Mirror device comprising drive electrode equipped with stopper function
First Claim
1. A mirror device comprising a plurality of deflectable mirrors each supported on a elastic hinge formed on a substrate with an electrode disposed near said hinge for applying a voltage thereon to control the mirror to deflect to a range of deflecting angles, wherein:
- the electrode has an non-rectangular shape formed on a top surface of said substrate with an outer edge extends approximately in parallel to mirror edge wherein the electrode further comprises an intersecting edge intersecting said outer edge, and the intersecting edge is substantially parallel to a deflection axis of the deflectable mirror; and
the electrode further contacts and stops the deflectable mirror when the deflectable mirror is deflected to a maximum deflection angle wherein the electrode is further covered by an insulation layer composed of an etchant resistant material to function as an electrode protective film from an etching process in forming the electrode.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a mirror device, comprising: a plurality of deflectable mirrors; an elastic member for supporting the mirror and to deflect the mirror to a range of deflecting angles; a drive electrode for driving the mirror; a control circuit for giving electric charge to the drive electrode and controlling the deflecting direction of the mirror; and a substrate on which the drive electrode and the elastic member, wherein the drive electrode is placed within an area on the substrate the mirror is projected on, has an outer form constituted by sides approximately in parallel to the outer peripheral lines of the present mirror and by sides approximately parallel to the deflection axis of the present mirror, or a form obtained by dividing the aforementioned outer form into a plurality thereof, and also fills the role of a stopper for regulating the deflection angle of the mirror.
16 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A mirror device comprising a plurality of deflectable mirrors each supported on a elastic hinge formed on a substrate with an electrode disposed near said hinge for applying a voltage thereon to control the mirror to deflect to a range of deflecting angles, wherein:
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the electrode has an non-rectangular shape formed on a top surface of said substrate with an outer edge extends approximately in parallel to mirror edge wherein the electrode further comprises an intersecting edge intersecting said outer edge, and the intersecting edge is substantially parallel to a deflection axis of the deflectable mirror; and the electrode further contacts and stops the deflectable mirror when the deflectable mirror is deflected to a maximum deflection angle wherein the electrode is further covered by an insulation layer composed of an etchant resistant material to function as an electrode protective film from an etching process in forming the electrode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A projection apparatus, comprising:
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a light source; an illumination optical system for condensing and directing an illumination light emitted from the light source; a mirror device;
comprising an array of mirror elements;
each having a deflectable mirror for modulating the illumination light emitted from the light source; anda projection optical system for projecting the light modulated by the mirror device, wherein each of the mirror elements includes a drive electrode for driving the deflectable mirror, wherein the electrode formed on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate and covered by an insulation layer composed of an etchant resistant material to function as an electrode protective film from an etching process in forming the electrode wherein the electrode further contacts and stops the deflectable mirror at a maximum deflection angle and wherein the maximum deflection angle of the mirror is adjustable by changing a configuration including a height, shape and location of the electrode in each of the mirror elements by taking into account an aperture ratio of the projection optical system. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A projection apparatus, comprising:
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a light source; an illumination optical system for condensing and directing an illumination light emitted from the light source; a mirror device comprising an array of mirror elements each having a deflectable mirror for modulating the illumination light emitted from the light source; and a projection optical system for projecting the light modulated by the mirror device, wherein each of the mirror elements includes a drive electrode for driving the deflectable mirror wherein the electrode is formed on a top surface of a semiconductor substrate and covered by an insulation layer composed of an etchant resistant material to function as an electrode protective film from an etching process in forming the electrode wherein the electrode further contacts and stops the deflectable mirror at a maximum deflection angle and wherein the maximum deflection angle is adjustable by changing a configuration including a height, shape and location of the electrode in each of the mirror elements for achieving a target resolution.
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Specification