MEMS microshutter arrays for James Webb Space Telescope

MEMS microshutter arrays (MSAs) are being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for use as an aperture array for the Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NirSpec). The instruments will be carried on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the next generation of space telescope after Hubble Space Telescope retires. The microshutter arrays are designed for the selective transmission of light with high efficiency and high contrast. Arrays are close-packed silicon nitride membranes with a pixel size of 105x204 μm. Individual shutters are patterned with a torsion flexure permitting shutters to open 90 degrees with a minimized mechanical stress concentration. Light shields are made on each shutter for light leak prevention to enhance optical contrast. Shutters are actuated magnetically, latched and addressed electrostatically. The shutter arrays are fabricated using MEMS technologies. Single-side indium flip chip bonding is performed to attach microshutter arrays to substrates.

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