Subfield adressing of ringshaped MEMS shutter arrays with polygonal structures

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hartmut Hillmer
• Subject Area: Microsystems
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 469360309

Optical or interference-based microscopy requires illumination scenario which are spatially variable. However, not all requirements can be fulfilled at the same time such as speed, temperature range, color neutrality or availability of various combinations of geometric patterns. MEMS shutter arrays enable dynamic light modulation by electrostatic actuation, fulfilling all these demands, simultaneously. Our investigation aims for a proof-of-concept of transmission-based MEMS modulators by simulating, designing tailored subfield addressing schemes, implementing arrays technologically and characterizing experimentally. This methodology development of the polygon-area-based MEMS shutter arrays should identify the limits with respect to speed, extreme temperatures, user acceptance and number of subfield combinations and user acceptance.The single shutters will have triangular or pentagonal shape. The sequence of all straight hinges line up to a polygon. Several of these shutter rings comprise a subfield ring, which is subdivided into four quadrants. The quadrants are the subfields, which are addressable individually. The project aims for specific shapes of the subfields, which are defined by the area where the upper and lower electrodes overlap. The shapes are oriented to the future requirements of interference microscopy. However, the proof-of-concept should always stay aligned to other applications, from a scientific point of view.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants