High force low voltage piezoelectric micromirror actuator

A method of forming a microelectromechanical system, MEMS, comprising:

• providing a substrate;
• forming a plurality of MEMS elements for reflecting incident light;
• for each MEMS element of the plurality of MEMS elements, forming at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator comprising a plurality of piezoelectric layers of piezoelectric material interleaved with a plurality of electrode layers to form a stack of layers for displacing the MEMS element and connected to the substrate;
• and
• forming one or more pillars connecting the MEMS element to the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator,
• wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator comprises a strip of flexible material connected at a first end to the substrate and at a second end to a respective one of the pillars, and wherein the stack of layers is provided on the strip of flexible material and is configured to cause the strip to bend during use,
• wherein forming at the least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator further comprises:
• forming a curved strip of flexible material having a first end connected to the substrate and a second end connected to the respective one of the pillars, the stack of layers being formed on the respective one of the pillars, and
• forming a hinge connected to an end of the curved strip of flexible materials and to the respective one of the pillars, wherein the hinge is thinner than the curved strip of flexible material, and
• wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator is disposed between the MEMS element and the substrate.