Electrostatically Actuated 2D MEMS Micro-Mirror

Electrostatically actuated MicroElectroMechanicalSystems (MEMS) based micro-mirror is a fundamental building block for a variety of optical network applications, such as optical wavelength-selective switching, add/drop multiplexing, and optical cross-connecting. A two-dimensional (2D) micro-mirror functioning with a flexible secondary tilting that is perpendicular to the traditional one-dimensional (1D) tilting offers tremendous value for the network designers.;The prototype device was fabricated using a standard surface micromachining MEMS process through the CMC Microsystems. A differential driving circuit was also designed for the testing purpose. The static and dynamic performances of the device were characterized and the experimental results were also discussed in the thesis.;This thesis reports on the design, analysis and testing of a 2D electrostatically actuated torsional MEMS micro-mirror. The micro-mirror consists of a traditional gimbal structure allowing steering actions in two orthogonal directions. The device includes two sets of torsion hinges and four independent control electrodes. Electrostatic actuation has been chosen as actuation mechanism because of its inherent design simplicity, fast response, ability to achieve rotary motion and low power consumption. Stability of 2D micro-mirror defines the scanning range of the micro-mirror in both directions. The stability performance of the 2D micro-mirror was studied. The characteristics of the device were modeled theoretically and the equations describing device behaviors were validated using numerical mathematical software Mathematica. Key structure performances were simulated by coupled field electrostatic and structural analysis using Finite Element Analysis (PEA) multi-physics modeling tools COMSOL and ANSYS.