The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 06, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 04, 2002
Edward Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Ramaswamy Mahadevan, Chapel Hill, NC (US);
Vijayakumar Rudrappa Dhuler, Raleigh, NC (US);
Robert Wood, Cary, NC (US);
JDS Uniphase Corporation, San Jose, CA (US);
Abstract
A micro-electro-mechanical device designed such that the actuating means are only mechanically coupled to the optical components. The device includes a substrate, a mirror supported above the substrate, and a rotatory actuator also supported above the substrate. The mirror and actuator are mechanically coupled via a torsional coupling hinge such that the mirror can be angled and/or tilted by electrostatically driving the rotatory actuator. Advantageously, the micro-mirrors and actuator are fabricated from the same layer during the micro-machining fabrication process. In one embodiment, the mirror is rotatable about a fixed rotation axis. In another embodiment, the mirror is freely rotatable.