Electrostatic comb actuator
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electrostatic comb actuator comprising:
- a substrate;
a stator electrode including a stator finger extending from the substrate; and
a rotor electrode pivotally mounted over the substrate for rotation about a first axis parallel to the substrate upon applying a voltage between the rotor and the stator electrodes, the rotor electrode includingan anchor wall running parallel to the first axis at a first distance therefrom, anda rotor finger extending from the anchor wall toward the first axis for a second distance smaller than the first distance,wherein the stator finger is disposed closer to the first axis than the anchor wall, to enable the rotor finger to rotate about the first axis without the stator finger contacting the anchor wall.
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Abstract
An electrostatic comb actuator having reduced in-plane rotation of a tiltable element is disclosed. The actuator has a stator comb electrode and a tiltable rotor comb electrode. The rotor comb electrode fingers extend from an anchor wall running parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor at a first distance from the axis of rotation. The rotor comb electrode fingers extend towards the axis of rotation for a length that is smaller than the first distance. The stator electrodes are shifted towards the axis of rotation, so that the stator electrode fingers are only partially overlapping with the rotor electrodes fingers.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An electrostatic comb actuator comprising:
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a substrate; a stator electrode including a stator finger extending from the substrate; and a rotor electrode pivotally mounted over the substrate for rotation about a first axis parallel to the substrate upon applying a voltage between the rotor and the stator electrodes, the rotor electrode including an anchor wall running parallel to the first axis at a first distance therefrom, and a rotor finger extending from the anchor wall toward the first axis for a second distance smaller than the first distance, wherein the stator finger is disposed closer to the first axis than the anchor wall, to enable the rotor finger to rotate about the first axis without the stator finger contacting the anchor wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An electrostatic comb actuator comprising:
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a substrate; a tiltable platform pivotally mounted over the substrate for tilting about a first axis parallel to the substrate, the tiltable platform comprising; a hinge mounted on the substrate for tilting the tiltable platform about the first axis, a support beam extending from the hinge substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and an anchor wall extending from the support beam, the anchor wall running parallel to the first axis at a first distance therefrom; a stator electrode having a stator finger extending from the substrate toward the tiltable platform; and a rotor electrode having a rotor finger extending from the anchor wall toward the first axis for a second distance smaller than the first distance, wherein the tiltable platform is pivotally mounted for rotation upon applying a voltage between the stator and the rotor electrodes, and wherein the stator finger is disposed closer to the first axis than the anchor wall, so as to leave a horizontal clearance between the stator finger and the anchor wall to enable rotation therebetween. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification