Mirror device, mirror array, optical switch, mirror device manufacturing method, and mirror substrate manufacturing method

• US 8,462,410 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Shimokawa, Fusao, Uchiyama, Shingo, Yamaguchi, Johji, Sato, Makoto, Sasakura, Kunihiko, Morita, Hirofumi, Inagaki, Shuichiro, Machida, Katsuyuki, Ishii, Hiromu, Murakami, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, James
• Application Number:
  US13/412,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20120162735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 3591981-1992, 359/200.6, 3592231-2262, 310/309
• US Class Current: 359/198.1
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/045 Optical switches
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2203/058 Rotation out of a plane parallel to the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/004 Angular deflection
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 3/0086 Electrical characteristics, e.g. reducing driving voltage, improving resistance to peak voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/0841 the reflecting element being moved or deformed by electrostatic means
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3518 the reflective optical element being an intrinsic part of a MEMS device, i.e. fabricated together with the MEMS device MEMS devices in general B81B; manufacture of MEM devices in general B81C; micromechanical devices controlling the direction of light G02B26/0833
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3556 NxM switch, i.e. regular arrays of switches elements of matrix type constellation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3584 constructional details of an associated actuator having a MEMS construction, i.e. constructed using semiconductor technology such as etching MEMS per se B81B, B81C
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49885 with coating before or during assembling

Abstract

A mirror device includes a mirror (153) which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate (151), a driving electrode (103-1-103-4) which is formed on an electrode substrate (101) facing the mirror substrate, and an antistatic structure (106) which is arranged in a space between the mirror and the electrode substrate. This structure can fix the potential of the lower surface of the mirror and suppress drift of the mirror by applying a second potential to the antistatic structure.

Claims

1. A mirror device comprising:

a mirror which is supported to be pivotable with respect to a mirror substrate;

a driving electrode which is formed on an electrode substrate facing said mirror substrate,

wherein said driving electrode is formed at an arbitrary position on said electrode substrate asymmetrically with respect to a pivot axis of said mirror projected onto said electrode substrate.

2. A mirror device according to claim 1, wherein said driving electrode is divided by a parting line parallel to the pivot axis of said mirror.

3. A mirror device according to claim 1, further comprising a substantially conical projecting portion which projects from said electrode substrate, wherein said driving electrode is formed on surfaces of said electrode substrate and said projecting portion.

4. A mirror device according to claim 3, wherein said projecting portion is formed at an arbitrary position on said electrode substrate asymmetrically with respect to a pivot axis of said mirror projected onto said electrode substrate.