We present the design and system integration of a hybrid MEMS scanning mirror (MSM) array developed for real-time three-dimensional imaging with a panoramic optical field of view (FOV) of 360 deg × 60 deg (horizontal × vertical). The pulsed time-of-flight light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system targets a distance measurement range of 100 m with a video-like frame rate of 10 Hz. The fast vertical scan axis is realized by a synchronous scanning MSM array with large receiver aperture. It increases the scanning rate to 3200 Hz, which is four times faster in comparison with state-of-the-art fast macroscopic polygon scanning systems used in current LiDAR systems. A hybrid assembly of frequency selected scanner elements was chosen instead of a monolithic MEMS array to guaranty high yield of MEMS fabrication and a synchronous operation of all resonant MEMS elements at 1600 Hz with large FOV of 60 deg. The hybrid MSM array consists of a separate emitting mirror for laser scanning of the target and 22 reception elements resulting in a large reception aperture of Deff = 23 mm. All MSM are driven in parametric resonance to enable a fully synchronized operation of all individual MEMS scanner elements. Therefore, piezoresistive position sensors are integrated inside the MEMS chip, used for position feedback of the driving control. We focus on the MEMS system integration including the microassembly of multiple MEMS scanning elements using micromechanical self-alignment. We present technical details to meet the narrow tolerance budgets for (i) microassembly and (ii) synchronous driving of multiple MEMS scanner elements.
This article presents the design and system integration of a hybrid MEMS scanner array (MSM) developed for a real time 3D imaging with a panoramic optical field of view (FOV) of 360° × 60° (horizontal × vertical). The pulsed ToF LiDAR system targets on a distance measurement range of 100 m with a video-like frame rate of 10 Hz. The fast vertical scan axis is realized by a synchronous scanning MSM array with large receiver aperture. It increases the scanning rate to 3200 Hz, which is four times faster in comparison to state-of-the-art fast macroscopic polygon scanning systems used in actual LIDAR systems. A hybrid assembly of frequency selected scanner elements was chosen instead of a monolithic MEMS array to guaranty high yield of MEMS fabrication and a synchronous operation of all resonant MEMS elements at 1600 Hz with large FOV of 60°. The hybrid MSM array consists of a separate emitting mirror for laser scanning of the target and 22 reception elements resulting in a large reception aperture of Deff = 23mm. All MSM are driven in parametric resonance to enable a fully synchronized operation of all individual MEMS scanner elements. Therefore, piezo-resistive position sensors are integrated inside the MEMS chip used for position feedback of driving control. The paper focus on the MEMS system integration including the synchronized operation of multiple MEMS scanning elements. It presents technical details to meet the narrow tolerance budgets for (i) micro assembly and (ii) synchronous driving of multiple MEMS scanner elements.
This paper presents a large aperture micro scanning mirror (MSM) array especially developed for the novel 3D-laser
camera Fovea3D. This 3D-camera uses a pulsed ToF technique with 1MVoxel distance measuring rate and targets for a
large measurement range of 30…100m and FOV of 120°x60° at video like frame rates. To guarantee a large reception
aperture of ≥ 20mm, large FOV and 3200 Hz bi-directional scanning frequency at the same time, a hybrid assembled
MSM array was developed consisting of 22 reception mirrors and a separate sending mirror. A hybrid assembly of
frequency selected scanner elements and a driving in parametric resonance were chosen to enable a fully synchronized
operation of all scanner elements. For position feedback piezo-resistive position sensors are integrated on each MEMS
chip. The paper discusses details of the MEMS system integration including the synchronized operation of multiple
scanning elements.
For MOEMS devices which do not have intrinsic on-chip feedback, position information can be provided with optical
methods, most simply by using a reflection from the backside of a MOEMS scanner. Measurement of timing signals
using fast differential photodiodes can be used for resonant scanner mirrors performing sinusoidal motion with large
amplitude. While this approach provides excellent accuracy it cannot be directly extended to arbitrary trajectories or
static deflection angles. Another approach is based on the measurement of the position of the reflected laser beam with a
quadrant diode. In this work, we present position sensing devices based on either principle and compare both approaches
showing first experimental results from the implemented devices
A Scan Head package including two 1D resonant electrostatic driven micro scanning mirrors with piezoresistive
position detection was developed. The scanning frequency of the slow and the fast axis is 100Hz and 29,05kHz,
allowing WVGA-resolution. Thereby the Scan Head design reduces vertical distortion strongly and can potentially
be assembled automatically. In addition FPGA based video processing electronic was developed to improve
the sorting of the picture information corresponding to the Lissajous figure with the objective of high picture
contrast and a homogeneous brightness.
We have developed compact devices to control electrostatically driven resonant micromirrors with one and two axes. For stable oscillation with large amplitude, operation close to resonance must be ensured under varying environmental conditions. Our devices feature optical position sensing and driver electronics with closed loop control. In this contribution, we present in much detail the novel two-dimensional device and highlight specific aspects of this system.
We have developed compact devices comprising optical position sensing and driver electronics with closed loop control,
capable of driving resonant 1D- and 2D-MOEMS scanner mirrors. Position encoding is realized by measuring a laser
beam reflected from the backside of the mirror. In the 2D-device we use cylindrical mirrors in order to suppress the
deflection of the orthogonal dimension. This reduces the problem to the control of two independent 1D-oscillations and
allows accurate position sensing. The phase between the oscillations of the two orthogonal axes is actively controlled to
achieve a stable Lissajous figure. In this contribution we also demonstrate that this approach is scalable for
synchronization of separate MEMS mirrors.
Resonantly driven oscillating MOEMS mirrors have many applications in the fields of optics, telecommunication and
spectroscopy. Assuring stable resonant oscillation with well controlled amplitude under varying environmental
conditions is a complex task, which can impede or retard incorporation of such MOEMS mirrors in large systems. For
this we have developed compact modules comprising optical position sensing and driver electronics with closed loop
control, which can ensure stable resonant operation of 1D and 2D micro-mirrors. In this contribution we present in much
detail the position encoding and feedback scheme, and show very first experimental results with the novel 2D device.
In this article we present a new large aperture 1D-MEMS scanner module especially designed for laser radar systems.
The scanner module has a resonance frequency of 250 Hz and optical scan range of 60°. It comprises of two separate
scanning channels: (a) a single scanning mirror of the collimated transmitted beam oscillates parallel to (b) a scanning
mirror array of the receiver optics. The receiver optics use a synchronized array of 2 × 7 identical mirror elements, each
with 2.51× 9.51 mm2 per single mirror element, resulting in a total aperture of 334 mm2 and filling factor of 80 %. We
discuss in detail the system integration of the MEMS components including packaging and synchronized operation of all
scanner elements to guaranty a large aperture of the LIDAR receiver optics. In addition the paper includes a conceptual
discussion of optical design and expected S/N ratio and measurement range of final LIDAR system. It will be shown that
the presented new concept of MEMS based LIDAR system can realize also high accuracy of the distance measurement
similar to state of the art TOF-LIDAR scanners enabling a new generation of miniaturized, robust and potentially costefficient
LIDAR systems due to the MEMS technology.
Traditional laser scanners for 3D distance measurement involve expensive, heavy, (potentially) slow rotating mirrors for
light deflection of the scanning TOF (time of flight) distance measurement, not suitable for compact, robust and highly
portable LIDAR system. On the other hand MEMS scanners are limited to small apertures not suitable for a precise TOF
measurement. To overcome this problem Fraunhofer IPMS presents a large aperture 1D-MEMS scanner array especially
designed for LIDAR applications. It is composed of 2 × 7 silicon mirror elements each having an identical design with
comparatively large aperture of 2.51 × 9.51mm2 and ±30° optical scan range. All mirrors are driven electrostatically
resonant with identical frequency close to design frequency of 250 Hz. By driving control all single scanner elements are
synchronized to identical phase and amplitude in respect to a master scanner. This results in a large effective scanner
aperture of 334 mm2 for the receiver optics and a filling factor of 80 %. To guarantee the synchronized operation the
paper discusses in detail the scanner design to enable a sufficiently large frequency bandwidth of all scanner elements to
the compensate frequency tolerances caused by fabrication and packaging. In comparison to LIDAR systems with
conventional scanner components, the large aperture 1D-MEMS scanner array enables 3D-LIDAR systems to become
significantly smaller, more robust and (potentially) less expensive, also higher scan rates can be realized without
additional efforts (e.g. no air bearings are needed).
Resonantly driven oscillating MOEMS mirrors are used in various fields in optics, telecommunications and
spectroscopy. One of the important challenges in this context is to assure stable resonant oscillation with well controlled
amplitude under varying environmental conditions. For this reason, we developed a compact device comprising a
resonant MOEMS micro-mirror, optical position sensing, and driver electronics, with closed loop control, which ensures
operation close to the mirror resonance. In this contribution we present this device and show experimental results with a
23 kHz MOEMS mirror, which demonstrate its capabilities and limitations.
In order to demonstrate and to quantitatively evaluate the wavefront correction capabilities of a spatial light modulator
(SLM) for optical imaging enhancement in Adaptive Optics (AO) a compact and flexible demonstration system and test
bed has been developed. It basically consists of a projection system, where image objects of different complexity and
spatial resolution can be implemented and imaged through Adaptive Optics onto a CCD camera. Furthermore, static and
dynamic wavefront errors of different severeness can be introduced by means of fixed and rotating phase plates. With
this system for the first time the optical performance of the Fraunhofer IPMS 240 × 200 micro mirror SLM for highresolution
wavefront control has been characterized. For an incoherent or partially coherent imaging as employed in this
case the image quality normally is assessed in terms of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). Therefore, a
quantitative evaluation has been carried out by measuring the system MTF including the SLM for a number of spatial
frequencies as well as for a variety of different complex aberrations without and with applied correction. Besides a
description of the system set-up the obtained results on the imaging improvement and MTF measurement are presented.
The MEMS Phase Former Kit developed by the Fraunhofer IPMS is a complete Spatial Light Modulator system based on a piston-type Micro Mirror Array (MMA) for the use in high-resolution, high-speed optical phase control. It has been designed for an easy system integration into an user-specific environment to offer a platform for first practical investigations to open up new applications in Adaptive Optics. The key component is a fine segmented 240 x 200 array of 40 μm piston-type mirror elements capable of 400 nm analog deflection for a 2pi phase modulation in the visible. Each mirror can be addressed and deflected independently by means of an integrated CMOS backplane address circuitry at an 8bit height resolution. Full user programmability and control is provided by a newly developed comfortable driver software for Windows XP based PCs supporting both a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for stand-alone operation with pre-defined data patterns as well as an open ActiveX programming interface for a closed-loop operation with real-time data from an external source. An IEEE1394a FireWire interface is used for high-speed data communication with an electronic driving board performing the actual MMA programming and control allowing for an overall frame rate of up to 500 Hz. Successful proof-of-concept demonstrations already have been given for eye aberration correction in ophthalmology, for error compensation of leightweight primary mirrors of future space telescopes and for ultra-short laser pulse shaping. Besides a presentation of the basic device concept and system architecture the paper will give an overview of the obtained results from these applications.
For the correction of the human eye´s higher order aberrations in vision science we developed a new micromirror device with an monolithically integrated active CMOS address matrix providing a fine segmented array of 240 × 200 mirror elements across an active area of 9.8 × 8.0 mm2. The micromirrors possess a piston-type architecture for a pure phase shifting capability and are fabricated by means of aluminum surface-micromachining. Using a basic pixel size of 40 × 40 μm2 a mechanical stroke of at least 450 nm is obtained at address voltages below 30V, which is suitable for both active matrix addressing and a modulo 2π phase correction in the visible. Furthermore, an active CMOS address matrix similar to a DRAM was developed providing one switching transistor and one storage capacitor for each mirror cell. Those devices were fabricated within a special high voltage CMOS process providing a full analog address capability of up to 30V at an 8 bit resolution defined by the external driving board. Using interferometric surface profile and laser vibrometer measurements we will present latest experimental results of the mirrors’ electromechanical properties. For the first time those micromirror devices now also have been implemented into an ophthalmic diagnosis system for the measurement and correction of the human eye’s wave aberrations. Therefore, first results of the obtained aberration reduction as well as the impact on vision enhancement will be presented.
For an enhanced wavefront correction in Adaptive Optics especially in the case of high-order aberrations we developed a new monolithic integrated micromirror device providing a dense array of 240 x 200 piston-type mirror elements on top of an active CMOS address matrix for a closer wavefront approximation. After an analytical and numerical modeling the micromirrors were designed and fabricated by means of aluminum surface-micromachining. Using a basic pixel size of 40 x 40 micrometers 2 a mechanical stroke of at least 450 nm could be achieved at address voltages below 30V, which is suitable for both active matrix addressing and a phase correction modulo 2p in the visible. This also includes the option of an incremental increase of the actual mirror size in units of the address grid in order to allow for an extended analog deflection range. Furthermore, we designed and fabricated an active address matrix using a special high voltage CMOS process providing a full analog capability for address voltages up to 35V. Thereby, also a special light shielding as well as chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) for a high surface planarization have been incorporated. The completed devices were experimentally characterized by surface profile measurements using white light interferometry. After determining the deflection characteristic we successfully demonstrated the analog operation capability by programming different height patterns into the matrix at an 8 bit resolution provided by the external driving board.
For wavefront correction in adaptive optics mirror devices are required, which provide a pure phase shift capability with a fine partition over the optical cross section. For this purpose we investigated arrays of piston-type micromirrors. In order to predetermine the basic deformation characteristics and to estimate appropriate design parameters a simple analytical model was derived. We then designed and fabricated arrays of different mirror elements on top of passive address devices by means of surface-micromachining realizing pixel side lengths of 75, 100, 120 and 150 micrometers . Experimental investigations of the electromechanical behavior were done by surface profile measurements using white light interferometry, which reveals a good overall functionality of the mirror arrays. Furthermore, an analog deflection range of up to 1.2 micrometers at address voltages below 32V were obtained together with a load dependent height level accuracy of 80 to 100 nm.
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