Extreme angle, tip-tilt MEMS micromirror enabling full hemispheric, quasi-static optical coverage.

Abstract

Beam steering is essential for a variety of optical applications such as communication, LIDAR, and imaging. Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mirrors are an effective method of achieving modest speeds and angular range at low cost. Typically there are a number of tradeoffs considered when designing a tip-tilt mirror, such as tilt angle and speed. For example, many mirrors are designed to scan at their resonant frequency to achieve large angles. This is effective for a scanning mode; however, this makes the device slow and ineffective as a galvo (quasi-static). Here, we present a magnetic MEMS mirror with extreme quasi-static mechanical tilt angles of ±60° (±120° optical) about two rotation axes. This micromirror enables full hemispheric optical coverage without compromising speed; settling in 4.5 ms using advanced drive techniques. This mirror will enable new applications for MEMS micromirrors previously thought impossible due to their limited angular range and speed.