On the design and fabrication precision of Micro-Origami devices

Micro Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) technology is expanding the potential of device technologies in regard to fabrication methods as well as device performance. We proposed and successfully demonstrated a simple method named Micro-Origami to make self-positioning micro-machined three-dimensional structures by using the strain in a pair of lattice-mismatched GaAs/InGaAs epitaxial layers grown on GaAs substrates. Micro-Origami is expected to become a viable fundamental technique for developing MOEMS devices with complex three-dimensional structures. However, the precision of the three-dimensional structures fabricated by Micro-Origami is supposed to be strongly affected by the fabrication process, because of the self-positioning mechanism. In this paper, we report on the fabrication of a free-standing plate and a retro-reflector, as examples of Micro-Origami devices, and discuss the design and fabrication precision.