Microelectromechanical mirrors and electrically-programmable diffraction gratings based on two-stage actuation
US6967757B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 24, 2003 |
| Grant date | Nov 22, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 31, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B26/0808
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A microelectromechanical (MEM) device for redirecting incident light is disclosed. The MEM device utilizes a pair of electrostatic actuators formed one above the other from different stacked and interconnected layers of polysilicon to move or tilt an overlying light-reflective plate (i.e. a mirror) to provide a reflected component of the incident light which can be shifted in phase or propagation angle. The MEM device, which utilizes leveraged bending to provide a relatively-large vertical displacement up to several microns for the light-reflective plate, has applications for forming an electrically-programmable diffraction grating (i.e. a polychromator) or a micromirror array.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.