Np Photonics, Inc.

Parvenu, Inc.

Thomas S Tyrie

Michael J Little

William P Eaton

John Jeffrey Lyon

Ravi Verma

Ping Li

Harry Melkonian

Ron Pollock

The present invention provides a compliant mechanism that can be used to make a variety of devices, such as tunable optical devices, that are more reliable, more cost effective, and/or exhibit better performance than prior art devices. In one embodiment, the complaint mechanism includes an island that is suspended from a frame using a compliant member that is attached to the frame and the island. Individual actuators and/or sensor elements may be placed on the island, so that each island may be individually actuated or sensed.

Compliant mechanism and method of forming same

The present invention provides method of making mechanisms in which the relative locations of elements are maintained during manufacturing. The methods according to the present invention can be used to make a variety of devices, including tunable optical devices. The methods include displaceably attaching an island (support) to a frame with a non-rigid material.

Methods of making mechanisms in which relative locations of elements are maintained during manufacturing

The present invention provides a compliant mechanism that can be used to make a variety of devices, such as tunable optical devices that are more reliable, more cost effective and/or exhibit better performance than prior art devices.

A cost-effective broadband tunable Fabry-Perot interferometer uses entropic, rather than enthalpic, materials to provide the compliant support for the interferometer's movable mirror. Entropic materials exhibit an entropic plateau region over a wide frequency range with a Young's modulus much lower than enthalpic materials, linear elastic behavior over a wide deformation range, and, in certain geometries, energy and stress behavior that tend to stabilize the movable mirror during deformation. The compliant support can be configured in a variety of geometries including compression, tension, sheer and diaphragm and of a variety of materials including elastomers, aerogels or other long chained polymers.

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Oak Park, CA, United States of America

Thomas S Tyrie