Micro mirror device

• US 7,755,830 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2009
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite USA (Ignite)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Naoya, Maeda, Yoshihiro, Ichikawa, Hirotoshi, Ishii, Fusao
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi; William C
• Application Number:
  US12/378,655
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 359/224.1, 359/290, 359/291, 359/295, 359/298
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B

Abstract

The present invention provides a mirror device, comprising: an electrode placed on a substrate; a memory circuit connected to the electrode; an elastic hinge disposed near said electrode and extending from said substrate for supporting a mirror above said electrode wherein said elastic hinge having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.

Claims

1. A mirror device, comprising:

an electrode placed on a substrate;

a memory circuit connected to the electrode;

an elastic hinge disposed near said electrode and extending from said substrate for supporting a mirror above said electrode wherein said elastic hinge having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance.

2. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the elastic hinge further comprises a silicon material containing at least an additive selected from materials consist of either a group-III atom or a group-V atom.

3. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the elastic hinge further comprises a silicon material containing an additive and having a resistance approximately 1 giga-ohms or less.

4. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the elastic hinge is formed by applying a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) fabrication process on said substrate.

5. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the elastic hinge further composed of a metallic material migrating from said electrode or mirror.

6. The mirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the elastic hinge has smaller cross-sectional area near said mirror than a cross sectional area of an opposite end near said substrate.