MICROELECTROMECHANICAL DEVICE WITH THERMAL EXPANSION BALANCING LAYER OR STIFFENING LAYER

• Main Authors: GUDLAVALLETI SAURI, CHUI CLARENCE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 05.07.2012
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVICES OR SYSTEMS, e.g. MICROMECHANICALDEVICES; MICROSTRUCTURAL TECHNOLOGY; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING

An interferometric modulating device is provided with a thermal expansion balancing layer on a side of the movable flexible layer opposite the movable reflector such that when temperature changes the distance between the movable reflector and the optical stack does not change significantly, thereby leading to stable color. Additionally, an interferometric modulating device is provided with a stiffening layer between the movable flexible layer and the movable reflector and at least one hollow void exists on the surface where the movable reflector and the stiffening layer contact each other so that the movable reflector is more rigid to bending, thereby reducing the temperature sensitivity of the movable reflector.