A method for manufacturing a vibration actuator includes forming an elastic body integrally with a projection protruding from a surface of the elastic body, by press working. Forming the elastic body includes forming a bonding portion surrounding the projection, forming a contact portion at a top portion of the projection, forming a spring portion between the contact portion and the bonding portion, and forming a standing portion having a hollow structure, between the spring portion and the contact portion, so that the standing portion has a ring shape in a cross-sectional view in a direction parallel to the surface of the elastic member and that a space surrounded by the contact portion, the spring portion, and the standing portion. The spring portion is formed by press working, and the bonding portion is formed by press working.

A MEMS electrostatic actuator that provides 5 degrees of freedom (5-DOF) motion is disclosed. The actuator comprises of an inner, a middle, and an outer MEMS structures that are nested with respect to each other. Each of the structures comprise of a plurality of rotors and stators. The rotors further comprise a plurality of moving capacitive electrodes which engage with a plurality of fixed capacitive electrodes in the stators to provide a variety of translational and rotational motions.

A comb drive includes an inactive comb finger array and an opposing active comb finger array positioned to oppose the inactive comb finger array and configured to move in a non-linear path relative to the inactive comb finger array, wherein each comb finger array includes a comb spine and a plurality of comb fingers extending from its comb spine, and each comb finger on the active comb finger array is shaped to match a non-parallel profile. The non-parallel profile may be tapered, curved, or selected to linearize the capacitance in a gap between adjacent comb fingers from the inactive comb finger array when a comb finger from the active comb finger array moves through the gap.

A package for moving a platform in six degrees of freedom, is provided. The platform may include an optoelectronic device mounted thereon. The package includes an in-plane actuator which may be a MEMS actuator and an out-of-plane actuator which may be formed of a piezoelectric element. The in-plane MEMS actuator may be mounted on the out-of-plane actuator mounted on a recess in a PCB. The in-plane MEMS actuator includes a plurality comb structures in which fingers of opposed combs overlap one another, i.e. extend past each other's ends. The out-of-plane actuator includes a central portion and a plurality of surrounding stages that are connected to the central portion. The in-plane MEMS actuator is coupled to the out-of-plane Z actuator to provide three degrees of freedom to the payload which may be an optoelectronic device included in the package.

A multiple silicon trenches forming method and an etching mask structure, the method comprises: step S11, providing a MEMS sealing cap silicon substrate (100); step S12, forming n stacked mask layers (101, 102, 103) on the MEMS sealing cap silicon substrate (100), after forming each mask layer, photolithographing and etching the mask layer and all other mask layers beneath the same to form a plurality of etching windows (D1, D2, D3); step S13, etching the MEMS sealing cap silicon substrate by using the current uppermost mask layer and a layer of mask material beneath the same as a mask; step S14, removing the current uppermost mask layer; step S15, repeating the step S13 and the step S14 until all the n mask layers are removed. The present invention can form a plurality of deep trenches with high aspect ratio on the MEMS sealing cap silicon substrate using conventional semiconductor processes, avoiding the problem that the conventional spin coating cannot be conducted on a sealing cap wafer with deep trenches using photoresist.

A method for manufacturing an optical device includes: preparing a semiconductor substrate that includes a portion corresponding to a base, a movable unit, and an elastic support portion; forming a first resist layer in a region corresponding to the base on a surface of a first semiconductor layer which is opposite to an insulating layer; forming a depression in the first semiconductor layer by etching the first semiconductor layer using the first resist layer as a mask; forming a second resist layer in a region corresponding to a rib portion on a bottom surface of the depression, a side surface of the depression, and the surface of the first semiconductor layer which is opposite to the insulating layer; and forming the rib portion by etching the first semiconductor layer until reaching the insulating layer using the second resist layer as a mask.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide a comb drive, a comb drive system, and a method of operating the comb drive to rotate bi-directionally in a MEMS environment. An exemplary comb drive system may include a comb drive, at least one power source, and a controller. The comb drive may include a stator comb having a first electrically conductive layer spaced apart from a second electrically conductive layer. The comb drive may also include a rotor comb having a first electrically conductive layer spaced apart from a second electrically conductive layer. The controller may be configured to apply first and second voltage levels having opposite polarities to the first and second electrically conductive layers of the rotor comb, respectively. The controller may also be configured to apply an intermediate voltage level to one of the first or second electrically conductive layers of the stator comb.

A linear comb drive may include a stator. The linear comb drive may include a rotor. At least one of the stator or the rotor may include a comb with one or more horizontally-extending fingers that have a tooth-shape formed by one or more prongs that extend vertically from the one or more fingers in a plane formed by the one or more fingers.

A micro-sized optical device may comprise a mirror suspended on a set of hinges that are mounted to the substrate and that are configured to tilt the mirror about an axis, wherein a hinge of the set of hinges is a two-layer structure with a pivot point that aligns with a mass center of the mirror; and a three-layer comb actuator structure associated with the hinge of the set of hinges, wherein the three-layer comb actuator structure includes a rotor comb actuator, a first stator comb actuator, and a second stator comb actuator.

The present invention provides a motion control structure and a actuator. The motion control structure includes a motion platform, a first actuator having a first execution unit arranged on opposite sides of the motion platform along an X-axis direction and a second execution unit arranged on opposite sides of the motion platform along a Y-axis direction. The first execution unit includes a first actuating element displaced along the X-axis direction. The second execution unit includes a second actuating element displaced along the Y-axis direction. A second actuator surrounds an inner periphery of the motion platform and includes a third execution unit having an assembly portion displaced along the Z-axis direction. The motion control structure of the invention has the advantages that the motion platform can be driven to realize motion in six degrees of freedom.