According to an embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first actuator, a second actuator, a first frame provided between the first actuator and the second actuator, a first connection member connecting the first actuator and the first frame to each other, a second connection member connecting the first actuator and the first frame to each other at a position different from a position at which the first connection member connects the first actuator and the first frame to each other, a third connection member connecting the second actuator and the first frame to each other, a fourth connection member connecting the second actuator and the first frame to each other at a position different from a position at which the third connection member connects the second actuator and the first frame to each other.

A MEMS includes a substrate having an element movably suspended relative to the substrate, the element having a first main surface and an opposite second main surface. The MEMS includes a first spring element connected between the substrate and a first column structure connected to the second main surface, and includes a second spring element connected between the substrate and a second column structure connected to the second main surface.

A method is disclosed comprising determining a concentration of one or more compounds of a fluid in an industrial water operation in real time. The determining of the concentration of the one or more components comprises contacting an array of sensors of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device with a sample of the fluid to provide a sample response indicative of the concentration of the one or more components. The method further provides adjusting or maintaining at least one operating parameter of the industrial water operation based on the concentration of the one or more components of the fluid.

Embodiments of a satellite transceiver configurable for inter-satellite communication and configurable for satellite to ground communication are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the satellite transceiver comprises a micro-electromechanical (MEM) micro-mirror array (MMA) (MEM-MMA) configured to steer a beam of encoded optical data over a field-of-view (FOV). The MEM-MMA comprises a plurality of individual mirror elements. Each of the mirror elements is controllable by control circuitry to steer the beam over the FOV.

Angular accelerometers are described, as are systems employing such accelerometers. The angular accelerometers may include a proof mass and rotational acceleration detection beams directed toward the center of the proof mass. The angular accelerometers may include sensing capabilities for angular acceleration about three orthogonal axes. The sensing regions for angular acceleration about one of the three axes may be positioned radially closer to the center of the proof mass than the sensing regions for angular acceleration about the other two axes. The proof mass may be connected to the substrate though one or more anchors.

In a method of manufacturing a highly stretchable three-dimensional (3D) percolated conductive nano-network structure, a 3D nano-structured porous elastomer including patterns distributed in a periodic network is formed. A surface of the 3D nano-structured porous elastomer is changed to a hydrophilic state. A polymeric material is conformally adhered on the surface of the 3D nano-structured porous elastomer. The surface of the 3D nano-structured porous elastomer is wet by infiltrating a conductive solution in which a conductive material is dispersed. A 3D percolated conductive nano-network coupled with the 3D nano-structured porous elastomer is formed by evaporating a solvent of the conductive solution and removing the polymeric material.

An optical scanner includes a mirror configured to reflect an incident light and a vertically-shifting electrostatic actuator configured to oscillate the mirror. The electrostatic actuator includes a frame having an installation space in a central portion and a drive electrode, a stationary electrode, a shifter, and a force application part installed in the installation space. Drive electrode fingers in the drive electrode and stationary electrode fingers in the stationary electrode are alternately disposed. The shifter may be connected either between the frame and the drive electrode or between the frame and the stationary electrode and vertically shifts either the drive electrode or the stationary electrode connected to the shifter when a vertical force is applied through the force application part.

A microelectromechanical-mirror device has a fixed structure defining an external frame delimiting a cavity, an internal frame arranged above the cavity and defining a window, and a tiltable structure with a reflective surface and arranged in the window. Elastically coupled to the internal frame by first and second coupling elastic elements. An actuation structure is coupled to the internal frame to cause the rotation of the tiltable structure around first and second axes. The actuation structure has a first pair of driving arms, elastically coupled to the internal frame and carrying piezoelectric material regions to cause rotation of the tiltable structure around the first axis, and a further pair of driving arms carrying piezoelectric material regions to cause rotation of the tiltable structure around the second axis and interposed between the fixed structure and the internal frame, to which they are elastically coupled by first and second suspension elastic elements.

Silicon photonics provides an attractive platform for optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) exploiting hybrid or monolithic integration with or without concurrent integration of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and/or CMOS electronic. Such OEICs offering optical component solutions across multiple applications from optical sensors through to optical networks operating upon one or more wavelengths. Accordingly, various silicon photonic building blocks are required in order to provide a toolkit for a circuit designer to exploit OEICs where these building blocks must address specific aspects of OEICs such as polarisation dependency of the optical waveguides. Accordingly, the inventors have established designs for: polarisation rotators with MEMS based tuning to allow the dual polarisations from a polarisation splitter to be managed by an OEIC operating upon a single polarisation; analog or digital phase shifts with MEMS actuation for switches, attenuators etc.; and passband filters with MEMS tuning.

A method of manufacturing a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) assembly includes mounting a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator to a metal plate. An image sensor assembly is mounted to the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator. The image sensor assembly is electrically coupled to the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator, thus forming a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) subassembly.