Compound stage MEM actuator suspended for multidimensional motion
First Claim
1. A multistage microactuator, comprising:
- a substrate having a cavity;
a central stage;
a plurality of frame stages concentrically surrounding said central stage;
plural connector beams extending between said frame stages to provide an actuator assembly;
plural suspension beams suspending said actuator assembly within said cavity; and
means defining plural conductive paths within said actuator assembly.
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Abstract
A microelectromechanical compound stage microactuator assembly capable of motion along x, y, and z axes for positioning and scanning integrated electromechanical sensors and actuators is fabricated from submicron suspended single crystal silicon beams. The microactuator incorporates an interconnect system for mechanically supporting a central stage and for providing electrical connections to componants of the microactuator and to devices carried thereby. The microactuator is fabricated using a modified single crystal reactive etching and metallization process which incorporates an isolation process utilizing thermal oxidation of selected regions of the device to provide insulating segments which define conductive paths from external circuitry to the actuator components and to microelectronic devices such as gated field emitters carried by the actuator.
181 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A multistage microactuator, comprising:
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a substrate having a cavity; a central stage; a plurality of frame stages concentrically surrounding said central stage; plural connector beams extending between said frame stages to provide an actuator assembly; plural suspension beams suspending said actuator assembly within said cavity; and means defining plural conductive paths within said actuator assembly. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A compound stage microactuator, comprising:
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a central stage; a microactuator assembly supporting said central stage for motion with respect to orthogonal x, y, and z axes, said assembly including at least a first stage supporting said central stage and at least a second stage supporting said first stage; and means defining conductive paths through said assembly to said central stage. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification