Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)
Like LCOS, the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) can use either a laser or an LED for a light source. DMD’s are exclusively used by Texas Insturments who have a technology known as Digial Light Processor (DLP). Today, DLP is used extensively in big screen projection television. DLP uses tiny micro mirrors that are at the size of common pixels. These mirror are part of a semiconductor that can control the mirror’s orientation. Each mirror can be shifted back and forth to either reflect light away from the image and produce and “off” pixel, or can reflect to other direction to produce and “on” pixel. The technology is really amazing.Television is one thing, but Texas Instruments has recently made known they intend to put DLP into pico projectors. The main advantages for DLP is that it does not use polarized light, it doesn’t waste 50% of the light, and it’s an existing high volume product. The disadvantages are potential cost of the DLP chip, and the size constraints of the device.
