US3746785A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Deflectable membrane optical modulator
Assignee: Bendix Corp
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Filing: 1971-11-26
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Granted: 1973-07-17
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Expires: 1991-11-26
Abstract
Abstract A deflectable membrane optical modulator with an improved substrate for support of the deflectable member is described. The improved substrate supports the deflectable member in close proximity to a parallel contiguously conductive electrode with an array of dielectric pillars of sufficient number and geometrical arrangement so that the supported light reflective deflectable membrane, in the absence of electrostatic forces, forms a mirror with the required optical qualities. The deflectable member is a dielectric membrane and is made reflective by the application of light reflecting materials to its external surface in a manner spatially preserving the dielectric characteristics of the membrane to the same order of magnitude as the spatial resolution defined by the geometrical pattern of the supporting dielectric pillars.
Inventors
- 👤 G Goodrich
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 12:31
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04N; H04N5/00; H04N5/66; G; G02; G02B; G02B26/00; G02B26/08; G02B26/0816; G09; G09F; G09F9/00; G09F9/30; G09F9/37; G09F9/372
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
A modulator for modulating incident radiant energy comprising: a substrate having at least one substantially flat face, and a plurality of dielectric pillars protruding from said substantially flat face, the tops of said pillars defining an optically flat surface; conductive means along said substantially flat face; and a continuous, dielectric deflectable member supported on the tops of said pillars, said deflectable member having means along at least one surface of said member for reflecting said incident radiant energy.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
78 words
A modulator for modulating incident radiant energy comprising: a substrate having at least one substantially flat face, and a plurality of dielectric pillars protruding from said substantially flat face, the tops of said pillars defining an optically flat surface; conductive means along said substantially flat face; and a continuous, dielectric deflectable member supported on the tops of said pillars, said deflectable member having means along at least one surface of said member for reflecting said incident radiant energy.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
The modulator of claim 1 further including a perimetrical rim surrounding said substantially flat face for supporting the edge of said deflectable member.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
The modulator of claim 1 wherein said pillars are arranged in a systematic pattern along said flat face, and the spacings between said pillars exceed the cross-sectional dimensions of said pillars.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
22 words
The modulator of claim 3 wherein said spacing between adjacent pillars is greater than twelve times the wavelengths of the incident radiation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The modulator of claim 4 wherein said spacing between adjacent pillars is approximately twice the cross-section of said pillars.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
75 words
The modulator of claim 4 wherein the distance from the tops of said pillars to said substantially flat face is greater than one half the wavelength of said incident radiant energy so that said deflectable membrane may deflect up to a distance equal to one-half wavelength of the inciDent radiant energy whereby a phase shift up to 360* may be obtained between energy reflected from a deflected area and energy reflected from a nondeflected area.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
24 words
The modulator of claim 6 wherein the distance between the tops of said pillars to said substantially flat face is one to two micrometers.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
84 words
The modulator of claim 6 wherein said substrate is a composite base of chemically resistance rods fused in a matrix of etchable glass with the longitudinal axes of chemically resistant glass rods substantially parallel to each other and wherein said substantially flat face is a chemically etched face of said composite base, said face being substantially normal to the longitudinal axes of said chemically resistant rods, and said dielectric pillars are the unetched sections of said chemically resistant rods protruding from the etched face.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
18 words
The modulator of claim 8 wherein said conductive means along said substantially flat face is a metallic film.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
17 words
The modulator of claim 3 wherein said pillars are positioned at the intersections of perpendicular grid lines.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
The modulator of claim 3 wherein said pillars are positioned at the corners of a close packed hexagonal pattern.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
15 words
The modulator of claim 1 wherein said dielectric deflectable member is an aluminum oxide membrane.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The modulator of claim 12 wherein said reflective means are metallic islands, systematically arranged along the surface of said aluminum oxide membrane, having spacings between said islands small compared to the size of the island.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The modulator of claim 13 wherein said metallic islands are substantially equal in area to the smallest area defined by at least three adjacent rods protruding from said composite base.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The modulator of claim 13 wherein said metallic islands are less than the area defined by at least three adjacent rods protruding from said composite base.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
23 words
The modulator of claim 15 wherein spacing between said metallic islands is less than one fourth the effective diameter of said metallic islands.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
23 words
The modulator of claim 13 wherein said metallic islands are squares having side lengths approximately four times the spacings between said metallic islands.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
133 words
The optical modulator of claim 1 further comprising: a source of radiant energy for illuminating the deflectable member; a vacuum enclosure having at least one optically flat window; means for emitting a beam of charged particles; means for modulating said emitted beam of charged particles; and means for deflecting said modulated beam of charged particles across said deflectable member whereby said beam of charged particles modulated by electrical signals from an external source, deflected across the deflectable member in a predetermined pattern, spatially deposits electrostatic charges on the member causing said member to deflect in the areas where electrostatic charges are deposited and radiation from said radiation source reflected from the deflected area of said deflectable member to be modulated with intelligence representative of the electric signals controlling said beam of charged particles.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
18 words
The optical modulator of claim 18 wherein said source of radiant energy is an incoherent monochromatic light source.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The optical modulator of claim 18 wherein said source of radiant energy is a laser.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The optical modulator of claim 18 wherein said means for emitting a beam of charged particles is an electron gun.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3667830A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-07-16 | 1977-01-15 | 1977-07-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-07-16 | 1981-01-15 | 1981-07-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-07-16 | 1985-01-15 | 1985-07-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |