JPS61102625A - Optical shutter array - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To operate shutters independently by providing an insulating layer between two electrodes on a transparent substrate and providing an opaque electrode which connects with one electrode on the insulating layer. CONSTITUTION:A transparent electrode ITO is provided on a ceramic PLZT substrate 11 by sputtering and etched chemically to form a transparent electrode 14 and an earth electrode 12. The insulating film 13 is provided between the two electrodes 12 and 14 and on the electrode 12. Then, the opaque electrode 15 of Al is vapor-deposited thereupon and connected to the transparent electrode 14. A voltage V0 is applied to put two shutters in independent operation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an optical shutter array using transparent ceramics having an electro-optic effect.

(Prior art and its problems) Conventionally, a transparent electro-optic ceramic called PL&T is well known. In this PLIT, the -order electro-optic effect, the second-order electro-optic effect, and the electric memory effect can be selected depending on their composition ratios. However, in the -order electro-optic effect, low voltage driving is difficult because there is little change in the refractive index with respect to the electric field, and in the memory effect, the change in the refractive index remains, so it is difficult to apply it to Nice Play or optical shutters.

Currently, for displays and optical switches, a product with a composition of 55 mo 1 inch pbZrQ 8.35 mo 1% PbTiOs containing 9aL% lanthanum, which is called PLOT 9165/35, which exhibits a secondary electro-optic effect, is used. Used a lot. This PL2T 9165/3
Features of displays and optical shutters using 5.
The main advantages are that it is a solid state and that high-speed switching is possible. Therefore, future development is expected. Conventionally, PL2T 9 was used as a display or optical shutter.
When applying a secondary electro-optic material such as 165/35, it is necessary to use a groove structure in which ceramics with electrodes are sandwiched between two polarizing plates.

If the polarization directions of the polarizing plates are orthogonal to each other, the transmitted light intensity reaches its maximum at a voltage Vo = d (' ) '/''n3・R-2, which is called the half-wave voltage, and the voltage The area between the electrodes where the voltage is applied is bright, and the area where it is not is dark.

Here, d is the distance between the electrodes, λ is the wavelength of light, n is the refractive index of the PLL IT, R is the second-order electro-optic coefficient, and t is the thickness of the transparent ceramic. On the other hand, when the polarization directions of the polarizing plates are parallel to each other, the parts between the electrodes to which a half-wavelength voltage is applied are dark, and the other parts are bright.

In order to utilize the secondary electro-optic effect, an electric field must be applied parallel to the substrate, so conventionally, as shown in Figure 2(a).
, The electrode arrangement is as shown in (b). Second
In the electrode arrangement shown in Figure (a), for example, the power supply and electrode 1
Switches S, ~S that turn on and off ~3.

Considering the case where the switch SI+L3 is open and the switch S2 is short-circuited, the voltage V is applied to the electrode 2. (
A half-wave voltage (1) is applied, and the electrodes 1.3 are at zero potential. Under these conditions, an electric field applied within the ceramic is generated in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Since an electric field is generated simultaneously in the two regions between 12 and 12, an electro-optic effect appears in the operating region 16. Therefore, if the polarization directions of the two polarizing plates sandwiching the transparent ceramic substrate 11 are orthogonal (this In this case, light is transmitted through both areas, and each optical shutter cannot be operated independently.

In order to avoid the above, it is necessary to space each optical shutter electrode sufficiently far from the adjacent optical shutter electrode as shown in Figure 2 (bl), but for this purpose it is not possible to form a large number of arrays with optical shutters. There wasn't.

(Objective of the Invention) An object of the present invention is to provide a high-density optical shutter array in which a plurality of optical shutters are formed on a plane and each optical shutter can be operated independently.

(Structure of the Invention) The present invention provides a transparent ceramic substrate having an electro-optic effect,
In an optical shutter array comprising a plurality of electrode sections formed on the ceramic substrate at predetermined intervals, each electrode section includes two electrodes formed close to each other on the transparent ceramic substrate, and at least two electrode sections formed on the transparent ceramic substrate at predetermined intervals. A light comprising an insulating layer formed between two electrodes, and an opaque electrode formed on the insulation layer and connected to only one of the two electrodes. This is a shutter array.

(Detailed Description of Configuration) The present invention solves the problems of the prior art by adopting the above-described configuration.

First, both sides of transparent ceramics having an electro-optic effect are mirror-polished, and two electrodes, preferably two transparent electrodes, are formed thereon at a shorter interval than each optical shutter operating area 16 by sputtering, vapor deposition, or CVD. . Further, in order to prevent short circuit between two adjacent electrodes, an insulating thin film is formed between the electrodes, or between the electrodes and covering at least one of the electrodes by spucking, vapor deposition, CVD, or the like. Thereafter, one of the two electrodes is placed on the insulation thin film between the two electrodes. Spuck, evaporate or 1. opaque electrode in contact with only the pole. + CV p, etc. Next, processing is performed so that an extraction electrode is connected to each electrode portion.

By forming the electrodes as described above, it is possible to independently turn on and off light in each optical shutter composed of transparent electrodes, and a large number of optical shutter arrays can be formed on a plane.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are diagrams showing a part of the electrodes constituting the optical shutter array in the embodiment of the present invention, in which a transparent electrode ITO is sputtered onto a transparent ceramic PIJT 9165/35 substrate 11 and A transparent electrode 14 and a ground electrode 12 were formed by targeted etching. In order to avoid a short circuit between adjacent electrodes when attaching the opaque electrode 15 later, there is a gap between the two transparent BA electrodes and the ground 1rlL.
An insulating thin film 3 made of SIO□ was applied on the pole 12 by sputtering 3 and processed using photolinkage technique I so that it remained partially.

Furthermore, an At electrode was attached as an opaque electrode 15 by vapor deposition from above, and was formed by photolink rough-fi technique so as to cover the unnecessary area between the electrodes and to be connected to the transparent electrode 14 on one side.

FIG. 1(b) shows a cross section of FIG. 1(a).

The thickness of the ceramic used was 300 μm, and the transparent electrode IT
The width of O is 50 μm, the electrode interval is 150 μm, and there is a width of 50 μm between adjacent electrodes. A 5i02 thin film of about 1 μm was formed thereon by sputtering, and an opaque lead-out At electrode with a width of about 100 μm was formed thereon. These values can be reduced within a range where dielectric breakdown does not occur, and even finer optical shutter arrays are also possible.

(By adopting the above configuration, approximately 150Vo
Each shutter can be operated independently with a voltage of 1 t, and an optical shutter array with sufficiently high density and in which each shutter operates independently can be formed compared to the conventional one.

(Effects of the Invention) By using the optical shutter having the structure formed according to the present invention, the optical shutters can be arranged independently and densely in an array, so that a high-performance optical shutter array can be manufactured. Become.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are diagrams showing an embodiment of an optical shutter array according to the present invention. FIGS. 2(1) and 2(b) are diagrams showing the structure of a conventionally used optical shutter array. In the figure, 11 is a transparent ceramic substrate, 12 is a ground electrode, 13 is an insulating thin film, 14 is a transparent electrode, 15 is an opaque electrode, and 16 is an operating area. Agent, -, :□l- "..." Susumu Hara, Figure 1 (b)! Figure 2 (b)

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an optical shutter array comprising a transparent ceramic substrate having an electro-optic effect and a plurality of electrode sections formed on the ceramic substrate at predetermined intervals, each electrode section is arranged close to the transparent ceramic substrate. Two electrodes formed, an insulating layer formed at least between these two electrodes, and an opaque electrode formed on the insulating layer and connected to only one of the two electrodes. An optical shutter array characterized by: