Abstract: A process of copper plating a through-hole in a printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board made from such process. The process comprises: providing a printed circuit board with at least two copper interconnect lines separated by an insulator in the vertical direction; providing a through-hole in the printed circuit board in the vertical direction such that the interconnect lines provide a copper land in the through-hole; applying a seed layer to an interior surface of the through-hole; removing an outermost portion of the seed layer from the interior surface of the through-hole with a laser; applying copper on the seed layer.

Abstract: A process of copper plating a through-hole in a printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board made from such process. The process comprises: providing a printed circuit board with at least two copper interconnect lines separated by an insulator in the vertical direction; providing a through-hole in the printed circuit board in the vertical direction such that the interconnect lines provide a copper land in the through-hole; applying a seed layer to an interior surface of the through-hole; removing an outermost portion of the seed layer from the interior surface of the through-hole with a laser; applying copper on the seed layer.

Abstract: A solder mold for transferring solder to a wafer includes a substrate, a plurality of solder cavities for holding solder, and a plurality of ventilation channels formed between the plurality of solder cavities.

Abstract: A method for forming a solder mold for transferring solder to a wafer includes etching a plurality of solder cavities into a substrate. A plurality of ventilation channels are etched on the substrate connecting the plurality of solder cavities.

Abstract: A process of copper plating a through-hole in a printed circuit board, and the printed circuit board made from such process. The process comprises: providing a printed circuit board with at least two copper interconnect lines separated by an insulator in the vertical direction; providing a through-hole in the printed circuit board in the vertical direction such that the interconnect lines provide a copper land in the through-hole; applying a seed layer to an interior surface of the through-hole; removing an outermost portion of the seed layer from the interior surface of the through-hole with a laser; applying copper on the seed layer.

Abstract: Techniques for circuit board processing are provided. In one aspect, a method of processing a circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is provided. The method comprises the following steps. One or more etch stop layers in proximity to the one or more waveguides are provided, at least one of the etch stop layers comprising one or more fiducials therein. From a surface of the circuit board, the one or more etch stop layers are used to selectively remove material to provide openings having a defined positioning and depth in the circuit board. A circuit board having one or more optical waveguides associated therewith is also provided.

Abstract: This disclosure teaches a method of filling deep vias or capping deep conducting paste filled vias in silicon or glass substrate using laser assisted chemical vapor deposition of metals. This method uses a continuous wave or pulsed laser to heat the via bottom and the growing metal fill selectively by selecting the laser wavelength such that silicon and/or glass do not absorb the energy of the laser in any appreciable manner to cause deposition in the field. Alternatively holographic mask or an array of micro lenses may be used to focus the laser beams to the vias to fill them with metal. The substrate is moved in a controlled manner in the z-direction away from the laser at about the rate of deposition thus causing the laser heating to be focused on the surface region of the growing metal fill.

Abstract: A class of novel structures which make novel use of polymer based reflective polarizing films in an improved polarization conversion system which are useful in liquid crystal projection systems that are easily manufactured, of lower cost, and permit the versatility of higher numerical aperture polarization conversions. Another aspect of the present invention are polarization modulating liquid crystal projection display systems utilizing the polarization conversion systems of the present invention.

Abstract: An OLED device which is capable of utilizing light transmitted from the sides of the OLED as well as the surface of the OLED is provided. The OLED device comprises an OLED having a substrate surface and sides for emission of photons therethrough and at least one adjacent light-folding means, wherein said light-folding means collects and redirects photons emitted from the sides of the OLED into coincident paths of light which are substantially parallel to said photons emitted from said substrate surface.

Abstract: A wireless handset phone, virtual image display coupled to the wireless handset phone and pointing device for pointing on the virtual image display are included. The communicator may also include a limited-function computer. The virtual image display uses optics to create the virtual image. The pointing device may include a virtual selector; that is, an array of sensors or switches to accommodate different users's hands.

Abstract: An apparatus for polarization conversion having a light source for supplying vertically and horizontally linearly polarized light to an optical path and a parabolic mirror disposed in the optical path and proximate to the light source. In different embodiments, the parabolic mirror has a mirror coating to induce a phase shift of 0°, 90°, or an arbitrary phase shift between incident light and reflected light. A polarizer means, preferably a reflective polarizer film, is disposed in the optical path for reflecting light of one of the linear polarizations and for transmitting the other linear polarization. Lastly, one or more waveplates are disposed in the optical path between the polarizer means and the parabolic mirror. The waveplates have opposing segments each having axes which are antiparallel to each other for recycling the reflected linear polarization by converting it to the transmitted polarization.

Abstract: An OLED device which is capable of utilizing light transmitted from the sides of the OLED as well as the surface of the OLED is provided. The OLED device comprises an OLED having a substrate surface and sides for emission of photons therethrough and at least one adjacent light-folding means, wherein said light-folding means collects and redirects photons emitted from the sides of the OLED into coincident paths of light which are substantially parallel to said photons emitted from said substrate surface.

Abstract: Three component color sub-pixel element areas of red,green and blue, are serially formed in an overall pixel area, on a transparent substrate, and after each individual color sub pixel element formation, a layer of protective transparent material is applied over the individual sub pixel element and the pixel area before formation of the next sub pixel element. The protective layers render the sub pixel elements unaffected by the processing of subsequent sub pixel members where such conditions as high temperature curing, hardening agents or hardening processes are involved, whereby advantages are achieved in manufacturability, reliability, yield, cost, and throughput.

Abstract: An apparatus for polarization conversion having a light source for supplying vertically and horizontally linearly polarized light to an optical path and a parabolic mirror disposed in the optical path and proximate to the light source. In different embodiments, the parabolic mirror has a mirror coating to induce a phase shift of 0.degree., 90.degree., or an arbitrary phase shift between incident light and reflected light. A polarizer, preferably a reflective polarizer film, is disposed in the optical path for reflecting light of one of the linear polarizations and for transmitting the other linear polarization. Lastly, one or more waveplates are disposed in the optical path between the polarizer and the parabolic mirror. The waveplates have opposing segments each having axes which are antiparallel to each other for recycling the reflected linear polarization by converting it to the transmitted polarization.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing a display cell structure based on the transmissive liquid crystal technology with a useful aperture ratio even as the cell size shrinks to less than 20 microns. The invention overcomes a problem of the prior art wherein the fractional area transmitting the light of the conventional designs becomes unacceptably low due to the aperture reducing opaque storage capacitor. This reduction in aperture ratio is removed in this invention by hiding the trench capacitor below the row and column x,y lines. The cell storage capacitor is formed using a vertical trench capacitor in SOI. Although useful even in standard display sizes and configurations, the invention is particularly useful for head-mounted displays and/or optical projection displays at the UXGA form factor for both monochromatic and color displays. Alternate capacitor configurations are described.

Abstract: A method and structure is presented for a display with reduced size pixels while retaining the transmissive approach. This enables continued use the least expensive transmission optics available. In an embodiment, it employs back-end-of-the-line vertical cells built on top of the row and column x, y lines of the pixels. In a PDLC type display embodiment each vertical cell is filled with PDLC which operates in a normally black mode known as the PDLC reverse mode. When the pixel control voltage is set ON, the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the light path resulting in a light pass through providing a bright state. When the control voltage is set OFF, the liquid crystals are randomly oriented, only the scattered light goes through the cell, so the pixel is in its OFF state. PDLC used here has two advantages. Firstly, the PDLC requires no rubbing. It is difficult to rub individual cell walls. Secondly, the use of both polarizations by the PDLC increases its luminous efficiency.

Abstract: A wireless handset phone, virtual image display coupled to the wireless handset phone and pointing device for pointing on the virtual image display are included. The communicator may also include a limited-function computer. The virtual image display uses optics to create the virtual image. The pointing device may include a virtual selector; that is, an array of sensors or switches to accommodate different users' hands.

Abstract: A head mounted display for entering an image into the eye of a viewer along a viewing axis. The head mounted display has a light source for supplying unpolarized light to an optical path. Also provided is a first polarizer disposed in the optical path for rotating the unpolarized light to that of a first polarization. A second polarizer is also disposed in the optical path for blocking light of the first polarization from reaching the eye. A reflective light valve is disposed in the optical path for rotating the light of the first polarization to an image of a second polarization. Also provided is a concave mirror disposed in the optical path for focusing and reflecting the image of the second polarization. Lastly, a directing means is provided for directing the light of the first polarization to the reflective light valve, for directing the image of the second polarization to the concave mirror, and for directing the focused and reflected image from the concave mirror towards the second polarizer.

Abstract: An optical device and a display are disclosed that include an illumination source which provides unpolarized light. An array of polarizing plates have an entrance surface, which receives the unpolarized light at an oblique angle, and an exit surface which provides a polarized light having a first polarization and exiting the array at a substantially perpendicular direction to the exit surface. A light valve selectively rotates the polarized light to form an image forming light, and an imaging lens receives the image forming light and forms an image. Each of the polarizing plates in the array has opposing surfaces that are tilted relative to its entrance and exit surfaces. Each polarizing plate includes a polarizing layer formed on one of the opposing tilted surfaces, and a half-wave optical retardation layer formed on the polarizing layer.