Micro-assembly of three-dimensional rotary MEMS mirrors

Lidai Wang; James K. Mills; William L. Cleghorn

doi:10.1117/12.807497

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23 February 2009 Micro-assembly of three-dimensional rotary MEMS mirrors

Lidai Wang, James K. Mills, William L. Cleghorn

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Proceedings Volume 7208, MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems VIII; 72080B (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.807497
Event: SPIE MOEMS-MEMS: Micro- and Nanofabrication, 2009, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

We present a novel approach to construct three-dimensional rotary micro-mirrors, which are fundamental components to build 1×N or N×M optical switching systems. A rotary micro-mirror consists of two microparts: a rotary micro-motor and a micro-mirror. Both of the two microparts are fabricated with PolyMUMPs, a surface micromachining process. A sequential robotic microassembly process is developed to join the two microparts together to construct a threedimensional device. In order to achieve high positioning accuracy and a strong mechanical connection, the micro-mirror is joined to the micro-motor using an adhesive mechanical fastener. The mechanical fastener has self-alignment ability and provides a temporary joint between the two microparts. The adhesive bonding can create a strong permanent connection, which does not require extra supporting plates for the micro-mirror. A hybrid manipulation strategy, which includes pick-and-place and pushing-based manipulations, is utilized to manipulation the micro-mirror. The pick-andplace manipulation has the ability to globally position the micro-mirror in six degrees of freedom. The pushing-based manipulation can achieve high positioning accuracy. This microassembly approach has great flexibility and high accuracy; furthermore, it does not require extra supporting plates, which greatly simplifies the assembly process.

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Lidai Wang, James K. Mills, and William L. Cleghorn "Micro-assembly of three-dimensional rotary MEMS mirrors", Proc. SPIE 7208, MOEMS and Miniaturized Systems VIII, 72080B (23 February 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.807497

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