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Micromachined electrostatic vertical actuator
| Details |
Inventors: Lee, Abraham P.; Sommargren, Gary E.; McConaghy, Charles F.; Krulevitch, Peter A.;
Assignee: The Regents of the University of California (Oakland, CA)
Primary Examiner: Ben; Loha
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Carnahan; L. E.
A micromachined vertical actuator utilizing a levitational force, such as in electrostatic comb drives, provides vertical actuation that is relatively linear in actuation for control, and can be readily combined with parallel plate capacitive position sensing for position control. The micromachined electrostatic vertical actuator provides accurate movement in the sub-micron to micron ranges which is desirable in the phase modulation instrument, such as optical phase shifting. For example, compact, inexpensive, and position controllable micromirrors utilizing an electrostatic vertical actuator can replace the large, expensive, and difficult-to-maintain piezoelectric actuators. A thirty pound piezoelectric actuator with corner cube reflectors, as utilized in a phase shifting diffraction interferometer can be replaced with a micromirror and a lens. For any very precise and small amplitudes of motion` micromachined electrostatic actuation may be used because it is the most compact in size, with low power consumption and has more straightforward sensing and control options. |
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a micromachined vertical actuator.
A further object of the invention is to provide a micromachined electrostatic vertical actuator for optical phase shifting.
A further object of the invention is to provide a micromachined vertical actuator utilizing electrostatic actuation for producing very precise and small amplitudes of motion.
A further object of the invention is to provide a vertical actuator utilizing electrostatic actuation and which is compact in size, has low power consumption, and has straightforward sensing and control options.
Another object of the invention is to provide a micromachined electrostatic vertical actuator which utilizes the electrostatic levitation force to provide vertical actuation that is relatively linear in actuation for control, and can be integrated with parallel plate capacitive position sensing for position control.
Another object of the invention is to provide an electrostatic vertical actuator that enables accurate movement in sub-micron to micron ranges desirable in phase modulation instruments.
Another object of the invention is to provide electrostatic vertical actuators utilizing compact, inexpensive and position controllable micromirrors which can replace the large, expensive, and difficult to maintain piezoelectric actuators.
Another object of the invention is to replace a large (30 pound) piezoelectric actuator with corner cube reflectors of a phase shifting diffraction interferometer with a micromirror and a lens.
Another object of the invention is to provide a micromachined electrostatic vertical actuator for optical phase shifting applications, such as in Fabry-Perot interferometry or phase shifting-based interferometry.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.
Basically, the invention involves micromachining electrostatic vertical actuators for optical phase shifting applications
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