Design of Mechanically-Latched Micromirror Arrays

This paper describes the design of silicon surface micromachined mirrors that were conceived for operation as part of an extremely large array of mirrors. Such an array has direct application to space-based imaging. For example, in certain spectrometer instrument applications an array of micromirrors is needed to optically switch selected portions of an incoming signal. The mirror array is used to direct selected portions of the signal into the instrument for spectrographic analysis. One technique used to address mirror elements within a large array requires that individual mirror elements can be mechanically latched. This paper will describe the design of a silicon surface micromachined micromirror device with a latching mechanism positioned entirely beneath and within the perimeter of the mirror element.Copyright © 2002 by ASME