A microelectromechanical actuator, comprising: a substrate, having a surface; a conductive beam suspended parallel to the substrate, displaceable along an axis normal to the surface of the substrate; a center electrode on the substrate under the beam; a pair of side electrodes on the substrate configured, when charged, to exert an electrostatic force normal to the surface of the substrate on the beam that repulses the beam from the substrate, and exerts a balanced electrostatic force on the beam in a plane of the surface of the substrate, the center conductive electrode being configured to shield the beam from electrostatic forces induced by the side electrodes from beneath the beam, and the center electrode being configured to have a voltage different from a voltage on the beam, to thereby induce an attractive electrostatic force on the beam.

A MEMS device includes a semiconductor support body having a first cavity, a membrane including a peripheral portion, fixed to the support body, and a suspended portion. A first deformable structure is at a distance from a central part of the suspended portion of the membrane and a second deformable structure is laterally offset relative to the first deformable structure towards the peripheral portion of the membrane. A projecting region is fixed under the membrane. The second deformable structure is deformable so as to translate the central part of the suspended portion of the membrane along a first direction, and the first deformable structure is deformable so as to translate the central part of the suspended portion of the membrane along a second direction.

A MEMS device formed using the materials of the BEOL of a CMOS process where a post-processing of vHF and post backing was applied to form the MEMS device and where a total size of the MEMS device is between 50 um and 150 um. The MEMS device may be implemented as an inertial sensor among other applications.

An optical module 1A includes a mirror unit 2 including a movable mirror 22 and a fixed mirror 16, a beam splitter unit 3, a light incident unit 4, a first light detector 6, a second light source 7, a second light detector 8, a holding unit 130, a first mirror 51, a second mirror 52, and a third mirror 53. The holding unit 130 holds the first light detector 6, the second light detector 8, and the second light source 7 so as to face that same side, and to be aligned in this order. A length of an optical path between the unit 3 and the detector 6 is shorter than a length of an optical path between the unit 3 and the detector 8, and a length of an optical path between the unit 3 and the source 7.

This disclosure relates to devices for two-dimensional deflection of a laser beam, which include a substrate having a substrate opening, a spring membrane provided on the substrate having spring arms extending over the substrate opening, and a middle section arranged in the substrate opening and supported by the spring arms. The middle section is mounted so it is two-dimensionally tiltable and is axially displaceable in both directions of the spring membrane middle axis. The device includes a mirror fastened on the middle section of the spring membrane and a magnetic or electrostatic drive for tilting the mirror against the restoring force of the spring arms. One or more of a component coupled to the mirror and an end stop unit are configured to limit axial deflection of the middle section to a distance that is within a range of axial deflection of the middle section during the drive-related tilting of the mirror.

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.

A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device includes one or more slidable connection assemblies for releasably coupling the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device to a wafer from which the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) device was made. The MEMS device may include a MEMS actuation core, and a MEMS electrical connector assembly electrically coupled to the MEMS actuation core configured to be electrically coupled to a printed circuit board.

Systems and methods for maintaining autonomous vehicle operator awareness are provided. A method can include determining, by a computing system, an awareness challenge for an operator of a vehicle. The awareness challenge can be based on object data. The awareness challenge can have one or more criteria. The criteria can include a challenge response interval, a response time, and an action for satisfying the awareness challenge. The method can include initiating, by the computing system, a timer measuring elapsed time from a start time of the challenge response interval. The method can include communicating to the operator, by the computing system, a soft notification indicative of the awareness challenge during the challenge response interval. The method can include determining, by the computing system, whether the operator provides a user input after the response time interval and whether the user input corresponds to the action for satisfying the awareness challenge.

A MEMS actuator includes a monolithic body of semiconductor material, with a supporting portion of semiconductor material, orientable with respect to a first and second rotation axes, transverse to each other. A first frame of semiconductor material is coupled to the supporting portion through first deformable elements configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the first rotation axis. A second frame of semiconductor material is coupled to the first frame by second deformable elements, which are coupled between the first and the second frames and configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the second rotation axis. The first and second deformable elements carry respective piezoelectric actuation elements.

The present disclosure relates to a microphone. In some embodiments, the microphone may comprise a diaphragm, a backplate, and a sidewall stopper. The diaphragm has a venting hole disposed therethrough. The backplate is disposed over and spaced apart from the diaphragm. The sidewall stopper is disposed along a sidewall of the diaphragm exposing to the venting hole. Thus, the sidewall stopper is not limited by a distance between the movable part and the stable part of the microphone. Also, the sidewall stopper does not alternate the shape of movable part, and thus will less likely introduce crack to the movable part. In some embodiments, the sidewall stopper may be formed like a sidewall stopper by a self-alignment process, such that no extra mask is needed.