JPS63189835A - Optical shutter array - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To interrupt leaked light and to simplify the production of an optical shutter array by constituting the shutter array of a transparent procelain substrate on which two strings of shutter elements having windows corresponding to approximately two picture elements are formed and a mask plate on which light transmitting windows each of which corresponds to one picture element are arrayed in staggered fashion. CONSTITUTION:The shutter array 16 in a shutter array body 11 produced by using the transparent porcelain substrate 10 having an electrooptical effect consists of shutter elements 17 and a shutter array 18 symmetrical with the array 16 through a groove 12 consists of shutter elements 19. Each of windows 17w, 19w of the elements 17, 19 is a rectangle longitudinal in the array direction and has an area corresponding to two picture elements and more. Light transmitting windows 31 are arrayed in staggered fashion on a mask plate 30 to be superposed to the body 11. Each of the windows 31 has an area corresponding to one picture element, and at the time of superposing the windows 31 to the body 11, each window 31 is set up on a position shown by a broken line on each of the windows 17w, 19w. In said constitution, leaked light harmful for image formation can be completely interrupted by a mask plate 30. Since each of the windows 17w, 19w has an area corresponding to approximate two picture elements, the production of the shutter array can be simplified.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] Hair! This invention relates to an optical shutter array using a material having an electro-optic effect.

Materials with electro-optic effect, especially PL with large force constant
An optical shutter array in which a common electrode and individual WL poles are formed on a ZT transparent porcelain substrate is known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 52-8842.

Conventionally, electrodes were formed on the flat surface of the substrate, but in order to reduce the voltage for driving the shutter, the shutter element was formed into a three-dimensional shape and a parallel electric field was applied to the opposing electrode, increasing the effective electric field strength. There is a proposal to increase the size of the image (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 170828/1983).

Based on these backgrounds, we proposed Hikari Nyatta 7 Ray, which can realize even lower voltage and is easy to manufacture. This is shown in Figure 1.

Deep grooves (2) created using precision cutting technology on PLZT's transparent porcelain substrate (1)? (3) and (4) are provided, and a common electrode (5
) and individual electrodes (6a) = (8b) are formed simultaneously by sputtering, and grooves (7) are cut at a constant pitch to form the shutter element (8e) and the shutter element (9e).
) is a two-row shutter array (8), (9). When applied to an optical printer, it is installed between a polarizer and an analyzer, and two rows of shutter arrays (8), (
'9> is driven in a time division manner (the driving voltage may be 50 V or less) to form one pixel line (8 to 12 pixels/mm).

However, in the two rows of shutter arrays (8) and (9), there are shutter elements that are not used at all in a staggered manner, and due to crosstalk and other factors, these unused shutter elements (hereinafter referred to as idle) Light leakage from windows (also called windows) has become a problem. Furthermore, regarding the groove (7) for separating the electrodes and forming the shutter element, we have discovered a phenomenon in which mechanical strain during cutting remains in the crystal, and this *(7) causes light leakage.

The present invention aims to solve these problems of light leakage at the same time.

The optical shutter array according to the present invention for determining α has an electro-optic effect and has two rows of shutter elements each having a window for approximately two pixels.
Its basic features are that it consists of transparent porcelain substrates arranged in rows, and a mask plate that is used in overlap with the substrate and has transparent windows for one pixel arranged in a staggered manner.

Shoya All shutter elements are driven without play windows.

The light passing through the window for approximately 2 pixels is reduced to 1 by the mask plate.
Although only one pixel's worth of light is allowed to pass through, all light other than one pixel's worth of light is blocked by the mask plate.

fruit】l 豫 Examples are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(11) is a shutter array body manufactured by precision cutting a PLZT transparent porcelain substrate (10).

tm (12) and a groove (13) shallower than this groove (12),
(14) is provided, a metal film that becomes an electrode is deposited, and m(12
) and grooves (13) and (14) *(1
5) is physically and electrically separated into shutter elements by cutting.

The shutter array (16) is a shutter element (17)
A symmetrical shutter array (
18) consists of a shutter element (19). Shutter element (17), (19) window (17m),
(19m) forms a rectangle in the arrangement direction and has an area equal to or more than two pixels.

The metal film deposited on the groove (12) forms a common electrode (20) and separates the individual electrodes (21) of the shutter (17).
) forms an electrode lead portion (21ffi) that continues to the negative edge of the substrate (10). In addition, the shutter element (
The individual electrode (22) of 19) is also connected to the other end J1 of the substrate (10).
Form an electrode lead part (22t) continuously up to 1.A lead wire is bonded to the end of the electrode lead part (221) and connected to the drive circuit.A common electrode (22t) is formed.
0) is grounded and a predetermined voltage is applied to the individual electrodes (21) and (22).
9) shows the electro-optical effect, windows (17w), (19w)
polarizes the light that passes through it.

(30) is a mask plate which is superimposed on this shutter array main body (11), and the mask plate (30) is provided with transparent windows (31) arranged in a staggered manner. The transparent window (31) is square and has an area equivalent to one pixel, and the shutter array body (
When superimposed on 11), the shutter element (17)
, It is located at the location indicated by the broken line on the window (17m)-(19w) of (19). The mask plate (30) completely blocks light other than light passing through the light-transmitting window (31). If the shutter array (1B) and Nyatta array (18) are driven in a time-division manner and the time difference is matched with the movement of the photoconductor, one drive will cause the photoconductor to have a single beam formed by the projected image of the transparent window (31). pixel lines are formed.

The mask plate (30) is, for example, a transparent glass substrate (32).
A non-transparent metal film (33) is deposited on the entire surface of this main surface by sputtering or vapor deposition, and a staggered arrangement of transparent windows (31) is formed by removing the metal film by etching using photolithography technology. It consists of: Preferably, a transparent insulating film (34) is provided on the shutter array body (11) so that the mask plate (30) is in close contact with the shutter array body (11). FIG. 3 shows the configuration of an optical shutter array in which a mask plate (30) is brought into close contact with the optical shutter array. Although it is most preferable that they be in close contact with each other, they may be separated from the shutter array body. It is also possible to arrange a spaced apart mask plate (30) at a predetermined location between the shutter array main body and the projection surface (for example, a photoreceptor) of the emitted light.

As is clear from the shutter array main body (11) shown in Figure 2, the windows (17m) = (19m) of the shutter elements (17) and (19) have an area equal to or more than two pixels. Compared to the previous example, the number of times the element separation groove (15) is cut can be reduced to half. Usually, this groove (15
) requires a considerable amount of man-hours since 1,000 to 2,000 pieces are made, but this is halved and the manufacturing process is simplified.

In addition, the electrode lead portion (2N, (22f)) also has a width equal to or more than two pixels, making it possible to avoid difficulties in bonding.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the light-transmitting window (31) of the mask plate (30)
) is assumed to be a square, but it is not limited to this; it may be a rectangle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, a circle, an ellipse, or any other similar shape. It is also possible to improve.

As described above, according to the present invention, leakage light harmful to image formation can be completely blocked by the mask plate, and the window of the shutter element can be made to be approximately two pixels wide, making it easier to manufacture the shutter array. This simplifies the process and greatly reduces the difficulty of bonding between the shutter array and the drive circuit.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the optical shutter array proposed earlier, Pt5.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view. 11...PLZT transparent porcelain substrate, 16.18...Shutter array, 17.19...Shutter element,
30...Mask board, 31...Transparent window.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A transparent porcelain substrate with an electro-optic effect and two rows of shutter elements each having a window for approximately two pixels, and a transparent porcelain substrate that is used by overlapping this substrate to form a translucent window for one pixel. An optical shutter array consisting of mask plates arranged in a staggered manner.