MICROMIRROR ARRAY FOR

VIDEO PROJECTION
Digital Light Processor(DLP)
Projector
 Revolutionary Digital Optical
projector from TI
 Uses a light modulating chip
 More than 100,000 individually
addressable micromirrors called
Digital Micromirrors Devices (DMD)
DMD
 A digital micromirror device, or DMD, is an
optical semiconductor that is the core of DLP
projection technology and was invented by Dr.
Larry Hornbeck and Dr. William E. "Ed" Nelson of
Texas Instruments (TI) in 1987.
 A DMD chip has on its surface several hundred
thousand microscopic mirrors arranged in a
rectangular array which correspond to the pixels
in the image to be displayed. The mirrors can be
individually rotated ±10-12°, to an on or off
state. In the on state, light from the projector
bulb is reflected into the lens making the pixel
appear bright on the screen. In the off state, the
light is directed elsewhere (usually onto a
heatsink), making the pixel appear dark.
Micromirror
 Each mirror has an area of approximately
10 x 10 µm2
 Each micromirror in the array acts as a light
switch.
 Mirror array illuminated by light source
 Each mirror when placed at correct angle,
reflects light towards screen and illuminates one
pixel
 An array of such mirrors form an image on a
projection screen.
Micromirror contd
 The mirror is held on a yoke and is suspended
using torsion bars and can rotate with respect to
the torsion axis
 It can be tilted by applying voltage
 When light falls on the mirror the angle of tilt
decides whether light is to be transmitted out or
not
 Each micromirror can be actuated a 1000 times a
second to produce a large number of gray scale
images on screen.
Top View of Micromirror
Side view of Micromirror
For Colour?

Colours can be displayed by three different

methods
1. Single chip with synchronized colour wheel
on the chip.
2. By using LED on the chip.
3. By using three chips each corresponding to a
primary colour.
Micromirrors
Key definitions

 Torsion bar hinge- a plate held by two bars of

rectangular. When there is a torque on the
plate, the bars twist and hence the plate
rotates.
 Address electrodes- They are used to actuate
the mirrors.
 S-RAM- It is the memory cell fabricated in the
CMOS substrate. It provides bias voltage to
the address electrodes .
?
Principle of Operation

 Data of image to be displayed fed to chip

which is integrated with micromirror chip
 Processor generates the sequence required to
actuate the mirrors for a particular image.
 Corresponding to each frame this
information is fed to the S-RAM cell beneath
each mirror.
 The cell changes the bias voltage of the
electrodes which results in an electrostatic
torque.
 This torque is opposite to that of the hinges to
rotate the mirror and the yoke either in positive
or negative direction.
 The rotation stops when the yoke lands on the
mechanical stops.
 Geometry determines the rotation angle
therefore rotation angle precisely determined.
 In the ON position, the mirror reflects the
light and light passed through optical window
of chip cover.
 In the OFF position the mirror redirects the
light to a heat sink inside the chip.
Materials Used

 ALUMINIUM, GOLD for mirrors

 CMOS substrate for electrodes
 Silicon dioxide for sacrificial layer
 Silicon nitride for Insulation
Fabrication process

 Bulk Micromachining
 Silicon dioxide and a photo resist deposited
over the CMOS substrate using etching.
 Etching photo resist leaves the Metal mirror
with the associated structures including the
torsion hinge.