A modular custom aperture technology for optimization of MEMS scanners

In this work a MEMS based, customizable aperture size, beam steering technology is demonstrated. Sets of electrostatic actuators optimized for speed, angle, area footprint or resonant driving are designed and realized in a self-aligned DRIE fabrication process. Scanning mirrors exhibiting fast point-to-point, or resonant, scanning speeds and high resolution are critical elements in a diverse; range of application areas including: optical communications, medical imaging, adaptive optics, LIDAR systems and displays. In most cases, designers trade off among three primary parameters: speed, aperture size, and angle. A given set of design trade offs may be possible in a specialized MEMS technology, however, this same set of trade offs will most likely not satisfy the requirements for other applications. A modular approach to MEMS scanner design is required in order to effectively address this problem. Namely, the system designer would ideally want to choose from a set of available actuators and mirrors to attain a desired parameter space for their application