The present invention employs an actuator including: a movable portion connected to a reflecting member having a reflective surface; a movable comb electrode disposed at a distance from the reflecting member, supported by the movable portion, and extended in a direction parallel to the reflective surface; a stationary comb electrode supported by a supporting portion, extends in the direction parallel to the reflective surface, and disposed alternately with the movable comb electrode; and a voltage controller that applies a voltage to the movable comb electrode and the stationary comb electrode to displace the movable comb electrode and the movable portion in a direction normal to the reflective surface. A portion that supports the movable comb electrode and a portion that supports the stationary comb electrode are disposed such that the movable comb electrode and the stationary comb electrode pass each other.

A microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device includes a substrate, a suspended element and a damping structure connected to the suspended element and one or more fluid confinement structures. The suspended element is connected to a fixed part of the substrate by one or more flexures configured to permit movement of the suspended element relative to a fixed part of the substrate. The damping structure extends into a gap between the suspended element and the fixed part of the substrate. The damping structure includes one or more winglets that protrude over a recessed portion of the fixed part of the substrate. The fluid confinement structures are formed by the recessed portion of the fixed substrate and are configured to permit movement of the damping structure over the recessed portion of the substrate and confine a viscoelastic fluid to the limited portion of the gap underneath the winglets.

A MEMS actuator including buckled flexures and a method of assembling the actuator are described. The assembled MEMS actuator includes an inner frame; an outer frame including latched electrical bars, where a first of the latched bars includes a latch protrusion secured to a corresponding latch groove of a second of the latched bars; and buckled flexures coupling the inner frame to the outer frame. The flexures are buckled during assembly of the MEMS actuator by incorporating the electrical bar latching mechanism into the design of the outer frame of the MEMS actuator. In one implementation, the MEMS actuator is assembled by providing a MEMS actuator with unbuckled flexures coupling the outer frame of the MEMS actuator to an inner frame of the MEMS actuator, where the outer frame includes unlatched electrical bars, and latching the electrical bars of the outer frame, resulting in buckled flexures.

The present invention employs an actuator including: a movable portion connected to a reflecting member having a reflective surface; a movable comb electrode disposed at a distance from the reflecting member, supported by the movable portion, and extended in a direction parallel to the reflective surface; a stationary comb electrode supported by a supporting portion, extends in the direction parallel to the reflective surface, and disposed alternately with the movable comb electrode; and a voltage controller that applies a voltage to the movable comb electrode and the stationary comb electrode to displace the movable comb electrode and the movable portion in a direction normal to the reflective surface. A portion that supports the movable comb electrode and a portion that supports the stationary comb electrode are disposed such that the movable comb electrode and the stationary comb electrode pass each other.

MEMS actuators having micro spring structures and methods of fabricating the same are provided. An example MEMS actuator includes a first micromechanical arm array including multiple first micromechanical arms spaced from each other in a first horizontal direction and a second micromechanical arm array including multiple second micromechanical arms spaced from each other in the first horizontal direction. The first and the second micromechanical arm arrays are interposed in the first horizontal direction. The MEMS actuator further includes a metal connection structure connected to each first micromechanical arm, and a vertical micro spring structure disposed between the metal connection structure and one of the second micromechanical arms. The vertical micro spring structure includes an upper portion connected to the metal connection structure and a lower portion connected to a top end of the second micromechanical arm.

A device can have an outer frame and an actuator. The actuator can have a movable frame and a fixed frame. At least one torsional flexure and at least one hinge flexure can cooperate to provide comparatively high lateral stiffness between the outer frame and the movable frame and can cooperate to provide comparatively low rotational stiffness between the outer frame and the movable frame.

An actuation device (1) which includes an actuation element (3) with a fixed 10 portion (31) and a driving portion (32); wherein the fixed portion (31) includes a crawling surface (311). The driving portion (32) includes a flexible moveable blade (321) positioned in parallel and at a distance from the crawling surface (311). When a power supply voltage is applied between the moveable blade (321) and the crawling surface (311), the free end (3211) comes into contact with the crawling surface (311), and a contact area, between the moveable blade (321) and the crawling surface (311), increases by propagation of the crawling front (3213) along the moveable blade (321). The propagation of the crawling front displaces the moveable blade (321) according to a first orientation.

[Object] To provide an electrostatic device capable of improving device characteristics.

[Solving Means] An electrostatic device according to an embodiment of the present technology includes an electrically conductive base material, a first conductor layer, a second conductor layer, and a bonding layer. The first conductor layer includes a first electrode portion and a first base portion and is connected to a signal line. The first base portion supports the first electrode portion and is disposed on the base material. The second conductor layer includes a second electrode portion and a second base portion and is connected to a reference potential. The second electrode portion is opposed to the first electrode portion in a first axis direction and configured to be movable relative to the first electrode portion in the first axis direction. The second base portion supports the second electrode portion and is disposed on the base material. The bonding layer is disposed between the base material and the first and second base portions and includes a plurality of first bonding portions that partially support at least the first base portion.

A MEMS actuator including buckled flexures and a method of assembling the actuator are described. The assembled MEMS actuator includes an inner frame; an outer frame including latched electrical bars, where a first of the latched bars includes a latch protrusion secured to a corresponding latch groove of a second of the latched bars; and buckled flexures coupling the inner frame to the outer frame. The flexures are buckled during assembly of the MEMS actuator by incorporating the electrical bar latching mechanism into the design of the outer frame of the MEMS actuator. In one implementation, the MEMS actuator is assembled by providing a MEMS actuator with unbuckled flexures coupling the outer frame of the MEMS actuator to an inner frame of the MEMS actuator, where the outer frame includes unlatched electrical bars, and latching the electrical bars of the outer frame, resulting in buckled flexures.

A temporary MEMS-based locking assembly is configured to temporarily compress electrically conductive flexures and includes: a first locking structure coupled to a first portion of a MEMS conductive assembly; a second locking structure coupled to a second portion of the MEMS conductive assembly, wherein: the electrically conductive flexures are positioned between the first portion of the MEMS conductive assembly and the second portion of the MEMS conductive assembly, and the first and second locking structures are configured to engage each other upon the compression of the electrically conductive flexures to effectuate the locking of the first portion of the MEMS conductive assembly with respect to the second portion of the MEMS conductive assembly.