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US 11,434,130 B2Granted
Surface micromachined structures
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsPatrick Ian Oden, James Norman Hall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described examples include an apparatus having a substrate with a substrate surface. The apparatus also includes an element with a planar surface facing the substrate surface and with a nonplanar surface opposite the planar surface facing away from the substrate surface.
Claims29
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate surface and an electrode;
- a mirror element having:
- (a) a first surface proximate the electrode;
- and (b) a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface including a curved reflective surface having a first edge and a second edge, in which a thickness of the mirror element decreases from the first edge to the second edge, and the mirror element is configured to tilt relative to the substrate surface responsive to a potential applied to the electrode;
- and
- a structure coupled between the second edge and the substrate surface, in which the structure supports the mirror element.
3 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate surface, a first electrode, and a second electrode;
- a first mirror element having:
- (a) a first surface proximate the first electrode;
- and (b) a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface including a first curved reflective surface having a first edge and a second edge, in which a thickness of the first mirror element decreases from the first edge to the second edge, and the first mirror element is configured to tilt relative to the substrate surface responsive to a first potential applied to the first electrode;
- a first structure coupled between the second edge and the substrate surface, in which the first structure supports the first mirror element;
- a second mirror element proximate the first mirror element, the second mirror element having:
- (a) a third surface proximate the second electrode;
- and (b) a fourth surface opposite the third surface, the fourth surface including a second curved reflective surface having a third edge and a fourth edge, in which a thickness of the second mirror element decreases from the third edge to the fourth edge, and the second mirror element is configured to tilt relative to the substrate surface responsive to a second potential applied to the second electrode;
- and
- a second structure coupled between the fourth edge and the substrate surface, in which the second structure supports the second mirror element.
7 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- a substrate having a substrate surface and an electrode;
- a mirror element having:
- (a) a first surface proximate the electrode;
- and (b) a second surface opposite the first surface, the second surface including a reflective surface, and the mirror element is configured to:
- responsive to a first potential applied to the electrode, direct light to a first portion of an area by tilting at a first angle relative to the substrate surface;
- and
- responsive to a second potential applied to the electrode, direct light to a second portion of the area by tilting at a second angle relative to the substrate surface, in which a corner of the second portion overlaps a corner of the first portion, and less than a quarter of the second portion overlaps the first portion;
- and
- a structure coupled between the mirror element and the substrate surface, in which the structure supports the mirror element.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.