Abstract

Post-processing of commercial silicon backplanes have resulted in improved optical performance of liquid crystal (LC) over silicon spatial light modulators (SLMs). The use of chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) to planarise the wafers eliminates the topographical effect of the the underlying circuitry and allows the production of high optical quality pixel mirrors with large fill factors [1]. Having control of the top layer metal process permits the optical optimization of the SLM backplane and allows the investigation of other interconnect structures to enhance the device. We are currently examining adaptions and additions to our post-processing procedure which will change the structure of the pixel and the die to further enhance the performance of the silicon backplane.

© 1997 Optical Society of America