A mirror device manufacturing method includes a forming step of forming a structure by forming a base portion, a movable portion, and a coupling portion coupling the base portion and the movable portion to each other such that the movable portion is able to swing with respect to the base portion through processing of a wafer, and forming a mirror layer in the movable portion; and a collecting step of performing collection of foreign substances from the structure using a collection member after the forming step. A mirror unit manufacturing method includes a sealing step of sealing the mirror device after the collecting step.

A micro scanning mirror, including a fixed substrate, a lens, and multiple cantilevers, are provided. Each cantilever includes a piezoelectric material structure, multiple first drive electrodes, and multiple second drive electrodes. The piezoelectric material structure includes a connecting part, a folding part, and a fixed part. The connecting part connects the lens along a direction parallel to a central axis of the lens. The folding part has a bending region and multiple drive electrode regions. The fixed part is connected to the fixed substrate, and the folding part is connected to the connecting part and the fixed part. The first drive electrodes and the second drive electrodes are respectively located in the corresponding drive electrode regions in the folding part. The micro scanning mirror of the disclosure can drive a large-sized micro mirror to rotate at an appropriate rotation angle.

An example includes: an electrode layer including address electrodes and a hinge base; a hinge layer over the electrode layer, the hinge layer including: a torsional hinge having a longitudinal axis between opposite ends; a first single spring tip and a second single spring tip spaced from the torsional hinge; and raised electrodes spaced from the torsional hinge, from the first single spring tip, and from the second single spring tip; and a mirror over the hinge layer, the mirror having a tilt axis on a diagonal between a first corner and a second corner, the tilt axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of the torsional hinge, the mirror having a first tilting corner and a second tilting corner opposing one another across the tilt axis, the first single spring tip under the first tilting corner and the second single spring tip under the second tilting corner.

A light deflector 2 includes: a mirror section 9 that reflects light; a movable frame 8 provided in such a manner as to surround the mirror section 9; a pair of torsion bars 13a and 13b having one end of each torsion bar connected to the mirror section 9 and the other end thereof connected to the movable frame 8 on a Y-axis; and semi-annular piezoelectric actuators 10a and 10b that are provided on the movable frame 8 and rotate the torsion bars 13a and 13b around the Y-axis in a reciprocating manner. The torsion bars 13a and 13b each have a constricted shape in which the transverse width at both end parts is the largest and the transverse width gradually decreases toward the central part thereof in a length direction.

A method for producing a micromechanical device having inclined optical windows, and a corresponding micromechanical device are described. The production method includes: providing a first substrate having a front side and a rear side; forming a plurality of spaced-apart through holes in the first substrate which are arranged along a plurality of spaced-apart rows in the first substrate; forming a respective continuous beveled groove along each of the rows, the grooves defining a seat for the inclined optical windows; and inserting the optical windows into the grooves above the through holes.

A hinge for a micromechanical and/or nanomechanical structure includes: a support, and a movable part in an out-of-plane direction. The hinge allows for the out-of-plane displacement of the movable part. The hinge further includes two torsion beams extending along the axis of rotation of the hinge, two bending elements mechanically connecting the movable part and the support and having at least one pair of a first and of a second beam parallel with each other and extending in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, the first beam being connected to the support and the second beam being connected to the movable part, the first and second beams being connected to one another by a first connecting element at a longitudinal end, the two beams extending in the same direction from the first connecting element.

An optical scanning device includes a reflector as a MEMS mirror having a reflection surface of a metal film, a support body, a drive beam, and a drive unit. The support body is disposed to be spaced from the reflector so as to surround the reflector. The drive beam connects the reflector and the support body. A first protection film is formed all over opposite side surfaces including side wall surfaces of a second semiconductor layer, as well as an upper surface and a lower surface, in the drive beam. As the first protection film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, an alumina film, or a titania film is formed by an atomic layer deposition method.

An optical scanning device includes a control unit, a light deflector, light detection units, and a light source. A mirror unit of the light deflector has a flat reflection part for generating scanning light and a groove-shaped reflection part for generating twice reflected light, and performs reciprocating rotation about a rotation axis. The light detection units are disposed at positions on the scanning trajectory of the scanning light where the twice reflected light is received, and are each divided into light detectors in the scanning direction of the scanning light by a division line. The control unit detects the deflection angle θ of the mirror unit based on both the output of the light detector and the output of the light detector.

Described embodiments include a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) array comprising a first MEMS device that includes a first movable electrostatic plate elastically connected to a first structure, the first movable electrostatic plate having a first mass, a first fixed electrostatic plate, and a first drive circuit having a first drive output coupled to the first fixed electrostatic plate. There is a second MEMS device that includes a second movable electrostatic plate elastically connected to a second structure, the second movable electrostatic plate having a second mass that is different than the first mass, a second fixed electrostatic plate, and a second drive circuit having a second drive output coupled to the second fixed electrostatic plate.

A process for manufacturing a microelectromechanical mirror device includes, in a semiconductor wafer, defining a support frame, a plate connected to the support frame so as to be orientable around at least one rotation axis, and cantilever structures extending from the support frame and coupled to the plate so that bending of the cantilever structures causes rotations of the plate around the at least one rotation axis. The process further includes forming piezoelectric actuators on the cantilever structures, forming pads on the support frame, and forming spacer structures protruding from the support frame more than both the pads and the stacks of layers forming the piezoelectric actuators.