ICMCTF1998 Session C1: Recent Advances in Optical Coating Materials

Monday, April 27, 1998 8:30 AM in Sunset Room

Monday Morning

Start	Invited?	Item
8:30 AM		C1-1 Plenary Lecture
8:50 AM	Invited	C1-2 Plenary Lecture
9:30 AM	Invited	C1-4 Plenary Lecture
10:10 AM		C1-6 Plenary Lecture
10:30 AM	Invited	C1-7 Fiber Optic IR Screen Projector R.C Dalbey (Naval Air Warfare Center)
11:10 AM	Invited	C1-9 Implementation of Micromirror Arrays as Optical Binary Switches and Amplitude Modulators E.S. Kolesar, P.B. Allen, J.W. Wilken (Texas Christian University) Five types of micromirror arrays have been fabricated using a polycrystalline silicon, microelectromechanical system (MEMS) surface-micromachining process. Although the micromirrors were fabricated through the DARPA-sponsored Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) Multi-User Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) ProcesS (MUMPS), the design features are applicable to other surface-micromachined fabrication technologies. The electrostatically deflectable micromirror designs include arrays of simple cantilevers, torsion beams, tethered beams, circular membranes, and oval membranes. The smallest micromirror element is the simple cantilever, measuring 50 microns square. The largest micromirror element is the oval membrane; it has an active optical surface that is 320 microns by 920 microns. Each of the other micromirror designs have similar gold-coated polysilicon optical surfaces with geometries between these two limits. Electrostaticaly-induced micromirror deflections on the order of 2.75 microns are achievable. The torsion beam micromirror design exhibits both in-plane and out-of-plane deflection. The other micromirror designs only manifest in-plane deflections. The following performance evaluation topics are reported for each micromirror design: i) DC threshold voltage required to induce observable deflection, ii) Maximum DC operating voltage, and iii) reliability (number of operational cycles) of each micromirror design when operated with a 60 Hz AC signal. The experimental evidence and potential for using the micromirrors as binary optical switches and amplitude modulators is addressed.