Richard L Knipe, 644101 County Road 1006, Mckinney, TX 75071

6552840, Apr 22, 2003

Nov 30, 2000

09/726861

Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G02B 2600

359291, 359292, 359295, 359223, 359224

An improved micromechanical device, particularly a micromirror device having improved electrostatic efficiency. A deflectable member comprised of a mirror and an active hinge yoke is suspended address and landing electrodes on a substrate and above upper address electrodes supported above the substrate The deflectable member is operable to rotate about a torsion hinge axis in response to an electrostatic force between the address electrodes and the deflectable member. The upper address electrodes have a stair stepped shape to narrow a gap between the deflectable member and the upper address electeodes. The gap is narrower near the axis of rotation compared to away from the axis. The stair stepped shape is achieved by embedding a portion of an oxide layer between a thin metal layer making up the upper address electrodes the active hinge yoke and the torsion hinges, and a thick metal layer making up the upper address electrodes and the active hinge yoke.

6775174, Aug 10, 2004

Dec 28, 2001

10/034896

James D. Huffman - Richardson TX
Larry J. Hornbeck - Van Alstyne TX
Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G11C 1124

365149, 365237, 365106

A one transistor one capacitor micromirror with DRAM memory cell built around a large polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor which is not susceptible to recombination of photo-generated carriers caused by illumination in the projector. This large polysilicon-to-substrate capacitor overshadows the much smaller inherent parallel depletion capacitance which is sensitive to light. The device is further 100% shielded from exposed light by metal layers and the address node is located under the center of the micromirror mirror to obtain maximum shielding of light for the smaller, light sensitive, depletion portion of the capacitance. As a result the micromirror of this invention can adequately hold the cell charge in excess of the device load time of 300 Sec even in extremely high brightness projector applications. This invention also provides a feature which automatically forces micromirror mirrors located over bad CMOS memory cell to the dark state, which is much less objectionable in most applications, thereby improving the overall effective processing yield.

6906850, Jun 14, 2005

Dec 21, 2001

10/027873

Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G02B026/00
G02B026/08
G09G003/34

359295, 359224, 345 85

A capacitively coupled microelectromechanical device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a member operable to deflect to either of at least two states; and a switch for selectively connecting the member to a voltage signal. When a logic high signal is stored on memory capacitor, mirror transistor is turned on, grounding the mirror structure. When a logic low signal is stored on the memory capacitor, the mirror transistor is turned off, allowing the mirror to float electrically. Mirrors that are tied to a voltage potential, which typically are grounded, are affected by a reset pulse and rotate away from their landed position. When the mirrors have rotated to the opposite side, a bias signal is applied to hold the repositioned mirror in place in the opposite state. Mirrors that electrically are floating do not experience the forces generated by the reset voltage and remain in their previous state.

6908791, Jun 21, 2005

Apr 29, 2002

10/135559

Thomas A. Kocian - Dallas TX, US
Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US
Mark H. Strumpell - Plano TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

H01L021/48
H01L021/50

438110, 438116, 438118

A method and system in which a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of dies is inspected through a visual inspection and/or an electrical test. If certain of the dies on the wafer pass the inspection, then windows are mounted or affixed above those certain dies while they are still a part of the wafer.

7011415, Mar 14, 2006

Nov 18, 2002

10/298423

Anthony DiCarlo - Richardson TX, US
Patrick I. Oden - McKinney TX, US
Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US
Rabah Mezenner - Richardson TX, US
James D. Huffman - Cambridge, GB

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G02B 26/00

353 99, 359291, 359295, 359846, 347239

A micromirror array fabricated on a semiconductor substrate. The array is comprised of three operating layers. An addressing layer is fabricated on the substrate. A hinge layer is spaced above the addressing layer by an air gap. A mirror layer is spaced over the hinge layer by a second air gap. The hinge layer has a hinge under and attached to the mirror, the hinge permitting the mirror to tilt. The hinge layer further has spring tips under the mirror, which are attached to the addressing layer. These spring tips provide a stationary landing surface for the mirror.

7119940, Oct 10, 2006

Jun 14, 2005

11/152794

Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G02B 26/00
G09G 3/34

359290, 359295, 345 85

A capacitively coupled microelectromechanical device and method of operation. The micromechanical device comprises: a semiconductor substrate; a member operable to deflect about a torsion axis to either of at least two states; and a switch driven for selectively connecting the member to a voltage signal. When a logic high signal is stored on the memory capacitor , the mirror transistor is turned on, grounding the mirror structure. When a logic low signal is stored on the memory capacitor , the mirror transistor is turned off, allowing the mirror to float electrically. Mirrors that are tied to a voltage potential, which typically are grounded, are affected by a reset pulse and rotate away from their landed position. When the mirrors have rotated to the opposite side, a bias signal is applied to hold the repositioned mirror in place in the opposite state. Mirrors that electrically are floating do not experience the forces generated by the reset voltage and remain in their previous state.

7226810, Jun 5, 2007

Jun 20, 2005

11/157024

Thomas A. Kocian - Dallas TX, US
Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US
Mark H. Strumpell - Plano TX, US

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

H01L 21/50
H01L 21/46

438110, 438113, 438460, 257E21499

A method and system in which a semiconductor wafer having a plurality of dies is inspected through a visual inspection and/or an electrical test. If certain of the dies on the wafer pass the inspection, then windows are mounted or affixed above those certain dies while they are still a part of the wafer.

7252395, Aug 7, 2007

Mar 10, 2006

11/372686

Anthony DiCarlo - Richardson TX, US
Patrick I. Oden - McKinney TX, US
Richard L. Knipe - McKinney TX, US
Rabah Mezenner - Richardson TX, US
James D. Huffman - Cambridge, GB

Texas Instruments Incorporated - Dallas TX

G02B 26/00

353 99, 359291, 359295, 359846, 348771

A micromirror array fabricated on a semiconductor substrate. The array is comprised of three operating layers. An addressing layer is fabricated on the substrate. A hinge layer is spaced above the addressing layer by an air gap. A mirror layer is spaced over the hinge layer by a second air gap. The hinge layer has a hinge under and attached to the mirror, the hinge permitting the mirror to tilt. The hinge layer further has spring tips under the mirror, which are attached to the addressing layer. These spring tips provide a stationary landing surface for the mirror.