Micromachined mirror for an optical/IR scanner system

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) has spawned a new era in mechanical and electrical design. With the arrival of micromachining, mechanical and electrical components can co-exist on the same chip. Large, slow, power hungry macro sized transducers and actuators can now be replaced by very small, power, electrostatic devices. Optical technology has already recognized the benefits from MEMS. Examples include spatial light modulators for use in optical compouters, as well as optical logic functions and scanning devices for use in imaging. Q-DOT Photonics proposes to develop a micromachined scanning mirror for use in optical and infrared imaging. The mirror will provide a low power electrostatic scanning device compatible with CMOS processing. The micromachined mirror will be small enough (i.e., 30 um x 30 um) that it can e arrayed into a grid for multiple channels for scanning. Several prototype structures will be fabricated and tested during Phase I. This will provide a strong foundation for a full development effort in Phase II.