Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E.V.

Michael Stolz

Holger Conrad

Sergiu Langa

Harald Schenk

Bert Kaiser

Matthieu Gaudet

Klaus Schimmanz

A micromechanical device with electrostatically caused deflection by a plate capacitor extending along and spaced apart from the neutral fiber of the deflectable element is improved with regard to its manufacturing complexity and/or with regard to its operating characteristics, such as, for example, maximum voltage applicable or deflectability, by using a continuous insulation layer between the distal and proximal electrodes of the plate capacitor, or else the proximal electrode is structured so as to have gaps at the segment boundaries where the distal electrode is mechanically fixed so as to be laterally spaced apart from the distal electrode. Both procedures avoid the problems of generating a roughness of the surface of the proximal electrode facing the distal electrode, as would otherwise be necessitated by etching an insulation layer for providing spacers between the distal and proximal electrodes at the segment boundaries.

Electrostatically deflectable micromechanical device

Micromechanical devices include actively deflectable elements. The activation is performed by a layer stack which causes the deflection responsive to attractive forces acting upon the layers of the layer stack.

Micromechanical device with an actively deflectable element

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Cottbus, Germany

Michael Stolz