A method of creating an internal dipole moment in an interferometric light modulating device is disclosed. In certain embodiments, the method includes applying heat and an electrical field to a dielectric layer of an interferometric light modulating device. Before this method, the dielectric layer has mobile charges or includes random dipoles. After this method, however, those random dipoles are substantially aligned, thereby inducing a fixed dipole moment in the dielectric layer. The electric field creates the dipole moment in the dielectric layer and the heat helps increase the speed of the process by supplying additional activation energy. Having a dielectric layer with an induced dipole moment provides an internal voltage source that provides at least a portion of the voltage required to operate the interferometric light modulating device. The induced dipole moment also reduces the possibility of an uncontrolled shift of charge within the device during operation.