Liquid Crystal On Silicon For Low Cost Optical Systems

Información del proyecto

LCOS4LCOS

Identificador del acuerdo de subvención: IST-2001-34591

Proyecto cerrado

Fecha de inicio 1 Abril 2002

Fecha de finalización 31 Diciembre 2005

Financiado con arreglo a

• Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on a "User-friendly information society, 1998-2002"

Coste total

€ 5 373 603,00

Aportación de la UE

€ 2 799 997,00

Coordinado por

THOMSON R & D FRANCE SNC
France

Objetivo

LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon) microcircuit is a technology very promising to meet the large screen TV-sets and home cinema markets. But today's solutions are based on expensive 3-LCOS or Digital Micro mirror concepts. The LCOS4LCOS project aims at making a breakthrough by demonstrating the technical and economical feasibility of the 1-LCOS concept. The consortium will provide a completely new LCOS component with an innovative pixel architecture combined with the latest LC materials. Dedicated optical architectures will also be designed to validate the concept for consumer TV applications. This project will also deliver cost and marketing studies to demonstrate how this concept can fit with the consumer TV market. The consortium is made of 6 different partners that feature complementary skills in LC material, back-plane design and optical systems and address different markets worldwide.

Objectives:
- Demonstrate an advanced display concept able to bring high quality display devices at affordable price for the worldwide consumer TV market;
- Master the main technological bricks of this concept;
- Design an innovative high illumination optical engine based on a single LCOS concept that is compact, bright and cheaper than existing technologies;
- Optimise the concept so that it can be used for HDTV home cinema applications;
- Define the optimum size of the imager for consumer applications;
- Integrate as much as possible electronic driving functions inside the imager so that external electronics cost can be reduced;
- Find the right cost/performances trade-off;
- Design the associated HDTV LCOS;
- Develop specific addressing algorithms to counter artecacts possibly generated.

Work description:
The LCOS4LCOS project includes two main technical tasks working in parallel:
(I) The development of a 1-LCOS optical engine concept;
(II) The development of the associated high resolution LCOS.
The LCOS4LCOS consortium comprises a TV manufacturer, an IC foundry, 2 universities skilled in LCOS design and liquid crystal modelling, an LCD manufacturer and a liquid crystal material manufacturer. The structure of the work plan is:
WP0 - Management and System Specification: To monitor the progress of the project activity; To define the LCOS system to be developed;
WP1 - Liquid Crystal Material: To conduct LC simulations and test cell characterization to define the preferred LC modes to be used;
WP2 - Chip & Electronic system Architecture: To describe the overall electronic system architecture; to invent novel addressing schemes; to identify controller functions that can be integrated on the LCOS chip;
WP3 - Chip design and CMOS processing. To develop the extra CMOS processing steps required for LCOS; to design an manufacture the back plane electronics chip according to architecture from WP2;
WP4 - LCOS Light Valve. To deliver liquid crystal light valves based on silicon back plane from WP3;
WP5 - LCOS controller. To provide a chip set and a board to drive the LCO;
WP6 - Optical Engine. To build a reference design for evaluating the LCOS device from WP4; to investigate innovative solutions to further improve the performances;
WP7 - Dissemination and Exploitation. To disseminate information and knowledge acquired during the project to the relevant parties inside and outside the project; to build exploitation plans in the participating organisations.

Milestones:
- Specifications of the ideal LC mixture and cell structure for this concept;
- Validated back plane design;
- Validated HDTV LCOS sample;
- Driving scheme of the aforementioned component;
- 1-LCOS optical engine concept;
- Electronic controller to drive the LCOS component;
- Single imager optical engine validator;
- HDTV demonstration;
- Cost studies of the proposed architecture for consumer market quantities.

Ámbito científico (EuroSciVoc)

• humanidades › artes › arte moderno y contemporáneo › película
• ciencias naturales › ciencias químicas › química inorgánica › metaloides
• ingeniería y tecnología › ingeniería de materiales › cristal líquido

Programa(s)

• FP5-IST - Programme for research, technological development and demonstration on a "User-friendly information society, 1998-2002"

Tema(s)

• 2001-4.6.1 - Advanced displays and sensors

Convocatoria de propuestas

Datos no disponibles

Régimen de financiación

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinador

THOMSON R & D FRANCE SNC

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: QUAI ALPHONSE LE GALLO 46 ; 92100 BOULOGNE BILLANCOURT ; Francia
• Coste total: Sin datos

Participantes (5)

ATMEL GRENOBLE SA

Francia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: AVENUE DE ROCHEPLEINE ; 38120 SAINT EGREVE
• Coste total: Sin datos

INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUM VZW

Bélgica

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: KAPELDREEF 75 ; 3001 LEUVEN
• Coste total: Sin datos

MERCK KOMMANDITGESELLSCHAFT AUF AKTIEN

Alemania

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: FRANKFURTER STRASSE 250 ; 64293 DARMSTADT
• Coste total: Sin datos

THALES AVIONICS LCD SA

Francia

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: BOULEVARD HAUSSMANN 173 ; 75008 PARIS
• Coste total: Sin datos

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Reino Unido

• Aportación de la UE: Sin datos
• Dirección: GOWER STREET ; WC1E 6BT LONDON
• Coste total: Sin datos