Electrostatic comb-drive micromechanical actuator

US8213066B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. · DE

Inventors

• Ulrich Hofmann · Itzehoe, DE
• Marten Oldsen · Kleve, DE
• Bernd Wagner · Looft, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 17, 2009
• Grant date: Jul 3, 2012
• Expiry date: Nov 17, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B26/0841
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a micromechanical actuator, especially a micro-mirror scanner, comprising an actuator unit in an outer frame which unit is suspended in the outer frame via two torsion elements, and electrostatic tilt drives from intermeshing first and second comb-type electrodes which are off-set from each other vertically. The first electrodes are rigidly connected to the outer frame and the second electrodes to the outer frame via an outer connecting element and to the actuator unit via an inner connecting element. The inner connecting element has a spring which extends in parallel to the outer tilting axis, which is connected to the same in a section of the actuator unit close the outer tilting axis, and which is designed and arranged to be rigid in the vertical direction and flexible at a right angle to the vertical direction. The micromechanical actuator according to the invention allows the use in a micro-mirror scanner whose slow axis is non-resonantly driven with excursions of >+/−7°, lateral mirror sizes having dimensions of 1 mm and more and a resonant frequency of >1 kHz and can be integrated even into flat mobile phones.