Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light

Processing

1. INTRODUCTION

Digital Light Processing is the one of primary display

technologies driving this rapid growth and maturation .it is a revolutionary
way to project and display information based on the Digital Micro Mirror
Device (DMD) Digital Light processing was invented in 1987 by Texas
Instruments it creates the final link to display digital visual information.
Digital Light Processing creates deeper blacks, conveys fast moving images
very well and uses a single, replaceable, white -light bulb . it is available in
both front-and rear-projection models DLP is an excellent choice for people
who watch a lot of sports or fast-action movies because of the speed at
which it creates an image.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

2. DLP STRUCTURE

A Digital Micro Mirror Divice chip is the heart of Digital Light Processing
projector, DMD can be described simply as a semiconductor light switch.
The micro mirrors are mounted on the DMD chip and it tilts in response to
an electrical signal. The tilt directs light toward the screen, or into a "light
trap" that eliminates unwanted light when reproducing blacks and shadows.
Other elements of a DLP projector include a light source, a colour filter
system, a cooling system, illumination and projection optics.

A DLP based projector system includes memory and signal processing to

support a fully digital approach. Depending on the application, a DLP
system will accept either a digital or analog signal. Analog signals are
converted into digital in the DLPs front –end processing. Any interlaced
video signal is converted into an entire picture frame video signal through
interpolative processing. The signal goes through DLP video processing and
becomes progressive Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) data. The progressive
RGB data is then formatted into entire binary bit planes of data.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

Fig. 2.1 DLP Projector internal structure.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

2.1 DMD MODULATOR

The DMD modulator is a semiconductor light switch consisting

of an array of micromechanical, individually addressable mirrors built over a
single crystal silicon Static Random Access Memory backplane. Thousands
of tiny, square mirrors, fabricated on hinges atop a static random access
memory (SRAM), make up a DMD. Each mirror is capable of switching a
pixel of light. The hinges allow the mirrors to tilt between two states, +10°
for ‘on’ or -10 ° for ‘off’. When the mirrors are not operating, they sit in a
‘parked’ state at 0°.

Fig. 2.2 A typical DMD Modulator.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing
This example has an array of 1024x768 individually
addressable micromirrors.

The DMD chip is comprised of over one million mirrors. The

size of each mirror is less than 1/5" the width of a human hair. The DMD is
monolithically fabricated by Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor-
like processes over a CMOS memory. Each light switch has an aluminum
mirror, 16 µm² that can reflect light in one of two directions depending on
the state of the underlying memory cell. Rotation of the mirror is
accomplished through electrostatic attraction produced by voltage
differences developed between the mirror and the underlying memory cell.
With the memory cell in the on (1) state, the mirror rotates to +10°, with the
memory cell in the off (0) state, the mirror rotates to -10°.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

2.2 DMD MODULATER STRUCTURE

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
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Fig. 2.3 Isometric schematic of DMD pixels.

The mechanical portion of each pixel consists of a three layer

structure. The center layer, called beam layer, is suspended over the bottom
electrode layer by thin torsion hinges. The top mirror layer is attached to the

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing
beam layer with a via post. The yoke may rotate about the torsion hinge axis
to either side, landing on the electrode layer at specific tilt angles of +/- 10
degrees. Manipulation of the mirrors is accomplished electro statically
utilizing the address electrodes on either side of the torsion hinge. These
address electrodes are tied to the SRAM cell residing in the silicon
backplane beneath each mirror structure.

After passing through condensing optics and a colour filter

system, the light from the projection lamp is directed at the DMD. When the
mirrors are in ‘on’ position, they reflect light through the projection lens and
onto the screen to form a digital, square-pixel projected image. Each mirror
on the DMD array is electro statically tilted to the ‘on’ or ‘off’ positions.
The technique that determines how long each mirror tilts in either direction
is called pulse width modulation. The mirrors are capable of switching on
and off more than 1000 times a second this rapid speed allows digital gray-
scale and colors reproduction.

2.3 DMD CELL ARCHITECTURE

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

Fig. 2.4 DMD cell architecture

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

The DMD pixel is a monolithically integrated MEMS superstructure

cell fabricated over a CMOS SRAM cell. An organic sacrificial layer is
removed by plasma etching to produce air gaps between the metal layers of
the superstructure. The air gaps free the structure to rotate about two
compliant torsion hinges. The mirror is rigidly connected to an underlying
yoke. The yoke, in turn, is connected by two thin, mechanically compliant
torsion hinges to support posts that are attached to the underlying substrate.
The address electrodes for the mirror and yoke are connected to the
complementary sides of the underlying SRAM cell.

The yoke and mirror are connected to a bias bus fabricated at the metal-3
layer. The bias bus interconnects the yoke and mirrors of each pixel to a
bond pad at the chip perimeter. The DMD mirrors are 16 µm² and made of
aluminum for maximum reflectivity. They are arrayed on 17 µm centers to
form a matrix having a high fill factor (~90%). The high fill factor produces
high efficiency for light use at the pixel level and a seamless (pixilation-free)
projected image.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

Electrostatic fields are developed between the mirror and its

address electrode and the yoke and its address electrode, creating an efficient
electrostatic torque. This torque works against the restoring torque of the
hinges to produce mirror and yoke rotation in the positive or negative
direction. The mirror and yoke rotate until the yoke comes to rest (or lands)
against mechanical stops that are at the same potential as the yoke. Because
geometry determines the rotation angle, as opposed to a balance of
electrostatic torques employed in earlier analog devices, the rotation angle is
precisely determined.

The fabrication of the DMD superstructure begins with a completed CMOS

memory circuit. A thick oxide is deposited over metal-2 of the CMOS and
then planarized using a chemical mechanical polish (CMP) technique. The
CMP step provides a completely flat substrate for DMD superstructure
fabrication, ensuring that the projector's brightness uniformity and contrast
ratio are not degraded.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

Through the use of six photomask layers, the superstructure is

formed with layers of aluminum for the address electrode (metal-3), hinge,
yoke and mirror layers and hardened photo-resist for the sacrificial layers
(spacer-1 and spacer-2) that form the two air gaps. The aluminum is sputter-
deposited and plasma-etched using plasma-deposited SiO2 as the etch mask.
Later in the packaging flow, the sacrificial layers are plasma-ashed to form
the air gaps. The packaging flow begins with the wafers partially sawed
along the chip scribe lines to a depth that will allow the chips to be easily
broken apart later.

The partially sawed and cleaned wafers then proceed to a plasma etcher that
is used to selectively strip the organic sacrificial layers from under the DMD
mirror, yoke, and hinges. Following this process, a thin lubrication layer is
deposited to prevent the landing tips of the yoke from adhering to the
landing pads during operation. Before separating the chips from one another,
each chip is tested for full electrical and optical functionality by a high-
speed automated wafer tester.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

2.4 ELECTRONIC OPERATION IN DMD CHIP

Fig. 2.5 Organisation of DMD chip

The DMD pixel is inherently digital because of the way it is

electronically driven. It is operated in an electrostatically bistable mode by
the application of a bias voltage to the mirror to minimize the address
voltage requirements. Thus, large rotation angles can be achieved with a
conventional 5-volt CMOS address circuit. The organization of the DMD
chip is shown in fig. Underlying each DMD mirror and mechanical
superstructure cell is a six-transistor SRAM. Multiple data inputs and
demultiplexers (1:16) are provided to match the frequency capability of the
on-chip CMOS with the required video data rates.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

The pulse width modulation scheme for the DMD requires that
the video field time be divided into binary time intervals or bit times. During
each bit time, while the mirrors of the array are modulating light, the
underlying memory array is refreshed or updated for the next bit time. Once
the memory array has been updated, all the mirrors in the array are released
simultaneously and allowed to move to their new address states.

This simultaneous update of all mirrors, when coupled with the PWM bit-
splitting algorithm, produces an inherently low-flicker display. Flicker is the
visual artifact that can be produced in CRTs as a result of brightness decay
with time of the phosphor. Because CRTs are refreshed in an interlaced
scan-line format, there is both a line-to-line temporal phase shift in
brightness as well as an overall decay in brightness. DLP-based displays
have inherently low flicker because all pixels are updated at the same time
(there is no line-to-line temporal phase shift) and because the PWM bit-
splitting algorithm produces short-duration light pulses that are uniformly
distributed throughout the video field time (no temporal decay in
brightness).

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

3. DIFFERENT CHIP MODELS OF DLP

Like digital video camcorders, DLP devices come in either one or three chip
models. One chip DLP systems use a projection lamp to pass white light
through a colour wheel that sends red-green-blue colours to the DMD chip
in a sequential order to create an image on-screen. Only one DMD chip is
used to process the primary red, green and blue colours. In three chip DLP
systems use a projection lamp to send white light through a prism, which
creates separate red, green and blue light beams. Each beam is send to their
respective red, green and blue DMD chip to process the image for display
on-screen. One chip models are said to produce a display of over 16-million
colours. Three chip models can produce a display of over 35-trillion colours.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

Fig. 3.1 Single chip model DLP

Fig. 3.2 Three chip model

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

4.ADVANTAGES OF DLP

4.1. Brighter.

DLP projectors are among the brightest available because DLP technology
brings more light from lamp to screen, resulting in more effective
presentation –even when ambient light is difficult to control.

4.2. Sharper.

DLP projection’s unique technology comes closest to producing

the exact mirror image of an incoming video or graphic signal, resulting in
projection that’s seamless at any resolution.

4.3. Versatile.

DLP technology allows projectors to be small and light ,often

weighing as little as 1kg- making them versatile enough for use in
conference rooms, living rooms and classrooms.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing
4.4. More reliable.

Display system using DLP technologies are able to recreate

their incoming source material with each projection experience that will not
fade over time.

4.5. Consistent picture quality.

A data projector based on DLP technology delivers knockout

picture quality again and again because , being all-digital, recreates its
image source every time of use . unlike competing analogue technologies
such as LCD, the semiconductor that makes DLP projection possible is
virtually immune to heat, humidity vibration and other factors

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

5. LCD PROJECTORS (Liquid Crystal Display)

Liquid crystal Display Projectors operate by shining

light through transparent LCD cells. Most LCD projectors as advanced
polysillicon LCDs, which use three separate colour panels (red, green, and
blue) to produce the desired colour. LCDs have excellent colour saturation,
usually have adjustable brightness and contrast, are typically brighter than
DLPs at the same luminance output, and have a broader range of
connectivity. LCDs are polarization-dependent, so one of the polarized light
components in not used. This means that 50% of the lamp light never even
gets to the LCD because it is filtered out by a polarizer. Other light is
blocked by the transistors, gate and source lines in the LCD cell. In addition
to light losses, the liquid crystal material itself absorbs a portion of the light.
The result in that only a small amount of the incident light is transmitted
through the LCD panel and on to the screen.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

6. LCD VS DLP PROJECTOR

LCD projector tends to produce more saturated colors and sharper images.
Depending on the resolution and size images may become pixilated. DLP
Projectors typically offer deeper blacks and higher contrast. May not project
very detailed images well.

LCD Projectors operate by shining light through transparent LCD cells.

Most LCD projectors us advanced polysillicon LCDs, which use three
separate colour panels (red, green, and blue) to produce the desired colour.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing
Projected images are produced by the combination of light shinning through
the LCD cells. LCDs have excellent color saturation, usually have adjustable
brightness and contrast, are typically brighter than DLPs at the same lumen
output,and have a broader range of connectivity

Brighter ,Sharper,Versatile,More reliable,Consistent picture quality are the

advantage of DLP

7. CONCLUSION

We have described the basic processing blocks DLP has a number of

potential uses beyond home theatre, television and film projector. Other
application that could incorporate its high-definition image creation are
photo finishing , three dimensional visual displays, holographic storage,
microscopes and medical imaging. Scientist and developers are likely to
discover even more uses for DMDs and DLP technology in the future.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing

REFERENCES

[1] P. Van Kessel, L. Hombeck, R. Meier and M. Douglass, “A MEMS-

Based Projection Display,” Proc. IEEE, Vol. 86, No. 8, pp. 1687-1704,
August, 1998.

[2] D.Doherty and G. Hewlett, “Pulse width modulation control in DLP

Projectors,” July-Sept 98 Texas Instruments Technical Joumal, September
1998.

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Seminar Report 2008 Digital Light
Processing
[3] V. Markandey, T. Clatanoff and G. Pettitt, “Video Processing for LPm
Display Systems”, SPIE Image and Video Processing IV, San Jose, vol.
2666, pp. 21 - 32, January, 1996.

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