Archives 2002

Seminar #1: LED backlighting for Monitors and LCD-TV
Speaker: Gerard Harbers, Lumileds Lighting, San Jose, CA

Seminar #2: High Power LED Illuminators in Projection Displays
Speaker: Steve Paolini,Lumileds Lighting, San Jose, CA

Abstract #1: Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used today for backlighting of small LCD displays such as PDA’s and mobile phones. For bigger displays Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL) are still used, but this is going to change the next few years. We will show that with the new Light Emitting Diode technology developed by Lumleds Lighting, LED backlighting can be applied for bigger displays as well, resulting in better front of screen performance, and higher system reliability.

About the Speaker: Gerard Harbers started his career in 1986 at Philips Research in the Netherlands. Main topic of his work at Philips Research was optical recording, in specific the optical design and testing of optical components. In 1996 he transferred to the Philips Lighting, where he managed the optical design group. Since 1999 he is working for Lumileds Lighting, first in the Netherlands, but now in San Jose (CA). Within Lumileds, he is responsible for the advanced development activities within the new Business Development Group. In that role, he started investigating LED backlighting opportunities almost 3 years ago, and is doing the same for LED illumination in projector applications now.

Abstract #2: High power LEDs, such as Luxeon from Lumileds, have increased in luminance to the point that they are becoming attractive for projection displays. A brief history of LEDs and future forecast will be given. Several architectures for Luxeon based projectors will be discussed with respect to system efficiency and throughput. The critical constraint is the etendue of the light source given the typical projection system. Allowing that, there are some unique advantages to using LEDs and at least one unique product that will be discussed.

About the Speaker: Steve Paolini is the Director of Business Development at Lumileds. He has held numerous engineering and management positions his 21 years in the LED business starting with Hewlett Packard. During the ’90s he worked in Japan and Malaysia. As a result of the decades long exponential improvement in LED efficiency and lumen-package output, his current role focuses on developing new businesses several years in the future. One of the most promising of these is applying LEDs to projectors.

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Speaker: Richard A. Flasck and Eric G. Rawson, Ph.D., RAF Electronics Corp
Title: 3M A New Look at X-Cube LCOS Projection Systems

Abstract: LCOS Projection optics for HDTV appears poised to become the next big thing in consumer electronics. However, the projection optics “engine” that has been widely assumed will be used for the initial market entry has recently been seen to be too expensive and complex to meet the required market price point for wide market acceptance. An earlier, low-cost optical engine concept, based on the X-Cube, has re-emerged, enabled by a new generation of ultra high performance thin-film stacks. In this presentation the authors will examine the new X-Cube approach and describe the technology advances that have been implemented to enable the use of an X-Cube-based LCOS projection engine.

Speaker Background: Dr. Rawson graduated in physics from the University of Toronto. He worked at Bell Labs where he developed 3-D displays, fiber optics, and designed photolithography optics. He was the first to publish GRIN rod fabrication by ion diffusion, and he coined the term “GRIN”. At Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) he invented methods for speckle control in rear projection systems and developed fiber optic LANs. He developed fiber star couplers with record numbers of ports and low power loss, and was awarded the Optical Society of America’s 1990 Engineering Excellence Award for this work. In 1995 Dr. Rawson founded Rawson Optics Inc. where he designs and prototypes optical systems. Dr. Rawson is the author of over 80 scientific journal reports and holds more than 30 US patents. He has served as Topical Editor for Fiber Optics for the Journal of the Optical Society of America (JOSA), and as a member of the OSA Engineering Committee. He edited the SPIE Milestone Series volume, Collected Reprints on Fiber Optic Local Area Networks, (SPIE, February 1994). Dr. Rawson is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America (OSA), a Fellow of the Society of Photo-Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), and a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).

Location: Kaiser Electronics, 2701 Orchard Parkway, San Jose, CA 95134 (Map)

Directions: Kaiser is very near the corner of North First and Trimble, in north San Jose. From 101, exit onto Trimble Ave., heading east. Turn left on Orchard Parkway. Note that there are four turns into Kaiser, and you want the northern-most one, into the North Side parking lot. The entrance to the Genesis Conference Room, which is next to the main north side entrance, will be open.

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Speaker: Mark Flynn, Senior Display Engineer, Aurora Systems
Title: 3M LCoS Projection Display Physics, Requirements and Testing

Abstract: The oft-promised launch of LCoS-based projection systems is approaching. In this talk, I will review some basic facts about reflective LCoS displays, what requirements the LCoS displays are required to meet, and how one tests whether or not LCoS displays actually meet these requirements.

Topics:
1) Basic physics of reflective LCoS displays.
2) Requirements for use in projection displays. Contrast, viewing angle, uniformity.
3) Testing. This is a serious challenge for reflective LCoS displays, as they are much more tightly bound up with the measurement system than transmissive displays. De-convolving display performance from display + system performance is non-trivial. I will discuss three systems which Aurora has developed in house to assist in this tasks, for the measurement of uniformity, cell gap and viewing angle. Results will be presented.

Speaker Background: Mark Flynn is Senior Display Engineer at Aurora Systems. He has been involved in the design of LCDs since 1991, where he worked for Dr. Phil Bos at the LCI in Kent, OH. Since then, he has worked on LCD, Head Mounted and Projection Displays at Kaiser Electronics, Inviso, and Aurora Systems. He is also Chair of the Bay Area Chapter of SID.

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Directions to Seminar Location: Apple Auditorium DA-3, 10500 N. De Anza blvd Cupertino, CA 95014

This is just off of De Anza Blvd. just south of 280 and a few miles north of 85. Head east on Mariani Ave. and take a left at the end of Mariani Ave. Entrance to Infinite Loop 4 is on the east side of Apple campus.

For additional information contact Mark Flynn @ 408-432-7914 or webmaster@ba-sid.org.

Speaker: John C. Nelson, Senior Research Specialist, 3M
Title: 3M Films for Display Applications

Abstract: A number of 3M film based products are made for a wide variety display types and application. These products include:

– Brightness enhancement, turning films, polarizers and lightguides for backlit LCD’s
– Reflective films for frontlit LCD’s
– Screens and Fresnel lenses for projection displays

These products are enabled by a broad technology base that includes polymeric multi-layer thin films, micro-replicated surfaces, precision coating, adhesives and materials. The presentation will briefly describe the product range, technical
performance as well as general capability of the technologies.

Speaker Background: John C. Nelson is a Senior Research Specialist with the 3M Microreplication Technology Center in Petaluma, California and has been involved in the development of a number of optical film products and technologies for the last 23 years. John has a B.S. in Physics from California State University, Sonoma and holds nine US patents

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Directions to Seminar Location: Apple Auditorium DA-3, 10500 N. De Anza blvd Cupertino, CA 95014

This is just off of De Anza Blvd. just south of 280 and a few miles north of 85. Head east on Mariani Ave. and take a left at the end of Mariani Ave. Entrance to Infinite Loop 4 is on the east side of Apple campus.

For additional information contact Mark Flynn @ 408-432-7914 or webmaster@ba-sid.org.

Speaker: Nikhil Balram, VP of Advanced Technologies, Sage
Title: High Definition Quality at NTSC Prices

Abstract: The long anticipated rollout of High Definition TV (HDTV) is taking place, but at a slow pace. A variety of technical, political and economic issues have slowed down the creation and delivery of HD content. However, advances in display and semiconductor technologies will allow consumers to enjoy High Definition picture quality for all content at affordable prices. This is possible using the same type of processing that is currently used in the broadcast industry to create HD broadcasts from NTSC material. This talk will explain the details behind this technology and include a demonstration.

Speaker Background: Nikhil Balram has a BS, MS, and Ph.D., in electrical engineering, all from Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently employed at Sage Incorporated, as Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Consumer Products. Prior to Sage’s merger with Faroudja Laboratories, he served as Vice-President of Advanced Technology at Faroudja. Dr. Balram has over 15 years experience in digital image/video signal processing. He holds four US patents and has published over 30 technical papers, including two invited book chapters, and given many presentations and seminars at international conferences such as SID Symposium, NAB and WinHEC. He has played a significant role in defining industry standards including PC99 and the Video2000 benchmark. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for Information Display (SID). He also serves on the Carnegie Mellon Admissions Council and the Dean’s Leadership Council that advises the Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Directions to Seminar Location: Apple Town Hall Auditorium, 4 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014

Please note the new (actually, old) seminar location. We’ll be back in the site on Infiniti Loop after they are done with some work there. This is the auditorium we used a few years back. Exit off of De Anza onto Lazaneo, and enter from the south side of the building.

For additional information contact Mark Flynn @ 408-432-7914 or webmaster@ba-sid.org.

Speaker: Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News
Title: Content Protection Warfare

Abstract: The intellectual property wars have led to a situation that may soon present a binary choice. Copyright holders want absolute, permanent control over digital content. The rest of us want — and need — to retain fair-use rights and maintain a public commons for knowledge. It’s possible that no compromise can be found. If the owners win this battle, the consequences for society will be grim.

Speaker Background: Dan Gillmor is a business and technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley’s daily newspaper. He also writes a daily Web-based column for SiliconValley.com, a KnightRidder.com site that is an online affiliate of the Mercury News. His column runs in many other U.S. newspapers, and he appears regularly on radio and television including National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and CNN. He has been listed by industry publications as among the most influential journalists in his field.

Post-Seminar Dinner: The seminar is free. Please join our speaker for dinner ($10-20) afterwards. Directions to the restaurant will be handed out at the seminar.

Directions to Seminar Location: Apple Town Hall Auditorium, 4 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014

This is just off of De Anza Blvd. just south of 280 and a few miles north of 85. Head east on Mariani Ave. and take a left at the end of Mariani Ave. Entrance to Infinite Loop 4 is on the east side of Apple campus.

For additional information contact Mark Flynn @ 408-432-7914 or webmaster@ba-sid.org.