Electrode design and positioning for controlled movement of a moveable electrode and associated support structure
First Claim
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1. A MicroElectroMechanicalSystem comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate surface in a lateral plane;
a moveable electrode, the moveable electrode moving in a trajectory in a motion plane, the motion plane oriented approximately perpendicular to the substrate surface;
at least one fixed electrode to control movement of the moveable electrode in the motion plane, the fixed electrode having a top surface approximately parallel to the lateral plane of the substrate surface, at least ninety percent of the top surface of said fixed electrode extending beyond a surface covered by said moving electrode when said moving electrode moves in the motion plane to maximize contact with the substrate.
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Abstract
A MEMS system including a fixed electrode and a suspended moveable electrode that is controllable over a wide range of motion. In traditional systems where an fixed electrode is positioned under the moveable electrode, the range of motion is limited because the support structure supporting the moveable electrode becomes unstable when the moveable electrode moves too close to the fixed electrode. By repositioning the fixed electrode from being directly underneath the moving electrode, a much wider range of controllable motion is achievable. Wide ranges of controllable motion are particularly important in optical switching applications.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A MicroElectroMechanicalSystem comprising:
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a substrate having a substrate surface in a lateral plane;
a moveable electrode, the moveable electrode moving in a trajectory in a motion plane, the motion plane oriented approximately perpendicular to the substrate surface;
at least one fixed electrode to control movement of the moveable electrode in the motion plane, the fixed electrode having a top surface approximately parallel to the lateral plane of the substrate surface, at least ninety percent of the top surface of said fixed electrode extending beyond a surface covered by said moving electrode when said moving electrode moves in the motion plane to maximize contact with the substrate. - 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)
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25. A MicroElectroMechanicalSystem comprising:
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a substrate having a substrate surface in a lateral plane;
a moveable electrode, the moveable electrode moving in a trajectory in a motion plane, the motion plane oriented approximately perpendicular to the substrate surface;
at least one fixed electrode to control movement of the moveable electrode in the motion plane, the fixed electrode having a top surface approximately parallel to the lateral plane of the substrate surface, at least ninety percent of the top surface of said fixed electrode extending beyond a surface covered by said moving electrode when said moving electrode moves in the motion plane to maximize contact with the substrate, the moveable electrode includes a nonconducting central region, the fixed electrode positioned underneath said nonconducting central region such that when the fixed electrode moves into the lateral plane of the substrate, the nonconducting central region is positioned over the fixed electrode. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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29. A MicroElectroMechanical System comprising:
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a substrate having a substrate surface in a lateral plane;
a moveable electrode, the moveable electrode moving in a trajectory in a motion plane oriented approximately perpendicularly to the substrate surface; and
a fixed electrode to control movement of the moveable electrode in the motion plane, the fixed electrode positioned laterally, adjacent to the moveable electrode such that at least ninety percent of the fixed electrode extends beyond a surface covered by the moveable electrode when the moveable electrode moves in the motion plane to maximize contact with the substrate. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A MicroElectroMechanicalSystem comprising:
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a substrate having a substrate surface in a lateral plane;
a moveable electrode, the moveable electrode to move in a trajectory approximately perpendicular to the lateral plane of the substrate surface; and
a fixed electrode to control movement of the moveable electrode, the fixed electrode having a top surface approximately parallel to the lateral plane of the substrate surface, at least half of the top surface of said fixed electrode extending beyond a surface covered by said moving electrode when said moveable electrode is translated to the substrate surface, said translation along a line perpendicular to the substrate surface. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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Specification