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.

A MEMS actuator includes a semiconductor body with a first surface defining a housing cavity facing the first surface and having a bottom surface, the semiconductor body further defining a fluidic channel in the semiconductor body with a first end across the bottom surface. A strainable structure extends into the housing cavity, is coupled to the semiconductor body at the bottom surface, and defines an internal space facing the first end of the fluidic channel and includes at least a first and a second internal subspace connected to each other and to the fluidic channel. When a fluid is pumped through the fluidic channel into the internal space, the first and second internal subspaces expand, thereby straining the strainable structure along the first axis and generating an actuation force exerted by the strainable structure along the first axis, in an opposite direction with respect to the housing cavity.

A mirror unit 2 includes a mirror device 20 including a base 21 and a movable mirror 22, an optical function member 13, and a fixed mirror 16 that is disposed on a side opposite to the mirror device 20 with respect to the optical function member 13. The optical function member 13 is provided with a light transmitting portion 14 that constitutes a part of an optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. The light transmitting portion 14 is a portion that corrects an optical path difference that occurs between an optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the movable mirror 22 and the optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. The second surface 21b of the base 21 and the third surface 13a of the optical function member 13 are joined to each other.

A multi-axis MEMS assembly includes: a micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator configured to provide linear three-axis movement; and an optoelectronic device coupled to the micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) actuator.

An active mode image sensor for optical non-uniformity correction (NUC) of an active mode sensor uses a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) having tilt, tip and piston mirror actuation to form and scan a laser spot that simultaneously performs the NUC and illuminates the scene so that the laser illumination is inversely proportional to the response of the imager at the scan position. The MEMS MMA also supports forming and scanning multiple laser spots to simultaneously interrogate the scene at the same or different wavelengths. The piston function can also be used to provide wavefront correction. The MEMS MMA may be configured to generate a plurality of fixed laser spots to perform an instantaneous NUC.

A method of making a MEMS actuator with a monolithic body of semiconductor material includes forming a supporting portion of semiconductor material, orientable with respect to first and second rotation axes, the first rotation axis being transverse with respect to the second rotation axis, and forming a first frame of semiconductor material. The method further includes forming first deformable elements, of semiconductor material, coupled to the first frame, and configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the first rotation axis. The method also includes forming a second frame of semiconductor material, and forming second deformable elements, of semiconductor material, coupled to the first frame and to the second frame, and configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the second rotation axis. The first and second deformable elements are formed to carry respective first and second piezoelectric actuation elements.

Microelectromechanical sensor comprising a fixed part and a mobile part suspended from the fixed part such that the mobile part can move at least in an out-of-plane displacement direction, the fixed part comprising at least first electrodes extending parallel to the displacement direction of the mobile part, the mobile part comprising a seismic mass and at least second electrodes extending parallel to the out-of-plane displacement direction, the first electrodes and the second electrodes being located relative to each other so as to be interdigitated, in which the second electrodes are directly connected to the inertial mass and only part of the face of each mobile electrode is facing an electrode fixed at rest.

A MEMS electrostatic piston-tube actuator is disclosed. The actuator comprises two structures. A structure that comprises a plurality of fixed piston-like electrodes that are attached to a base, and form the stator of the actuator. A second structure that comprises a plurality of moving tube-like electrodes that are attached to the body of the upper structure and form the rotor of the actuator. The rotor is attached to the stator through a mechanical spring. The rotor of the actuator provides a translational motion, about the normal axis to the structures. The present piston-tube actuator utilizes a configuration that enables the use of wide area electrodes, and therefore, provides a high output force enabling translation of the rotor.

Electric connection flexures for moving stages of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices are disclosed. The disclosed flexures may provide an electrical and mechanical connection between a fixed frame and a moving frame, and are flexible in the moving frame's plane of motion. In implementations, the flexures are formed using a process that embeds the two ends of each flexure in the fixed frame and moving frame, respectively.

A system and method for providing a MEMS sensor are disclosed. In a first aspect, the system is a MEMS sensor that comprises a substrate, an anchor region coupled to the substrate, at least one support arm coupled to the anchor region, at least two guiding arms coupled to and moving relative to the at least one support arm, a plurality of sensing elements disposed on the at least two guiding arms to measure motion of the at least two guiding arms relative to the substrate, and a proof mass system comprising at least one mass coupled to each of the at least two guiding arms by a set of springs. The proof mass system is disposed outside the anchor region, the at least one support arm, the at least two guiding arms, the set of springs, and the plurality of sensing elements.