An interference modulator (Imod) incorporates anti-reflection coatings and/or micro-fabricated supplemental lighting sources. An efficient drive scheme is provided for matrix addressed arrays of IMods or other micromechanical devices. An improved color scheme provides greater flexibility. Electronic hardware can be field reconfigured to accommodate different display formats and/or application functions. An IMod's electromechanical behavior can be decoupled from its optical behavior. An improved actuation means is provided, some one of which may be hidden from view. An IMod or IMod array is fabricated and used in conjunction with a MEMS switch or switch array. An IMod can be used for optical switching and modulation. Some IMods incorporate 2-D and 3-D photonic structures. A variety of applications for the modulation of light are discussed. A MEMS manufacturing and packaging approach is provided based on a continuous web fed process. IMods can be used as test structures for the evaluation of residual stress in deposited materials.

Photonic mems and structures

An autostereoscopic display apparatus comprising a matrix display panel (10), preferably an active matrix LC display panel, having display elements (12) in rows and columns and arranged in groups of at least three adjacent display elements, and optical director means (15) in the form of, for example, a lenticular screen overlying the panel (10) and having lenticules (16) extending in the column direction with each lenticules overlying an associated display element group, in which adjacent display elements in a group are arranged so as to partly overlap one another in the column direction (Y). The display elements in a group can, for example, be arranged in a line in the row direction (X) and shaped as non-rectangular parallelograms, or triangles, successive ones being inverted, or interdigitated, or arranged in two or more rows. As a result, unwanted display artifacts such as dark banding caused by black matrix extending between columns of display elements is eliminated and the transition between stereoscopic views is smoothed due to an image merging effect as a viewer's head moves in the row direction.

Autostereoscopic display apparatus

A stereoscopic image display device includes a substrate; a plurality of black matrices formed parallel to one another on a first surface of the substrate; a plurality of black stripes formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface, each of the plurality of black stripes corresponding to one of the plurality of black matrices, each of the plurality of black stripes having a width equal to or greater than a width of the corresponding one of the plurality of black matrices; and a patterned retarder film formed on the plurality of black stripes, the patterned retarder film including a plurality of first retarder patterns and a plurality of second retarder patterns, wherein a first retarder pattern is disposed over a region between a first pair of black stripes, and a second retarder pattern is disposed over a region between a second pair of black stripes that is adjacent to the first pair of black stripes, and wherein the width of each of the plurality of black stripes is less than or equal to twice an adhesion margin of the patterned retarder film.

Stereoscopic image display device

A method of displaying an image with a display device is provided. The method includes generating a first sub-frame and a second sub-frame corresponding to image data for the image including calculating a first sub-frame pixel value in the first sub-frame using a first sharpening factor associated with a first plurality of gradients from the image data, and alternating between displaying the first sub-frame in a first position and displaying the second sub-frame in a second position spatially offset from the first position.

Generating and displaying spatially offset sub-frames

A parallax barrier includes a polarisation modifying layer having aperture regions, for supplying light of a second polarisation when receiving light of a first polarisation, separated by barrier regions, for supplying light of a third polarisation different from the second polarisation when receiving light of the first polarisation, and a polariser selectively operable in a first mode and a second mode. At least one of the aperture regions and the barrier regions alters the polarisation of light passing therethrough. The polariser passes light of the second polarisation and blocks light of the third polarisation in the first mode and passes light of the third polarisation in the second mode.

Parallax barrier, display, passive polarisation modulating optical element and method of making such an element

A liquid crystal spatial light modulator comprises columns and rows of picture elements (24-26). The columns are arranged as groups of columns, for instance under respective parallax generating elements in an autostereoscopic 3D display. The picture elements (24-26) are arranged as sets to form colour picture elements such that the picture elements (24-26) of each set are disposed at the apices of a polygon, such as a triangle (21), and are disposed in corresponding columns of the groups of columns.

Johnathan Harrold

Papers

Spatial light modulator and directional display