Abstract: 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 mirrors are selectively deflected and serve to spatially modulate light that is incident to, and then reflected back through, the upper substrate. Motion stops may be attached to the reflective deflectable elements so that the mirror does not snap to the bottom substrate. Instead, the motion stop rests against the upper substrate thus limiting the deflection angle of the reflective deflectable elements.

Abstract: An integrated driver for controlling operations of display systems having spatial light modulators that are operated in binary states is provided.

Abstract: A method for making a MEMS device comprises forming a plurality of micromechanical elements on a first substrate; forming circuitry and electrodes on a second substrate, the first and second substrates extending in a plane in X and Y directions; aligning the first and second substrates in the X and Y directions and moving the substrates toward each other in a Z direction and bonding the first and second substrates with a gap therebetween in the Z direction to form an assembly; singulating the assembly into assembly portions; and altering the gap for each assembly portion. Another embodiment involves aligning the first and second substrates in the X and Y directions and moving the substrates toward each other in a Z direction and bonding the first and second substrates with a gap therebetween in the Z direction to form an assembly; actuating and testing the micromechanical elements of the assembly; and altering the gap for each assembly.

Abstract: A method and an improved multilayer hinge structure for use in a micromirror device for a spatial light modulator are provided herein. The micromirror device presents a conductive, composite torsion hinge with improved mechanical reliability, achieved by optimizing the geometry of the hinge, which minimizes the amount of residual twist, fixed torsional stiffness and fixed rate of plastic deformation in the mechanically undesirable hinge element. A method and its alternatives are disclosed herein by the present invention for manufacturing such multilayer hinge structure.