Thin‐Film Micromirror Array (TMA) for Cost‐Competitive Information Display Systems

The Thin-film Micromirror Array (TMA) is a new reflective type spatial light modulator fabricated with the optical microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. A working projector prototype of 5,400 true ANSI lumen was presented at the Asian Display 1998 with three VGA format TMA modules and a 1 kW Xenon lamp. The prototype showed the optical efficiency of 22%, which was the highest optical efficiency among all the reflective and transmissive light modulators in the world. For the commercial projectors, XGA f mat TMA is under development. The size of a micromirror of VGA format TMA is 97 μm by 97 μm while the size of eaxh micromirror of XGA format TMA is 50 μm by 50 μm. Efforts have been made to maintain the optical efficiency of the XGA TMA projector same as that of the VGA TMA projector. TMA projector prototype is brighter than any competing technology projectors in the world at the same lamp power, at least three times or more. The simplicity of the underlying principle and the highest optical efficiency of TMA enables high-brightness and cost competitive projection displays which has been a dream in the past.