Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) actuator that rotates discrete optical elements
US10197738B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 20, 2017 |
| Grant date | Feb 5, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 20, 2037 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B26/106
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) actuator can rotate other, discrete optical elements that may be dimensionally large (especially in terms of thickness), may be of relatively large mass, and may be made of dissimilar materials (i.e., some material other than silicon). The rotating optical element may be reflective or transmissive. The MEMS actuator is used in multiple additional embodiments, allowing the integration of multiple optical functions into a single optical component, for a variety of applications. These optical functions include optical switching, optical attenuation, tunable optical filtering, the adjustment of the phase angle of an optical signal, and the detection or receiving of an optical signal or optical power level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.