Digital light processing and MEMS : timely convergence for a bright future

Abstract

Projection displays and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have evolved independently, occasionally crossing paths as early as the 1960s. But the commercially viable use of MEMS for projection displays was elusive until the recent invention of Texas Instruments Digital Light ProcessingTM (DLPTM) technology. DLP technology is based on the Digital Micromirror DeviceTM (DMDTM) microchip, a MEMS array of semiconductor-based digital light switches that precisely control a light source for projection display and hardcopy applications. DLP technology enables digital, high-resolution, color projection displays that have high contrast, are bright, are seamless, and have the accuracy of color and gray scale that only digital control can achieve.