Claims
- 1. A spatial light modulator, comprising:
- a substrate structure comprising a backplate and a silicon substrate in contact with said backplate, said silicon substrate having at its surface an active array area between its edges and at least an electrical connection area at one end of said silicon substrate, and said backplate having edges which extend beyond all but said one end of said silicon substrate;
- a transparent cover mounted above said substrate structure and extending beyond said active array area but not covering said electrical connection area;
- electro-optic material between said transparent cover and said substrate structure over at least said active array area; and
- a sealant in contact with said transparent cover and said substrate structure so as to contain said electro-optic material, said sealant being in contact with said backplate and at most three edges of the active array area on the surface of said silicon substrate including the edge between said electrical connection area and said active array area.
- 2. A spatial light modulator as recited in claim 1, wherein said sealant is in contact with said backplate and at most one edge of the active array area on said surface of said silicon substrate, said at most one edge being between said active array area and said electrical connection area.
- 3. A spatial light modulator as recited in claim 1, wherein said silicon substrate is mounted on said backplate.
- 4. A spatial light modulator as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
- a plurality of spacers for separating said transparent cover from said silicon substrate by a fixed distance.
- 5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said electro-optic material is liquid crystal.
- 6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said electro-optic material is twisted nematic liquid crystal.
- 7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said electro-optic material is ferro-electric liquid crystal.
- 8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said electro-optic material is polymer dispersed liquid crystal.
- 9. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said electro-optic material is polymer stabilized cholesteric texture liquid crystal.
- 10. A spatial light modulator, comprising:
- a substrate structure comprising a backplate and a silicon substrate in contact with said backplate, said silicon substrate having at its surface at least an electrical connection area at one edge of said silicon substrate and an active array area;
- a transparent cover mounted above said substrate structure and extending beyond said active array area but not covering said electrical connection area;
- electro-optic material between said transparent cover and said substrate structure over at least said active array area; and
- a sealant in contact with said transparent cover and said substrate structure so as to contain said electro-optic material;
- wherein said silicon substrate is recessed into said backplate.
- 11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein said electro-optic material is selected from the group consisting of liquid crystal, twisted nematic liquid crystal, ferro-electric liquid crystal, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and polymer stabilized cholesteric texture liquid crystal.
- 12. A method of assembling a spatial light modulator, said method comprising:
- forming a substrate structure by placing a silicon substrate having at its surface at least an electrical connection area at one edge and an active array area in a recess of a backplate so that a surface of said backplate and said surface of said silicon substrate are approximately coplanar;
- providing a sealant between a transparent plate coated with a transparent electrical conducting material and said substrate structure such that said sealant is in contact with both said silicon substrate and said backplate; and
- filling a cavity formed between said transparent plate and said silicon surface with an electro-optic material wherein said electro-optic material covers at least said active array area but not said electrical connection area.
- 13. A method of assembling a spatial light modulator comprising:
- forming a substrate structure by placing a silicon substrate having at its surface at least an electrical connection area at one edge and an active array area on a flat backplate;
- placing spacers on said backplate about said silicon substrate to form a coplanar surface large enough to accommodate a transparent plate with a conducting layer;
- placing said transparent plate on said spacers to cover at least said active array area but not said electrical connection area; and
- filling a cavity formed between said transparent plate and said silicon substrate with an electro-optic material, thereby forming said spatial light modulator.
- 14. A spatial light modulator comprising:
- a substrate structure comprising a backplate and a silicon substrate in contact with said backplate, said silicon substrate having at its surface at least an electrical connection area at one edge of said silicon substrate and an active array area;
- a transparent cover mounted above said substrate structure and extending beyond said active array area but not covering said electrical connection area;
- electro-optic material between said transparent cover and said substrate structure over at least said active array area; and
- a sealant in contact with said transparent cover and said substrate structure so as to contain said electro-optic material;
- and, wherein said back plate comprises a plurality of spacers to control the distance between said top glass and said silicon substrate.
- 15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said electro-optic material is selected from the group consisting of liquid crystal, twisted nematic liquid crystal, ferro-electric liquid crystal, polymer dispersed liquid crystal, and polymer stabilized cholesteric texture liquid crystal.
- 16. A spatial light modulator as recited in claim 14, wherein said silicon substrate is mounted on said backplate.
- 17. A spatial light modulator as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
- a plurality of spacers for separating said transparent cover from said silicon substrate by a fixed distance.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/685,259 filed on Jul. 23, 1996 now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
685259 |
Jul 1996 |
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