Jeff Marsh sees himself as a "master of tricks." He is the DLP® Product Engineering Design Manager at Texas Instruments, where he oversees every step of DLP chip fabrication.
“I have to deal with many unique challenges at the same time,†Jeff said. “But after 20 years at TI, I am doing it right now.â€
"Handy" may still be a modest statement.
Since the invention of the first DLP chip by Dr. Larry Hornbeck in 1987, the new version of the DLP semiconductor chip has been widely used. The invention of the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) itself revolutionized the film industry and won the Academy Award* for Dr. Hornbeck to reward the DMD he invented for TI DLP Cinema® projection.
DLP technology also enables today's industrial high-speed 3D printers and handheld near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy analyzers to drive the development of head-up display (HUD) solutions in the automotive industry, and opens up such as head mounted or wearable displays. Small size applications such as.
At the heart of these applications is the DMD, which covers millions of tiny micromirrors that control and reflect light.
Chip, or non-chip?Creating a new DLP chip from scratch is a process of continuous improvement and innovation, and the source is a core question: What kind of business needs does it serve?
“Device vendors are keen to integrate DLP chips into all devices – from super mobile displays to high-resolution UV (UV) 3D printers, so our understanding of customer needs becomes very important,†Jeff said. “We have to Know what features a product needs to be able to implement, and what features that our chip designers and engineers must include in their products to meet these requirements."
Just like a complex puzzle, there are some features that must be determined before the ability to design a viable chip and ultimately mass production, such as size, cost, and resolution.
Perhaps, the way we make chips makes our DLP chips so special and with a deep TI mark. As Jeff easily confirms, this is a unique secret in the field of semiconductor engineering design.
“I am often asked, 'How do you put these micromirrors on this device?'†he said. “Some people may think that we mechanically assemble them on the device with tweezers, or with the help of a microscope. Use a robot to assemble - but sorry, not at all."
All DLP chips were originally started with a standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) wafer. These wafers form an array of memory cells that will ultimately determine how and when the micromirrors are tilted.
Then it was the exclusive "magic" - "We built a structure on the storage unit, but we built it using a series of metal coatings, etching and lithography to build a 3D micromirror array," Jeff said. “So, while we are using standard semiconductor equipment and processes, we operate better than traditional methods, which allows us to differentiate.â€
The journey of chip manufacturing continuesAfter a long journey of development, design and testing, the next step is to manufacture. But this is not the end. Jeff said that he and his team are still alive and well, helping customers solve the challenges or problems that may be encountered in the use of the new DLP chip.
“We monitor performance and monitor production during assembly to ensure we deliver the products our customers need,†Jeff said.
In addition, whether it is lower power consumption, higher brightness, improved resolution, or smaller package, driving innovation, all of which will create a new DLP chip, meet the new needs of customers, and look for new potential applications. Never stop.
* Dr. Larry HornBeck was awarded the Academy of Science and Technology's Merit Award® (Oscar © Xiaojinren) in 2014 for his invented digital micromirror device (DMD) technology for DLP Cinema® projection.
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