Accurately estimating the scanning angle of an electrostatic MEMS mirror with a novel damping model

Abstract

A novel damping model to accurately analyze the scanning angle of electrostatic microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors is proposed in this article. The computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations are used to calculate the aerodynamic moment of the MEMS mirror oscillating in air. The simulation results demonstrate the linear dependence of the equivalent damping coefficient of the MEMS mirror on the oscillation amplitude and frequency. Then the equivalent damping expression of the MEMS mirror is established. The damping model is applied to the dynamic equation of the MEMS mirror for numerical solution. The frequency responses of the electrostatic MEMS mirror under square wave excitation with different voltage amplitudes and duty cycles are obtained. The measurement results provide good accuracy verification for numerical results. This verifies the accuracy of the proposed damping model, which can be used to accurately estimate the scanning angle in the design and parameter optimization process of electrostatic MEMS mirrors.