Mirror device with an anti-stiction layer

• US 8,134,772 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ignite USA (Ignite), Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Maeda, Yoshihiro, Ishii, Fusao, Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Ichikawa, Hirotoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lester, Evelyn A.
• Application Number:
  US12/151,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058247A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 359/223, 359/224, 359290-292, 359/295, 359/298, 359/318, 345/85, 345/108, 348/770, 348/771
• US Class Current: 359/290
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A micromirror device includes an elastic hinge for supporting a mirror on a substrate, and an address electrode for deflecting the mirror. The device further includes a protective layer and an oriented monolayer laid to cover a stopper also functioning as an address electrode provided below the mirror and between the mirror and the substrate.

Claims

1. A micromirror device comprising:

a mirror supported on a deformable elastic hinge for deflecting to different deflection angles to operate in at least an ON state for reflecting an incident light toward a projected light path and an OFF state for reflecting the incident light away from the projected light path,

an address electrode disposed on the substrate below the mirror for receiving a signal from a drive circuit for applying a voltage to deflect the mirror to different deflection angles;

an oriented monolayer composed of a fluorinated carbon number of 6 or less covering the address electrode disposed below the mirror adjacent to the deformable elastic hinge functioning as a stopper for contacting and stopping the mirror when the mirror is deflected to a maximum or a minimum deflection angle.

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

the driver circuit applies voltages to the address electrode to apply two different forces for deflecting the mirror in the ON state and in the OFF state.

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

the address electrode has a stopper portion for contacting and stopping the mirror wherein the stopper portion on the address electrode is closer to a deflection axis of the mirror than to a center of the address electrode.

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

the driver circuit further applies voltages to the address electrode when the mirror is deflected in a predetermined, deflection angle to change the deflection angle for operating the mirror in a zero deflection angle with the mirror substantially parallel to a top surface of the substrate.

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

the driver circuit further applies voltages to the address electrode when the mirror is deflected in a predetermined, deflection angle to reduce a force applies to the mirror.

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

the driver circuit further applies a maximum voltage equal to or less than 15 volts.

7. The micromirror device according to claim 1, wherein:

the oriented monolayer is composed of a mixture of two different molecules having different carbon numbers or different halogen numbers of oriented mono molecules.

8. TA projection device:

comprising;

a light source includes a semiconductor laser light source for projecting an incident light;

a mirror supported on a deformable elastic for deflecting to different deflection angles to operate in at least an ON state for reflecting the incident light toward a projected light path and an OFF state for reflecting the incident light away from the projected light path,

an address electrode disposed on the substrate below the mirror for receiving a signal from a drive circuit for applying a voltage to deflect the mirror to different deflection angles;

an oriented monolayer composed of a fluorinated carbon number of 6 or less covering the address electrode; and

the mirror is deflected to substantially symmetrical deflection angles on two opposite sides of a deflection axis when operated in the ON state and the OFF state.

9. A micromirror device:

comprising;

a mirror supported on a deformable elastic for deflecting to different deflection angles to operate in at least an ON state for reflecting the incident light toward a projected light path and an OFF state for reflecting the incident light away from the projected light path,

an address electrode disposed on the substrate below the mirror for receiving a signal from a drive circuit for applying a voltage to deflect the mirror to different deflection angles;

an oriented monolayer composed of a fluorinated carbon number of 6 or less covering the address electrode; and

the mirror is deflected to the ON state with a first relative deflection angle relative to a horizontal plane and the mirror is deflected to the OFF state with a second deflection angle relative the horizontal plane wherein the first relative deflection angle has a different absolute value than the second reflection deflection angle.

10. A micromirror device:

comprising;

a mirror supported on a deformable elastic for deflecting to different deflection angles to operate in at least an ON state for reflecting the incident light toward a projected light path and an OFF state for reflecting the incident light away from the projected light path,

an address electrode disposed on the substrate below the mirror for receiving a signal from a drive circuit for applying a voltage to deflect the mirror to different deflection angles;

an oriented monolayer composed of a fluorinated carbon number of 6 or less covering the address electrode; and

the address electrode further comprises a right address electrode and a left address electrode disposed on a right side and a left side of the deformable elastic hinge for contacting and stopping the mirror when the mirror is deflected to the ON state and the OFF state respectively wherein a top surface area of the right address electrode is different from a top surface area of the if address electrode.

11. A micromirror device:

comprising;

a mirror supported on a deformable elastic for deflecting to different deflection angles to operate in at least an ON state for reflecting the incident light toward a projected light path and an OFF state for reflecting the incident light away from the projected light path,

an address electrode disposed on the substrate below the mirror for receiving a signal from a drive circuit for applying a voltage to deflect the mirror to different deflection angles;

an oriented monolayer composed of a fluorinated carbon number of 6 or less covering the address electrode; and

the driver circuit further controls the mirror to operate in an oscillation state with the mirror oscillates between the ON state and the OFF state.