MEMS DEVICE WITH INDEPENDENT ROTATION IN TWO AXES OF ROTATION

• US 20100265555A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micralyne, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Micralyne, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: CRAWFORD, JARED, KEYWORTH, BARRIE, KORNELSEN, KEVIN
• Granted Patent: US 8,368,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/198.100
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/042 Micromirrors, not used as optical switches
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/04 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/058 Rotation out of a plane parallel to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2207/07 Interconnects
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0062 Devices moving in two or more dimensions, i.e. having special features which allow movement in more than one dimension
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 1/006 of the gap-closing type H02N1/004 takes precedence

Abstract

A MEMS arrangement is provided that has a top plane containing a rotatable element such as a mirror. There is a middle support frame plane, and a lower electrical substrate plane. The rotatable element is supported by a support frame formed in the middle support frame plane so as to be rotatable with respect to the frame in a first axis of rotation. The frame is mounted so as to be rotatable with respect to a second axis of rotation. Rotation in the first axis of rotation is substantially independent of rotation in the second axis of rotation.

Claims

1. A MEMS arrangement comprising:

a plurality of MEMS devices arranged in an array, each MEMS device of the plural MEMS devices being adjacent to at least an adjacent MEMS device, and each MEMS device comprising;

a substrate;

a first rotatable element;

a support structure anchored to a substrate;

at least one support element that supports the first rotatable element to the support structure so as to be rotatable with respect to the support structure in a first axis of rotation;

wherein a first support element of said at least one support element is configured to extend laterally to be at least partially within an outline of an adjacent MEMS device.

2. The MEMs arrangement of claim 1 wherein for at least one of the MEMs devices:

the first rotatable element is a support frame;

the MEMs device further comprises a second rotatable element that is supported by the support frame so as to be rotatable about a second axis of rotation.

3. The MEMs arrangement of claim 1 wherein:

the at least one support element comprises two flexible hinges that each extend laterally to be at least partially within an outline of an adjacent MEMS device.

4. The MEMS arrangement of claim 1, configured as a 1×

N array with fill-factor >

90%.

5. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, wherein the rotation in the first axis of rotation is substantially independent of rotation in the second axis of rotation.

6. The MEMS arrangement of claim 5, wherein the two axes of rotation are substantially orthogonal.

7. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, wherein the first support element is at least partially covered by the second rotatable element of the adjacent MEMS device.

8. The MEMS arrangement of claim 1, further comprising:

actuating electrodes disposed between the first rotatable element and the substrate;

wherein rotation about the first axis of rotation is achieved by the actuating electrodes;

wherein the actuating electrodes comprise at least one of parallel plate electrostatic actuators, vertical comb drives, electromagnetic actuators.

9. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, further comprising:

actuating electrodes disposed between the support frame and the second rotatable element;

wherein rotation about the second axis of rotation is actuated by the actuating electrodes;

wherein the actuating electrodes comprise at least one of parallel plate electrostatic actuators, vertical comb drives, electromagnetic actuators.

10. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, further comprising:

first actuating electrodes disposed between the support frame and the substrate;

wherein rotation about the first axis of rotation is actuated by the first actuating electrodes;

wherein the first actuating electrodes comprise at least one of parallel plate electrostatic actuators, vertical comb drives, electromagnetic actuators;

the arrangement further comprising;

second actuating electrodes disposed between the support frame and the second rotatable element;

wherein rotation about the second axis of rotation is actuated by the second actuating electrodes;

wherein the actuating electrodes comprise at least one of parallel plate electrostatic actuators, vertical comb drives, electromagnetic actuators.

11. The MEMS arrangement of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one support element comprises at least one flexible hinge providing rotation about the first axis of rotation.

12. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, wherein:

the first support element comprises at least one flexible hinge providing rotation about the first axis.

13. The MEMS arrangement of claim 2, wherein:

at least one flexible hinge that supports the second rotatable element to the support frame so as to be rotatable about the second axis of rotation.

14. The MEMS arrangement of claim 13, wherein:

the support frame and the second rotatable element are collectively formed of an upper conductive layer and a lower conductive layer with regions separated by an insulating layer.

15. The MEMS arrangement of claim 14, wherein:

the at least one flexible hinge is formed at least partially in one of the conductive layers.

16. The MEMS arrangement of claim 13, wherein:

the support frame is formed of an upper conductive layer and a lower conductive layer separated by an insulating layer.

17. The MEMS arrangement of claim 16, wherein:

the at least one flexible hinge providing rotation about the first axis is formed at least partially in one of the conductive layers.

18. The MEMS arrangement of claim 1 wherein the arrangement other than the substrate is formed in a three layer structure.

19. The MEMS arrangement of claim 18 wherein the three layer structure comprises an upper conductive layer and a lower conductive layer separated by an insulating layer.

20. The MEMS arrangement of claim 19 wherein the at least one support element is formed at least partially in one of the conductive layers.

21. The MEMS arrangement of claim 20 wherein the at least one support element is formed in the upper conductive layer.

22. The MEMS arrangement of claim 21 wherein the at least one support element comprises at least one flexible hinge providing rotation about the first axis of rotation.