MOEMS applications at Sandia National Laboratories

MicroOptoElectroMechanical (MOEM) devices include both the application of micromechanics to control micro-optical systems and the application of micro-optical systems to provide monitoring and feedback for micromechanical systems. This paper presents microsystem applications at Sandia National Laboratories that require the integration of micromechanics with transmissive and reflective micro-optical systems to achieve specific functions. The goal of the presentation is to provide 'system pull' by discussing the enhanced functionality of MOEMS. In particular, this paper describes MOEM systems based on polycrystalline silicon sacrificial Surface MicroMachining (SMM) devices. In one example, an environmental sensor, a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) is assembled with an SMM device and an Application- Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) to achieve a specific function. The PIC is used to monitor the SMM device. The PIC output is processed by the ASIC to generate a specific signal. The second system illustrates the micromechanical control of an optical beam. This system consists of an SMM shutter device that has been post-processed using High Aspect Ratio Silicon Etching (HARSE) to accept a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL). Another system in the early stages of development is an SMM mechanical timer, which illustrates the need for the development of compact, multi-channel micro- optical monitoring technologies.