365


) regardless of its threshold voltage variation. Finally, Auto Zero line


330


is set to “High”, which isolates the gate of transistor P


1




365


. The purpose of auto-zero is henceforth accomplished.




Load Data Phase




At the end of the Auto Zero phase, the select line was set “Low” and the data line was at a “reference voltage”. Now, the data line


310


is set to a data voltage. This data voltage is transmitted through capacitor C


c




350


onto the gate of transistor P


1


(


365


). Next, the select line is set “High”. Thus, the V


SG


of transistor


365


provides transistor


365


with a fixed overdrive voltage for providing a constant current level. This completes the load data phase and the pixel is for illumination.




Continuously Illuminating Data Phase During Deselect Row Phase




With the data voltage stored on the gate of transistor P


1


(


365


), the illuminate line


340


is set to “Low”, thereby turning “On” transistor P


2




375


. The current supplied by the transistor P


1




365


, is allowed to flow through the OLED


380


. In sum, the transistor


365


behaves like a constant current source. This completes the Illumination phase.





FIG. 4

illustrates another alternate embodiment of the present active matrix pixel structure. In this alternate embodiment, the data line voltage is also converted into a current within the pixel structure without the need of a voltage-to-current converter such as the implementation of a current source as discussed above in

FIGS. 2

, and


6


.




Referring to

FIG. 4

, pixel structure


400


comprises three PMOS transistors (


445


,


460


,


465


), two capacitors


450


and


455


and a LED (OLED)


470


. A select line


420


is coupled to the gate of transistor


445


. A data line


410


is coupled to the source of transistor


445


and a VSWP line is coupled to the source of transistor


460


and one terminal of capacitor


455


. An auto-zero line


430


is coupled to the gate of transistor


465


. One electrode of the OLED


470


is coupled to the drain of transistors


465


and


460


. The drain of transistor


445


is coupled to one terminal of capacitor


450


. Finally, the gate of transistor


460


, the source of transistor


465


, one terminal of the capacitor


450


and one terminal of the capacitor


455


are all coupled together.




More specifically,

FIG. 4

illustrates a pixel structure


400


that is also operated in three phases: 1) an auto-zero phase, 2) a load data phase and 3) an illuminating phase.




Auto-zero (By VSWP) Phase




VSWP (voltage switching supply) is set to a “lower voltage” by the amount “ΔV”, where the lower voltage is selected such that the OLED


470


is trickling a small amount of current (depending on the OLED characteristic, e.g., on the order of nanoamp). The lower voltage is coupled through onto the gate of transistor P


1


(


460


) V


G


(P


1


) without dilution due to the floating node between the transistor P


4


(


445


) and C


c


(


450


) coupling capacitor. When Auto Zero line


430


is then set to “Low”, the transistor P


1


(


460


) (drive transistor) is temporarily connected as a diode by closing the transistor P


3


(


465


). The select line


420


is then set to “Low” and a “reference voltage” is applied on the data line


410


. The reference voltage can be arbitrarily set, but it must be greater than the highest data voltage. The pixel circuit is now allowed to settle to the threshold of transistor P


1




460


. Finally, Auto Zero line


430


is then set to “High”, which isolates the gate of transistor P


1




460


. The effect of this Auto Zero phase is to store on the capacitor C


c




450


a voltage (an auto-zero voltage) that represents the difference between the reference voltage on the data line and the transistor threshold voltage of P


1




460


. This completes the auto-zero phase.




Load Data Phase




At the end of the Auto Zero phase, the select line was set “Low” and the data line was at a “reference voltage”. Next, the data line is then switched from a reference voltage to a lower voltage (data voltage) where the change in the data is referenced to the data. In turn, the data voltage (data input) is load coupled through capacitors


450


and


455


to the gate of transistor P


1




460


. The voltage V


SG


of the transistor


460


provides the transistor P


1


(


460


) with a fixed overdrive voltage to drive the current for the OLED


470


. Namely, the data voltage will be translated into an overdrive voltage on transistor P


1




460


. Since the voltage stored on the capacitor


450


accounts for the threshold voltage of the transistor P


1




460


, the overall overdrive voltage is now independent of the threshold voltage of the transistor P


1


. The select line


420


is then set “High”. This completes the load data phase.




Continuously Illuminate Data During Deselect Row Phase




At the completion of the data loading phase, the gate of transistor P


1




460


is now isolated except for its capacitive connections, where the overdrive voltage for driving the OLED is stored on capacitor C


S




455


. Next, the VSWP is returned to its original higher voltage (illuminate voltage). In turn, with VSWP rising, there is now sufficient voltage to drive the OLED for illumination. Namely, when select line


420


is set to “High”, both transistors P


3


(


465


) and P


4


(


445


) are turned “Off”, and the data voltage is kept in storage on V


SG


of transistor


460


as before. This source-to-gate voltage V


SG(P1)


is maintained in the same manner throughout the entire Illumination phase, which means the current level through the OLED will be constant. This completes the Illumination cycle.




In sum,

FIG. 3

discloses a pixel structure that uses 4 PMOS transistors and 1 coupling capacitor with 3½ lines. (Auto-Zero line and VDDH voltage supply can both be shared).

FIG. 4

discloses a pixel structure that uses only 3 PMOS transistors and 1 coupling capacitor with 2½ line. (VSWP switching power supply could be share with adjacent pixel) Both of these two pixel structures can compensate the threshold variation of both polysilicon TFT and OLED by illuminating and auto-zero trickling current mechanism on V


SG(P1)


. The aforementioned two (2) pixel structures can also be implemented in polysilicon NMOS and in amorphous NMOS design.




The two (2) pixel structures of FIG.


3


and

FIG. 4

can be implemented to design high-quality OLED with good gray scale uniformity and high lifetime despite instabilities in either the OLED or the pixel polysilicon TFT.





FIG. 5

illustrates a block diagram of a system


500


employing a display


520


having a plurality of active matrix LED pixel structures


200


,


300


,


400


or


600


of the present invention. The system


500


comprises a display controller


510


and a display


520


.




More specifically, the display controller can be implemented as a general purpose computer having a central processing unit CPU


512


, a memory


514


and a plurality of I/O devices


416


(e.g., a mouse, a keyboard, storage devices, e.g., magnetic and optical drives, a modem and the like). Software instructions for activating the display


520


can be loaded into the memory


514


and executed by the CPU


512


.




The display


520


comprises a pixel interface


522


and a plurality of pixels (pixel structures


200


,


300


,


400


or


600


). The pixel interface


522


contains the necessary circuitry to drive the pixels


200


,


300


,


400


or


600


. For example, the pixel interface


522


can be a matrix addressing interface as illustrated in FIG.


1


.




Thus, the system


500


can be implemented as a laptop computer. Alternatively, the display controller


510


can be implemented in other manners such as a microcontroller or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a combination of hardware and software instructions. In sum, the system


500


can be implemented within a larger system that incorporates a display of the present invention.




Although the present invention is described using PMOS transistors, it should be understood that the present invention can be implemented using NMOS transistors, where the relevant voltages are reversed. Namely, the OLED is now coupled to the source of the NMOS drive transistor. By flipping the OLED, the cathode of the OLED should be made with a transparent material.




Although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can readily devise many other varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings.



Claims
  • 1. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled said select line, where said drain of said second transistor is coupled to a VDD line, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled said select line; a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said capacitor, where said second terminal of said capacitor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor; a fourth transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said fourth transistor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor, where said gate of said fourth transistor is coupled said source of said third transistor; and a light element having two terminals, where said drain of said fourth transistor and said drain of said third transistor are coupled to one of said terminal of said light element.
  • 2. The display of claim 1, wherein said light element is an organic light emitting diode (OLED).
  • 3. The display of claim 1, wherein said first, third and fourth transistors are PMOS transistors and wherein said second transistor is a NMOS transistor.
  • 4. The display of claim 1, further comprising:a current source coupled to said data line.
  • 5. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled a control line, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to a VDD line, where said drain of said second transistor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled said select line; a capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said capacitor, where said second terminal of said capacitor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor; a fourth transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said fourth transistor is coupled to said drain of said first transistor, where said gate of said fourth transistor is coupled said source of said third transistor; and a light element having two terminals, where said drain of said fourth transistor and said drain of said third transistor are coupled to one of said terminal of said light element.
  • 6. The display of claim 5, wherein said light element is an organic light emitting diode (OLED).
  • 7. The display of claim 5, wherein said first, second, third and fourth transistors are PMOS transistors.
  • 8. The display of claim 5, further comprising:a current source coupled to said data line.
  • 9. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said drain of said first transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said first capacitor; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to a VDD line, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said first capacitor; a second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said second capacitor, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said second capacitor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled an auto-zero line, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said gate of said second transistor, where said drain of said third transistor is coupled to said drain of said second transistor; a fourth transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said fourth transistor is coupled to an illuminate line, where said source of said fourth transistor is coupled to said drain of said third transistor; and a light element having two terminals, where said drain of said fourth transistor is coupled to one of said terminal of said light element.
  • 10. The display of claim 9, wherein said light element is an organic light emitting diode (OLED).
  • 11. The display of claim 9, wherein said first, second, third and fourth transistors are PMOS transistors.
  • 12. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising:a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said drain of said first transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said first capacitor; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to a VSWP line, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said first capacitor; a second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said second capacitor, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said second capacitor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled an auto-zero line, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said gate of said second transistor, where said drain of said third transistor is coupled to said drain of said second transistor; and a light element having two terminals, where said drain of said second transistor is coupled to one of said terminal of said light element.
  • 13. The display of claim 12, wherein said light element is an organic light emitting diode (OLED).
  • 14. The display of claim 12, wherein said first, second, and third transistors are PMOS transistors.
  • 15. A circuit for driving a light element having two terminals, said circuit comprising:a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said drain of said first transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said first capacitor; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to a VDD line, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said first capacitor; a second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said second capacitor, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said second capacitor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled an auto-zero line, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said gate of said second transistor, where said drain of said third transistor is coupled to said drain of said second transistor; and a fourth transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said fourth transistor is coupled to an illuminate line, where said source of said fourth transistor is coupled to said drain of said third transistor, where said drain of said fourth transistor is for coupling to the light element.
  • 16. A system comprising:a display controller; and a display, coupled to said display controller, where said display comprises a plurality of pixels, where each pixel comprises: a first transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate is coupled to a select line, where said source is coupled to a data line; a first capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said drain of said first transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said first capacitor; a second transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to a VDD line, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said first capacitor; a second capacitor having a first terminal and a second terminal, where said gate of said second transistor is coupled to said first terminal of said second capacitor, where said source of said second transistor is coupled to said second terminal of said second capacitor; a third transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said third transistor is coupled an auto-zero line, where said source of said third transistor is coupled to said gate of said second transistor, where said drain of said third transistor is coupled to said drain of said second transistor; a fourth transistor having a gate, a source and a drain, where said gate of said fourth transistor is coupled to an illuminate line, where said source of said fourth transistor is coupled to said drain of said third transistor; and a light element having two terminals, where said drain of said fourth transistor is coupled to one of said terminal of said light element.
Parent Case Info

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/044,174 filed Apr. 23, 1997, which is herein incorporated by reference.

Government Interests

This invention was made with U.S. government support under contract number F33615-96-2-1944. The U.S. government has certain rights in this invention.

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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/044174 Apr 1997 US