High Contrast SXGA Silicon Light Valves for High Definition Video Projectors

Abstract

We have developed a highly integrated liquid-crystal-on-silicon light valve for three-panel color projector. The silicon panel was designed and fabricated by a 0.35 micrometers, 3-metal and dual-voltage CMOS process with a spatial resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. The pixel pitch was 12 micrometers, the fill factor was 90% and the display area was 0.77" in diagonal. Eight-bit digital data drivers and gamma-correction circuitry were integrated into the silicon panel for true gray scale and full color representation. The display panel was assembled with a mixed twisted nematic and birefringence liquid crystal cell for high contract at CMOS compatible voltage. Contrast ratio was typically 200:1 at 5.5Vrms. In addition, silicon surface layers, liquid crystal materials, pixel structures and driving schemes were carefully optimized for the minimization of visual flicker. Flicker ratio of less than 3% was achieved at 60Hz frame rate. The optical sub-system utilized a trichroic prism assembly for both color separation and recombination. With this trichroic prism assembly incorporating three silicon light valves, a compact and high-contrast SXGA video projector was demonstrated.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADP011298

Entities

People

  • H. C. Huang
  • H. S. Kwok
  • P. W. Cheng

Organizations

  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Assembly
  • Color Separation
  • Contrast
  • Digital Data
  • Gray Scale
  • High Definition Television
  • High Resolution
  • Light Sources
  • Liquid Crystal Displays
  • Liquid Crystals
  • Low Voltage
  • Materials
  • Optical Phenomena
  • Optics
  • Reflectance
  • Thin Film Transistors
  • Transistors

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).
  • Integrated Circuit Design and Technology.