Spatial Light Modulator Yields Full-Color Images

A standard silicon wafer is the key to a technology that could make possible miniature, low-power, color displays, such as those used in portable or headmounted devices.
Developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, the technology incorporates a ferroelectric liquid crystal over a very large scale integration spatial light modulator. The modulator is illuminated using three high-intensity light-emitting diodes (red, blue and green). The spatial light modulator consists of a 176 3 176 array of pixels and has an overall active area of 5.28 3 5.28 mm. Depositing oxide on the wafer and polishing it flat greatly enhances the optical quality of the device.