Electrostatic MEMS chopper for uncooled IR detectors

David Edward Dausch; Scott H. Goodwin-Johansson

doi:10.1117/12.451191

23 January 2003 Electrostatic MEMS chopper for uncooled IR detectors

David Edward Dausch, Scott H. Goodwin-Johansson

Proceedings Volume 4820, Infrared Technology and Applications XXVIII; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.451191
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2002, Seattle, WA, United States

Abstract

An electrostatic MEMS actuator, known as the "Artificial Eyelid," can be used as a micromechanical chopper for uncooled IR detectors such as pyroelectrics and microbolometers. These flexible film actuators act as tightly curled shutters, providing transmission of IR radiation to the sensor elements when open and reflection of the IR when closed. The actuator structure consists of a curled polymer/metal film stack which is microfabricated and released from an IR transparent substrate. The film stack is uncurled by applying an electric field between the curled film and the transparent fixed electrode on the substrate. Devices produced to date have ranged in size from 50 microns to 2 mm on a side and can be fabricated in array form to chop the IR signal for a FPA. Recently, 4 x 4 mm arrays with actuator elements ranging in size from 250 x 600 microns to 600 x 1000 microns have been fabricated with 95-100% of the elements functioning at 150-280 V. Current status of the development of these actuators and testing of micromechanical chopper arrays will be discussed.

Citation Download Citation

David Edward Dausch and Scott H. Goodwin-Johansson "Electrostatic MEMS chopper for uncooled IR detectors", Proc. SPIE 4820, Infrared Technology and Applications XXVIII, (23 January 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.451191

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