MEMS Chopper
The video shows a MEMS chopper fabricated in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) which has been etched from both front and rear surfaces using the SOIMUMPs foundry process. The chopper can be used to intensity modulate a light beam mechanically to assist with high accuracy optical measurements. Such choppers are normally used in conjunction with a lock-in-amplifier.
MEMS Latching Fibre Aligner
The latching fibre aligner has been fabricated in front-etched silicon-on-insulator (SOI). The mechanism shown comprises a thermal microactuator which generates enough force to push a standard single mode optical fibre, together with a thermally actuated latching structure which can be used to mechanically hold the optical fibre at the desired location once the actuation energy is removed.
MEMS Micromirrors
The pair of micromirrors shown are fabricated by surfacing micromachining, using the PolyMUMPs foundry process. The micromirrors are driven by scratch drive actuators, which are electrostatically actuated. The microactuators can pull the micromirrors from horizontal orientation to vertical orientation.
MEMS Scanner
The optical scanner shown is fabricated using the SOIMUMPs process. The gold-coated mirror surface is supported by four electrothermal microactuators which can be actuated independently. Scanning action is achieved by supplying an a.c. current to one electrothermal actuator.
MEMS Microswitch
The microswitch shown is fabricated in polysilicon using the PolyMUMPS foundry process. The thermally actuated inclined beam microactuators are connected to a shuttle which makes and breaks the electrical contact between the strip electrodes. Devices of this generic design can be used across a broad range of electrical frequencies from near DC to microwave.