Investigating the thermal response of a micro-optical shutter

The thermal analysis of a fully integrated micro-switch for surety applications will be presented. Specifically, this study focuses on the temperature increase of a micromachined optical shutter with spot heating from a solid-state laser. To analyze the shutter response, a "design-to-analysis" interface has been developed that generates an accurate three-dimensional (3-D) solid geometry from the two-dimensional (2-D) mask layout. By building the "design-to-analysis" interface, engineers can use this solid modeler to virtually prototype and verify a design, and to simulate the performance of micro-devices before fabrication. To determine the effects of thermal conductivity and contact resistance on the thermal response of this passively cooled device, a sensitivity study is also performed.