12-12-2012, 01:58 PM
IMOD - A new technology
[attachment=43511]
INTRODUCTION
IMOD is an acronym for Interferometric modulation.
It is a display technology that produces fantastic colours by exploiting the physical effect of interference of light while using little of the limited battery power.
The device uses an array of artificial microstructures fabricated using micro-electromechanical(MEMS) technology.
CONCEPT
Morpho, a tropical American genus of butterflies, often bright blue in colours are the origin for the concept of IMOD displays.
The scales on the wings of these butterflies are formed of a 3D nanostructure that causes an optical phenomenon due to interference. When the white light falls on the wings of these butterflies, many light waves cancel out one another as these are out of phase. But other reflecting light waves that are in phase with blue constructively interfere to add up, amplify and emerge as an intense blue light.
IMOD Vs LCD’s
An IMOD consumes as little as 6 percent of the handset’s battery power compared to nearly 50 percent for an LCD.
IMOD displays simply reflect ambient light the way a printed paper or a butterfly wing does. LCD rather turn black in bright daylight but IMOD displays are clearer, more vivid and far easier to read in daylight.
While an LCD-equipped handset gives about 50 minutes of video playback, the same phone with IMOD display would give about 150 minutes.
IMOD’s processing speed is faster than that of LCD’s and they are very sturdy as well.
CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES
LCDs and OLEDs are the technologies that are currently being used.
Mobile technologies are currently dominated by LCDs.
The bulky cathode ray tubes of TV sets and PCs too are gradually being replaced with LCDs.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are another competitor of LCDs.
Liquid Crystal Display
LCDs consists of 2 polarized glass sheets with a liquid crystal solution sandwiched between them.
The liquid crystals open or shut out the entry of light as the need arises depending upon the flow of electric current regulated by the voltage applied between the glass sheets through the transparent indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes that form a grid- having rows on one side of the panel and column on the other- representing the pixels.
WORKING OF LCDs
The given circuit consists of one thin-film transistor (TFT), which is connected in parallel with a storage capacitor (CST), and an electrode which applies the voltage to the liquid crystal layer (LC). To draw a line of image on a row of pixels in an LCD panel, the data driver sends the pixel data through data lines (D) on the same row and the gate driver triggers the TFTs by sending a signal through a gate line (G). Then the data is transferred to the storage capacitors through TFTs and the stored data in the storage capacitors provides a voltage to the liquid layer during one frame period.
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES
OLEDs are composed of hole and electron transport layers sandwiched between two metallic electrodes whose efficiency and stability is enhanced by embedding an organic layer between the hole and the electron transport layers which acts as either an emitting layer or a carrier-transport controlling layer. OLED uses the idea of maximizing the recombination of electrons and holes by forcing recombination to occur at the interface between two separate types of organic semiconductor layers i.e. electron transport layer and hole transport layer. The organic semiconductor layers are deposited as thin amorphous films by means of vacuum evaporation.
MICROMECHANICAL SYSTEM
A micromechanical system, abbreviated as MEMS, is a system in which micromechanisms are coupled with microelectronics.
MEMS technique is used to create the thin-film layers that are parallel reflecting surfaces in microscopic etalon (IMOD).
MEMS technology encompasses a variety of processes enabling 3-D shape of wafers.
MEMS-based micromirrors operate faster and have lesser mass. MEMS are the foundation of optoelectronic devices, sensors, switches and resonators fabricated as ICs on wafers.
PIXELS AND SUBPIXELS
An IMOD colour pixel features arrays of red, green and blue subpixels, each of which consists of two columns of 7 unit cells. The hue and brightness of a pixel depends upon the number and colour of activated cells.
Gap determines whether the cells are red, green or blue.
For colour display it is necessary that each of the pixels actually consists of three subpixels: one for each of the primary colours of red, green and blue and each of these subpixels has to have sub-subpixels which can be turned on or off independently by the electronic circuit of the gadget so as to produce a range of colour and brightness.
[attachment=43511]
INTRODUCTION
IMOD is an acronym for Interferometric modulation.
It is a display technology that produces fantastic colours by exploiting the physical effect of interference of light while using little of the limited battery power.
The device uses an array of artificial microstructures fabricated using micro-electromechanical(MEMS) technology.
CONCEPT
Morpho, a tropical American genus of butterflies, often bright blue in colours are the origin for the concept of IMOD displays.
The scales on the wings of these butterflies are formed of a 3D nanostructure that causes an optical phenomenon due to interference. When the white light falls on the wings of these butterflies, many light waves cancel out one another as these are out of phase. But other reflecting light waves that are in phase with blue constructively interfere to add up, amplify and emerge as an intense blue light.
IMOD Vs LCD’s
An IMOD consumes as little as 6 percent of the handset’s battery power compared to nearly 50 percent for an LCD.
IMOD displays simply reflect ambient light the way a printed paper or a butterfly wing does. LCD rather turn black in bright daylight but IMOD displays are clearer, more vivid and far easier to read in daylight.
While an LCD-equipped handset gives about 50 minutes of video playback, the same phone with IMOD display would give about 150 minutes.
IMOD’s processing speed is faster than that of LCD’s and they are very sturdy as well.
CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES
LCDs and OLEDs are the technologies that are currently being used.
Mobile technologies are currently dominated by LCDs.
The bulky cathode ray tubes of TV sets and PCs too are gradually being replaced with LCDs.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are another competitor of LCDs.
Liquid Crystal Display
LCDs consists of 2 polarized glass sheets with a liquid crystal solution sandwiched between them.
The liquid crystals open or shut out the entry of light as the need arises depending upon the flow of electric current regulated by the voltage applied between the glass sheets through the transparent indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes that form a grid- having rows on one side of the panel and column on the other- representing the pixels.
WORKING OF LCDs
The given circuit consists of one thin-film transistor (TFT), which is connected in parallel with a storage capacitor (CST), and an electrode which applies the voltage to the liquid crystal layer (LC). To draw a line of image on a row of pixels in an LCD panel, the data driver sends the pixel data through data lines (D) on the same row and the gate driver triggers the TFTs by sending a signal through a gate line (G). Then the data is transferred to the storage capacitors through TFTs and the stored data in the storage capacitors provides a voltage to the liquid layer during one frame period.
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES
OLEDs are composed of hole and electron transport layers sandwiched between two metallic electrodes whose efficiency and stability is enhanced by embedding an organic layer between the hole and the electron transport layers which acts as either an emitting layer or a carrier-transport controlling layer. OLED uses the idea of maximizing the recombination of electrons and holes by forcing recombination to occur at the interface between two separate types of organic semiconductor layers i.e. electron transport layer and hole transport layer. The organic semiconductor layers are deposited as thin amorphous films by means of vacuum evaporation.
MICROMECHANICAL SYSTEM
A micromechanical system, abbreviated as MEMS, is a system in which micromechanisms are coupled with microelectronics.
MEMS technique is used to create the thin-film layers that are parallel reflecting surfaces in microscopic etalon (IMOD).
MEMS technology encompasses a variety of processes enabling 3-D shape of wafers.
MEMS-based micromirrors operate faster and have lesser mass. MEMS are the foundation of optoelectronic devices, sensors, switches and resonators fabricated as ICs on wafers.
PIXELS AND SUBPIXELS
An IMOD colour pixel features arrays of red, green and blue subpixels, each of which consists of two columns of 7 unit cells. The hue and brightness of a pixel depends upon the number and colour of activated cells.
Gap determines whether the cells are red, green or blue.
For colour display it is necessary that each of the pixels actually consists of three subpixels: one for each of the primary colours of red, green and blue and each of these subpixels has to have sub-subpixels which can be turned on or off independently by the electronic circuit of the gadget so as to produce a range of colour and brightness.