Randy Lee Shimabukuro

6365936, Apr 2, 2002

Jun 29, 2000

09/607438

Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA
Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Bruce W. Offord - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

H01L 2701

257350, 257 59, 257 72

A liquid crystal array and associated drive circuitry are monolithically formed on a silicon-on-sapphire structure, and are fabricated by a method comprising the steps of: a) forming an epitaxial silicon layer on a sapphire substrate to create a silicon-on-sapphire structure; b) ion implanting the epitaxial silicon layer; c) annealing the silicon-on-sapphire structure; d) oxidizing the epitaxial silicon layer to form a silicon dioxide layer from a portion of the epitaxial silicon layer so that a thinned epitaxial silicon layer remains; e) removing the silicon dioxide layer to expose the thinned epitaxial silicon layer; f) fabricating an array of pixels from the thinned epitaxial silicon layer wherein each of the pixels includes a liquid crystal capacitor; and g) fabricating integrated circuitry from the thinned epitaxial silicon layer which is operably coupled to modulate the pixels. The thinned epitaxial silicon supports the fabrication of device quality circuitry on the silicon-on-sapphire structure which is used to control the operation of the pixels.

6384953, May 7, 2002

Jun 29, 2000

09/607579

Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

G02F 103

359245, 359254, 359260, 359263, 359267

Disclosed is an optical modulating device capable of use as a light-valve, display, optical filter or Fabry-Perot cavity, for example. The device lends itself to batch processing, and is compatible with monolithic integration with silicon, silicon-germanium, silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) or silicon-on-quartz (SOQ) advanced microelectronic technology (NMOS, PMOS and CMOS) for integrated control circuitry, electrical addressing, system interfacing, and the like. The device forgoes the complexities of liquid crystal constructions, and avoids the need to position and fix piezoelectric spacers within layers of the device. The invention includes first and second transparent layers that are disposed to oppose one another. Metallic layers are disposed upon the inwardly facing surfaces of the transparent layers and these are arranged to oppose each other. Spectral coupling layers are disposed upon the outwardly facing surfaces of the transparent layers opposite of the metallic layers.

6521950, Feb 18, 2003

Mar 1, 2002

10/086952

Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA
Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Bruce W. Offord - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

H01L 2701

257350, 257 59, 257 72

A liquid crystal display includes: a) a sapphire substrate having a first crystal lattice structure; b) a single crystal silicon structure having a thickness no greater than about 100 nanometers affixed to the sapphire substrate to create a silicon-on-sapphire structure, and a second crystal lattice structure oriented by the first crystal lattice structure; c) an array of liquid crystal capacitors formed on the silicon-on-sapphire structure; and d) integrated circuitry formed from the silicon layer which is operably coupled to modulate the liquid crystal capacitors. The liquid crystals capacitors may include nematic or ferroelectric liquid crystal material.

6617187, Sep 9, 2003

Aug 3, 2001

09/880660

Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA
Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Bruce W. Offord - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

H01L 2100

438 30, 438149, 438164

A method for fabricating a monolithically integrated liquid crystal array display and control circuitry on a silicon-on-sapphire structure comprises the steps of: a) forming an epitaxial silicon layer on a sapphire substrate to create a silicon-on-sapphire structure; b) ion implanting the epitaxial silicon layer; c) annealing the silicon-on sapphire structure; d) oxidizing the epitaxial silicon layer to form a silicon dioxide layer from portion of the epitaxial silicon layer so that a thinned epitaxial silicon layer remains; e) removing the silicon dioxide layer to expose the thinned epitaxial silicon layer; f) fabricating an array of pixels from the thinned epitaxial silicon layer; and g) fabricating integrated circuitry from the thinned epitaxial silicon layer which is operably coupled to modulate the pixels. The thinned epitaxial silicon supports the fabrication of device quality circuitry which is used to control the operation of the pixels.

6646782, Nov 11, 2003

Nov 21, 2002

10/302326

Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

G02F 100

359322, 359323, 359315, 359318, 359263

An all solid-state light valve and tunable filter that uses color-selective absorption at a metal-dielectric interface by surface plasmons. The solid-state surface plasmon light valve and tunable filter comprises a substrate, a bottom electrode, a solid-state electro-optic material, and a top electrode through which electromagnetic radiation may pass through and whose optical properties may be modified by suitable modulation of an electrical bias, i. e. , an applied voltage between the top and bottom electrodes. The bottom electrode must be specifically fabricated using a refractory metal to allow the formation of the solid-state electro-optic material.

6738194, May 18, 2004

Jul 22, 2002

10/200712

Ayax D. Ramirez - Chula Vista CA
Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA
Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

G02B 2700

359585, 359584, 359588, 359589, 359487

An optical modulating device capable of use as a light valve, display, or optical filter, which uses variation in incident angle to exploit color-selective absorption at a metal-dielectric interface by surface plasmons. The device includes a dielectric layer, at least one metallic layer through which electromagnetic radiation may be transmitted or reflected, and incident and exit layers which are both optically transmissive. A beam steering mechanism controls the incident angle of the electromagnetic radiation. In one embodiment, an external beam steering mechanism is used to set the incident light angle onto the filter. In another embodiment, the filter is formed as an integral part of, for example, a cantilever. The incident light angle is then controlled by the angle of the filter cantilever.

6911711, Jun 28, 2005

Oct 10, 2003

10/683248

Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA, US
Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA, US

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

H01L031/115
H01L021/00
G21H001/00

257429, 310303, 310305, 438 56

A micro-power generator, comprises an electrically insulating substrate; a semiconductor layer affixed to the substrate; electrodes affixed to the semiconductor layer for collecting electrical charges emitted by a radioisotope source; a radio-isotope source interposed between the electrodes; and electrical circuitry operably coupled to the electrodes for transforming the electrical charges into a controlled output.

6954235, Oct 11, 2005

Jul 7, 2003

10/614426

Stephen D. Russell - San Diego CA, US
Randy L. Shimabukuro - San Diego CA, US
Bruce W. Offord - San Diego CA, US

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy - Washington DC

G02F001/1343

349 38

A liquid crystal display includes: a) a sapphire substrate having a first crystal lattice structure; b) a single crystal silicon structure having a thickness no greater than about 100 nanometers affixed to the sapphire substrate to create a silicon-on-sapphire structure, and a second crystal lattice structure oriented by the first crystal lattice structure; c) an array of liquid crystal capacitors formed on the silicon-on-sapphire structure; and d) integrated self-aligned circuitry formed from the silicon layer which is operably coupled to modulate the liquid crystal capacitors. The liquid crystals capacitors may include nematic or ferroelectric liquid crystal material.