Systems, methods and devices relating to actuatably moveable machines

• US 20070090483A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Inventors: Tapalian, H. Charles, Langseth, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 7,566,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/499
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/0127 Diaphragms, i.e. structures separating two media that can control the passage from one medium to another; Membranes, i.e. diaphragms with filtering function
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0021 Transducers for transforming electrical into mechanical energy or vice versa dynamo-electric machines H02K99/00; electrostatic machines H02N1/00; piezoelectric devices H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/001 based on interference in an adjustable optical cavity interference filters G02B5/28; devices or arrangements using multiple reflections in spectrometry or monochromators G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/06 for controlling the phase of light G02B26/08 takes precedence , measuring optical phase difference G01J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/13 Integrated optical circuits characterised by the manufacturing method

Abstract

Systems, methods and devices relating to actuatably movable machines and with methods of using and manufacturing the same.

Claims

1. A method of forming at least one actuatably movable machine, the method comprising,

providing a substrate,

providing a first conductive layer disposed on the substrate,

providing a thin film layer disposed on the first conductive layer,

providing a second conductive layer disposed on the thin film layer, and

flowing current through the organic thin film layer to form at least one actuatably movable machine having an enclosed chamber bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an actuatable region of the first conductor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuatably movable machine is a plurality of actuatably movable machines, each having an enclosed chamber bounded along a respective first section of a periphery directly by a respective actuatable region of the first conductor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuatably movable machine includes a plurality of actuatably movable machines, and performing the heating includes exposing a bottom side of the substrate to a plurality of laser light spots at locations aligned with respective locations at which each of the plurality of actuatably movable machines are to be formed on the second conductor.

3. A method of forming at least one actuatably movable machine, the method comprising,

providing a substrate,

providing a first conductive layer disposed on the substrate,

providing an organic thin film layer disposed on the first conductive layer,

providing a second conductive layer disposed on the organic thin film layer, and

heating the thin film layer to form at least one actuatably movable machine having an enclosed chamber bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an actuatable region of the first conductor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one actuatably movable machine is a plurality of actuatably movable machines, each having an enclosed chamber bounded along a respective first section of a periphery directly by a respective actuatable region of the first conductor.

5. The method of claim 3 comprising, performing the heating by placing the substrate, the first conductive layer disposed on the substrate, the thin film layer disposed on the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer disposed on the thin film layer into an environment having a temperature of at least about 50°

C.

6. The method of claim 5 comprising,

providing an electrical insulator between the thin film and the first conductor, and

placing the electrical insulator into the environment with the substrate, first conductive layer, thin film and second conductive layer.

7. The method of claim 3 comprising, performing the heating by exposing a bottom side of the substrate to at least one laser light spot at a location aligned with a location on the second conductor at which the at least one actuatably movable machine is to be formed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the spot has a diameter of between about 1 micrometers and about 500 micrometers.

10. A method of forming at least one actuatably movable machine, the method comprising,

providing a substrate,

providing a first conductive layer disposed on the substrate,

providing an thin film layer disposed on the first conductive layer,

providing a second conductive layer disposed on the thin film layer, and

applying a focused laser to the organic thin film layer through the substrate and the first conductive layer to create at least one enclosed chamber in the organic thin film layer to form at least one actuatably movable machine, the at least one actuatably movable machine including the enclosed chamber bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an actuatable region of the first conductor and along a second section of the periphery by the organic thin film layer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the focused laser is a pulsed laser.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the focused laser is focused to a spot and the spot has a diameter about equal to a diameter of the enclosed chamber.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the spot has a diameter of between about 1 micrometer and about 500 micrometers.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one enclosed chamber includes a plurality of enclosed chambers, the at least one actuatably movable machine includes a plurality of actuatably movable machines, and the method comprises applying a plurality of focused laser spots to the organic thin film layer through the substrate and the first conductive layer to create the plurality of enclosed chambers, each of the plurality of actuatably movable machines including at least one of the enclosed chambers.

15. An array of actuatably movable machines comprising,

a substrate,

a first conductor disposed on the substrate,

an thin film disposed on the first conductor, and

a second conductor disposed on the thin film and forming an array of enclosed chambers, each of the array of enclosed chambers being bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an associated actuatable region of the second conductor to form a actuatably movable machine.

16. The array of claim 15 comprising, a processor configured for selectively addressing each of the array of enclosed chambers.

17. The array of claim 15, wherein selectively addressing includes selectively applying a control voltage across the first and second conductors of each of the array of enclosed chambers.

18. The array of claim 17, wherein the control voltage is sufficient to actuate the each associated actuatable region.

19. The array of claim 17, wherein the control voltage is sufficient to selectively break each associated actuatable region.

20. A tunable optical filter comprising,

a substrate,

a first conductor disposed on the substrate,

an thin film disposed on the first conductor,

a second conductor disposed on the organic thin film and forming an enclosed chamber, the enclosed chamber being bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an actuatable region of the first conductor, and

a voltage source for selectively applying a control voltage across the first and second conductors to actuate the actuatable region of the first conductor to change alter an optical passband of the filter.

21. The tunable optical filter of claim 20, wherein the first and second conductors are transparent.

22. A tunable optical phase modulator comprising,

a substrate,

a first conductor disposed on the substrate,

an thin film disposed on the first conductor,

a second conductor disposed on the thin film and forming an enclosed chamber, the enclosed chamber being bounded along a first section of a periphery directly by an actuatable region of the first conductor, the actuable region of the conductor having a substantially flat reflective surface, and

a voltage source for selectively applying a control voltage across the first and second conductors to actuate the actuatable region of the first conductor to modulate phase of a reflected portion of an optical signal incident on the reflective surface.

23. The tunable optical phase modulator of claim 22, wherein the voltage source is an alternating voltage source having a frequency of at least about 1 megahertz.

24. The tunable optical phase modulator of claim 22 comprising, a processor for controlling the voltage source.

25. An active wavelength division multiplexer comprising,

a first optical waveguide for carrying light having wavelengths of at least λ

1 and λ

2,

a second optical waveguide for carrying light having the λ

1 wavelength,

a first optical ring resonator resonant with the λ

1 wavelength for coupling the light having the λ

1 wavelength from the first optical waveguide to the second optical waveguide, and

a controllably actuatable machine including a first electrode disposed below the first optical ring resonator, and a second electrode disposed above the first optical ring resonator, the first electrode being deflectable toward the first optical ring resonator in response to a control signal across the first and second electrodes, the deflection be sufficient to disrupt the coupling of the light having the λ

1 wavelength from the first optical waveguide to the second optical waveguide.

26. An active wavelength division multiplexer comprising,

at least a throughput waveguide for carrying light have wavelengths of at least λ

1, λ

2 and λ

3,

a first optical waveguide for carrying light having the λ

1 wavelength,

a second optical waveguide for carrying light having the λ

2 wavelength,

a first optical ring resonator resonant with the λ

1 wavelength for coupling the light having the λ

1 wavelength from the throughput waveguide to the first optical waveguide,

a second optical ring resonator resonant with the λ

2 wavelength for coupling the light having the λ

2 wavelength from the throughput waveguide to the second optical waveguide, and

an array of controllably actuatable machines including,

first machine having a first electrode disposed below the first optical ring resonator and a second electrode disposed above the first optical ring resonator, the first electrode of the first machine being deflectable toward the first optical ring resonator in response to a control signal across the first and second electrodes of the first machine, the deflection be sufficient to disrupt the coupling of the light having the λ

1 wavelength from the throughput waveguide to the second optical waveguide, and

a second machine, independently controllable from the first machine, and having a first electrode disposed below the second optical ring resonator and a second electrode disposed above the second optical ring resonator, the first electrode of the second machine being deflectable toward the second optical ring resonator in response to a control signal across the first and second electrodes of the second machine, the deflection be sufficient to disrupt the coupling of the light having the λ

2 wavelength from the throughput waveguide to the second optical waveguide.

27. The active wavelength division multiplexer of claim 26, wherein the first electrode of the first machine and the first electrode of the second machine are configured as a common electrode.