High frequency deformable mirror device
First Claim
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1. A deformable mirror element for modulating an incident beam of light, the element comprising:
- a substrate;
an elongate support extending along the substrate and projecting outwardly therefrom; and
a ribbon member, attached to the elongate support along a longitudinal portion of the ribbon member and extending transversely from the elongate support to form at least one reflective wing portion, the ribbon member having a length measured along the elongate support which is greater than a width of the wing portion in a direction transverse to the elongate support, the wing portion being elastically deformable towards the substrate on application of an actuation force.
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Abstract
A deformable mirror element with a high natural frequency has elongate ribbons attached along a longitudinal portion thereof to a support. A reflective wing portion extends laterally from the support and is capable of deforming in response to a force applied to the wing. The deformable mirror element is used in a light valve for modulating one or more beams of light. The high natural frequency of the element ensures that the light valve is useful in applications requiring fast response time.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A deformable mirror element for modulating an incident beam of light, the element comprising:
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a substrate;
an elongate support extending along the substrate and projecting outwardly therefrom; and
a ribbon member, attached to the elongate support along a longitudinal portion of the ribbon member and extending transversely from the elongate support to form at least one reflective wing portion, the ribbon member having a length measured along the elongate support which is greater than a width of the wing portion in a direction transverse to the elongate support, the wing portion being elastically deformable towards the substrate on application of an actuation force. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
providing a plurality of arrayed deformable mirror elements according to claim 1;
directing the light onto the wing portions to provide a plurality of reflected light beams;
elastically deforming selected ones of the wing portions by applying an actuation force thereto;
spatially filtering the reflected light from the wing portions to provide a plurality of modulated light beams.
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33. A method according to claim 32, wherein the wing portions are curved away from the substrate when no actuation force is applied and the method comprises flattening out each wing portion by applying a pre-determined actuation force thereto, the degree of flattening selected to provide the plurality of modulated beams with a substantially uniform intensity.
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34. A method according to claim 33, wherein the application of an actuation force greater than the pre-determined actuation force causes the wing portion to deflect further toward the substrate into an actuated configuration.
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35. A method according to claim 32, wherein the force applied in the actuated configuration is sufficiently large to deform the wing portion so that at least an edge thereof snaps down into contact with the substrate.
Specification