Combined polarizing interferometer and optical beam deflection system for MEMS characterization

A potential application for ferroelectric thin films is micro positioning and actuation, as in MEMS devices. The amount of actuation possible is determined by a number of factors: the piezoelectric coefficient d31, geometric factors and the compliance of both the actuator and cantilever and the electric field across the film. It is important for their realization as devices in applications that these micro-actuators are characterized. One such means is to use optical beam deflection (OBD). However, whilst extremely simple to implement, optical beam deflection does not provide an absolute measure of displacement. For absolute displacement measurement, with directional determination, a dual-beam normal incidence polarization interferometer is required. Based upon an interferometer developed in our laboratory to measure the flying height or head-disk spacing in a hard disk drive, an optical system is proposed which enables both an OBD and a polarization interferometer to be combined in one compact system. Details of both systems and are presented and the combined system described.