MEMS DEVICE LEVER

• US 20080101748A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Jilani, Adel B., Yeh, Bao Sung B., Faase, Kenneth James, Monroe, Michael G., Przybyla, James R., Piehl, Arthur R.
• Application Number:
  US11/553,459
• Publication Number:
  US 20080101748A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/18
• 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

Abstract

A MEMS device and method include a mechanical plate that is raised or lowered by pivoting a lever coupled to the mechanical plate by a flexible beam.

Claims

1. A MEMS device comprising:

a mechanical plate;

a first support;

a first substantially rigid lever;

a first torsional hinge coupled between the first support and the first lever;

a first set of electrodes disposed under the first lever; and

a first flexible beam coupled to the first lever and the mechanical plate.

2. The MEMS device of claim 1 further comprising:

a second support;

a second substantially rigid lever;

a second torsional hinge coupled between the second support and the second lever;

a second set of electrodes disposed under the second lever; and

a second flexible beam coupled to the second lever.

3. The MEMS device of claim 2 further comprising:

a third support;

a third substantially rigid lever;

a third torsional hinge coupled to the third support;

a third set of electrodes disposed under the third lever; and

a third flexible beam coupled between the reflector and the third lever.

4. The MEMS device of claim 2, wherein the first support and the second support are located at corners of the mechanical plate.

5. The MEMS device of claim 1 further comprising:

a resilient structure coupled to the first lever; and

a landing pad opposite the resilient structure.

6. The MEMS device of claim 5, wherein the MEMS device includes a first pixel cell including the first support, the first lever, the first hinge, the first set of electrodes, and the first plate, wherein the MEMS device further comprises a second pixel cell substantially identical to the first pixel cell and wherein the first pixel cell and the second pixel cell share the landing pad.

7. The MEMS device of claim 1 further comprising:

a second substantially rigid lever;

a second torsional hinge coupled to the second lever;

a second set of electrodes disposed under the second lever; and

a second flexible beam couple between the plate and the second lever.

8. The MEMS device of claim 7, wherein the first hinge and the second hinge extend from opposite sides of the first support.

9. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the first support is centrally located opposite the plate.

10. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the first lever and the second electrode extend opposite a second plate.

11. The MEMS device of claim 1, wherein the plate comprises a reflector.

12. The MEMS device of claim 11 further comprising a partial reflector opposite the reflector.

13. The MEMS device of claim 1 further comprising a control system configured to apply different voltages to different electrodes of the first set of electrodes.

14. The MEMS device of claim 1 further comprising a tab coupled between and spacing the plate and the first beam.

15. A MEMS device comprising:

a reflector;

substantially rigid levers coupled to the reflector; and

means for selectively pivoting the levers to selectively uniformly raise and lower the reflector.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising pivoting a second lever coupled to the reflector by a second flexible beam to raise or lower the reflector.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the reflector is substantially uniformly raised or uniformly lowered.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising resiliently flexing a resilient structure coupled to the first lever.

16. A method comprising:

pivoting a first lever coupled to a reflector by a first flexible beam to raise or lower the reflector.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

applying a voltage to the first electrode opposite the lever to pivot the lever in a first direction; and

applying a voltage to a second electrode opposite the lever to pivot the lever in a second direction.