Light modulating microdevice and method
First Claim
1. A hinge for supporting a mirror in a light modulator, comprising at least one arm means adapted to be provided at an upper end thereof with mirror means, said arm means being adapted to extend substantially under the mirror means and being displaceable between deformed and extended positions thereby allowing for the displacement of the mirror means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to spatial light modulators (SLM) for amplitude and phase modulation of incident light. A "flexure" hinge which is provided between the SLM'"'"'s substrate and micromirror comprises integral hinged sections which allow for the micromirror to tilt or to move in a piston-like fashion relative to the substrate in response to an electrostatic force. The hinge is particularly advantageous for large mirrors. In addition, the hinge can provide improved heat sinking capability over previously reported SLM hinge designs based on torsion bars and cantilever beams. The flexure hinge has sufficient mechanical flexibility that the SLM actuation voltage required is not excessively high. The flexure hinge has many applications, the preferred ones being a SLM for modulating high-energy beams and a SLM for optical channel switching.
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Citations
24 Claims
- 1. A hinge for supporting a mirror in a light modulator, comprising at least one arm means adapted to be provided at an upper end thereof with mirror means, said arm means being adapted to extend substantially under the mirror means and being displaceable between deformed and extended positions thereby allowing for the displacement of the mirror means.
- 10. A mirror for light modulators, comprising light receiving means, hinge means being adapted to be provided at an upper end thereof with said light receiving means, said hinge means being adapted to extend substantially under said light receiving means and being displaceable between deformed and extended positions thereby allowing for the displacement of said light receiving means.
- 16. A light modulator comprising mirror means, substrate means provided with electrode means, and hinge means extending between said substrate means and said mirror means and substantially under said mirror means, said hinge means being displaceable between deformed and extended positions for allowing for the displacement of said mirror means.
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22. A method for producing a light modulator, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing base means containing control circuit means for the light modulator and providing electrode means on said base means; (b) providing a sacrificial layer means on said base means and electrode means; (c) patterning said sacrificial layer means, at least part of a shape of which is complementary to a hinge of said light modulator and downwardly extends to said base means; (d) providing first metal layer means on said sacrificial layer means and said base means for constituting said hinge; (e) providing second metal layer means on said first metal layer means for constituting a mirror of said light modulator; and (f) removing said sacrificial layer means.
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23. A method for producing a light modulator, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing base means containing control circuit means for the light modulator and providing electrode means on said base means; (b) providing first sacrificial layer means on said base means and electrode means; (c) patterning said first sacrificial layer means, at least part of a shape of which is complementary to a hinge of said light modulator and downwardly extends to said base means; (d) providing first metal layer means on said first sacrificial layer means and said base means for constituting said hinge; (e) providing second sacrificial layer means on part of said first metal layer means; (g) providing second metal layer means on said first metal layer means and on said second sacrificial layer means for constituting a mirror of said light modulator; and (h) removing said first and second sacrificial layer means.
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24. A method for producing a light modulator, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing base means containing control circuit means for the light modulator and providing electrode means on said base means; (b) providing first sacrificial layer means on said base means and electrode means, said first sacrificial layer means having at least part of a shape thereof complementary to a lower part of a hinge of said light modulator and downwardly extending to said base means; (c) providing first metal layer means on said first sacrificial layer means and said base means for constituting the lower part of said hinge; (d) providing second sacrificial layer means on part of said first metal layer means; (e) providing second metal layer means on said first metal layer means and on said second sacrificial layer means for constituting an upper part of said hinge; (f) providing third sacrificial layer means on said second metal layer means and on said first sacrificial layer means; (g) providing third metal layer means on said second metal layer means and on said third sacrificial layer means for constituting a mirror of said light modulator; and (h) removing said first, second and third sacrificial layer means.
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Specification