Abstract
The design and fabrication of an electrothermal MEMS actuation structure which is capable of producing large out-of-plane deflection is presented. The actuators are used to move a 1 mm2 mirror structure, where the large deflection allows one to achieve large beam steering angles. The electrothermal actuators are designed to operate via joule heating with a monolithically integrated heater. The proposed design was analyzed using finite element method simulation software (COMSOL 5.3a), to determine the thickness of each material layer, the initial out-of-plane upward deflections, the configuration of the heating element to achieve the desired actuation deformations, and the overall steady-state temperature distribution through the actuation structure due to Joule heating. Finally, the actuation assemblies were fabricated, released, tested and compared with our simulation results.
Highlights
Numerous researchers have invested time in the development of microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) micromirror structures which have the ability to deflect at large angles (>20°)
We present a surface micromachined large angle beam steering micromirror structure which enables tip, tilt, and piston motion so large beam steering arrays can be envisioned at angles >25°
The actuation system is comprised of four, individually controlled electrothermal actuators which are mechanically connected via a torsional spring assembly to a central platform as shown in
Summary
Numerous researchers have invested time in the development of microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) micromirror structures which have the ability to deflect at large angles (>20°). These large tip/tilt micromirrors are ideal for many applications to include microscopy, biomedical endoscopy, laser communication, and various other medical instrumentations [1–6], just to name a few. To achieved the desired high fill-factor (>95%), the electrothermal actuation system and the reflective micromirror, are fabricated separately and integrated together through flip chip bonding. The research presented in this paper is focused solely on the modeling, fabrication, and testing of the actuation assembly which enables the large angle beam steering
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