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.

A microelectromechanical mirror device has a fixed structure defining a cavity. A tiltable structure carrying a reflecting surface is elastically suspended above the cavity with a main extension in a horizontal plane. Elastic elements are coupled to the tiltable structure and at least one first pair of driving arms, which carry respective regions of piezoelectric material, are biasable to cause rotation of the tiltable structure about at least one first axis of rotation parallel to a first horizontal axis of the horizontal plane. The driving arms are elastically coupled to the tiltable structure on opposite sides of the first axis of rotation and are interposed between the tiltable structure and the fixed structure. The driving arms have a thickness, along an orthogonal axis transverse to the horizontal plane, smaller than a thickness of at least some of the elastic elements coupled to the tiltable structure.

Disclosed is a hinged MEMS and/or NEMS device with out-of-plane movement including a first portion and a second portion that is hinged so as to be able to rotate with respect to the first portion about an axis of rotation contained in a first mean plane of the device. The device also includes a hinging element that connects the first portion and the second portion and that is stressed flexurally and a sensing element that extends between the first portion and the second portion and that deforms during the movement of the second portion. Finally, the device includes two blades that extend perpendicularly to the mean plane of the hinge device and parallel to the axis of rotation, the blades being placed between the hinging element and the sensing element and connecting the first portion and the second portion and being stressed torsionally during the movement of the second portion.

An optical device includes an elastic support portion which includes a torsion bar which extends along a second direction perpendicular to a first direction and a nonlinearity relaxation spring which is connected between the torsion bar and a movable portion. The nonlinearity relaxation spring is configured so that a deformation amount of the nonlinearity relaxation spring around the second direction is smaller than a deformation amount of the torsion bar around the second direction and a deformation amount of the nonlinearity relaxation spring in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction is larger than a deformation amount of the torsion bar in the third direction while the movable portion moves in the first direction. A comb electrode is disposed along an outer edge of the movable portion.

An optical module includes a mirror unit and a beam splitter unit. The mirror unit includes a base with a main surface, a movable mirror, a first fixed mirror, and a drive unit. The beam splitter unit constitutes a first interference optical system for measurement light along with the movable mirror and the first fixed mirror. A mirror surface of the movable mirror and a mirror surface of the first fixed mirror follow a plane parallel to the main surface and face one side in a first direction perpendicular to the main surface. The movable mirror, the drive unit, and at least a part of an optical path between the beam splitter unit and the first fixed mirror are disposed in an airtight space.

A mechanical microsystem including a pair of elastically deformable elements, a mechanical hinge joining the deformable elements together, and at least two electroactive layers. The microsystem is configured such that, from a rest position wherein the deformable elements fall into a plane, a deformation of one of the deformable elements displacing it outside of the plane induces an electric current circulation in one of the two electroactive layers, and/or conversely. Each deformable element has a front face and a rear face opposite one another and substantially parallel to the plane. A first electroactive layer is arranged together with a first deformable element on its rear face, and a second electroactive layer, different from the first layer, is arranged with a second deformable element, different from the first element, on its front face.

In order to expand the surface area of a reflective layer, the space between adjacent turns of a drive coil, which is wound a plurality of turns on a peripheral edge front surface of the principal surface of a movable portion which, being inside a frame-formed support substrate, is connected to the support substrate by torsion bars, is filled and flattened with a smoothing layer, thereby adopting a configuration such that the reflective layer can also be provided in the region of the upper surface of the drive coil.

MEMS devices include fluid confinement structures on either a fixed part of a substrate and/or on a suspended element. The fluid confinement structures may be configured to confine a viscoelastic fluid in a limited part of a gap between one or more vertical sidewalls of both the fixed part of the substrate and either the suspended element or the drive beam or both the suspended element and drive beam such that one part of the gap is bridged by the fluid and another part of the gap is not, The structures may be configured to prevent flow of the fluid to other parts of the gap.

Small form-factor MEMS devices and methods of using the devices are disclosed. An exemplary MEMS device includes an accelerometer contact microphone. Certain devices described herein comprise nanometer scale sensing gaps in the out-of-plane direction to increase vibration sensitivity in a vacuum casing. Certain devices described herein provide a differential sensing mechanism. The disclosure also describes accelerometer contact microphones having an operational bandwidth ranging from 0 Hz and 10,000 Hz. The vibration acceleration sensitivity of certain devices described herein is better 100 μg√Hz.

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 mirror device 20 is provided with a light passage portion 24 that constitutes a first portion of an optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. The optical function member 13 is provided with a light transmitting portion 14 that constitutes a second portion of the optical path between the beam splitter unit 3 and the fixed mirror 16. A second surface 21b of the base 21 and a third surface 13a of the optical function member 13 are joined to each other.