Umachines, Inc.

University of California

California Institute of Technology

Tom Tsao

Yu-Chong Tai

Fukang Jiang

Chen-Wei Chiu

Chih-Ming Ho

Aramais Avakian

Amish Desai

Denny K Miu

Chang Liu

Jeff Dickson

Raanan Miller

Jeremy Tzong-Shyng Leu

A method for fabricating a module for at least partially intercepting a light beam propagating along a beam path includes providing a single crystal silicon substrate with a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface. The method further includes forming a reflector support layer on the first substrate surface. The method further includes forming a support frame and at least one reflector by etching the substrate from the second substrate surface. The method further includes forming at least one electrical conduit on the reflector support layer. The method further includes forming a reflector support by etching the reflector support layer from the first substrate surface, the reflector support mechanically coupled to the support frame and the reflector, the reflector support movable such that the reflector is movable substantially perpendicularly to the first substrate surface.

Method of fabricating micromachined devices

An apparatus at least partially intercepts a plurality of light beams propagating along a respective plurality of beam paths. The apparatus includes a single crystal silicon substrate and an array including a plurality of modules. Each module includes a reflector comprising single crystal silicon and a reflector surface lying in a reflector plane substantially perpendicular to the substrate surface. Each module further includes a reflector support which mounts the reflector to move substantially within the reflector plane with a displacement component along the surface normal direction of the substrate surface. Each module further includes a reflector driver responsive to electrical current to selectively move the reflector between a first position and a second position.

Silicon micromachined optical device

A surface micromachined micromagnetic actuator is provided with a flap capable of achieving large deflections above 100 microns using magnetic force as the actuating force. The flap is coupled by one or more beams to a substrate and is cantilevered over the substrate. A Permalloy layer or a magnetic coil is disposed on the flap such that when the flap is placed in a magnetic field, it can be caused to selectively interact and rotate out of the plane of the magnetic actuator. The cantilevered flap is released from the underlying substrate by etching out an underlying sacrificial layer disposed between the flap and the substrate. The etched out and now cantilevered flap is magnetically actuated to maintain it out of contact with the substrate while the just etched device is dried in order to obtain high release yields.

Electromagnetically actuated micromachined flap

Growing community of inventors

Pasadena, CA, United States of America

Tom Tsao