An optical scanning device includes a reflector, a rotator, a first torsion beam and a second torsion beam, a first support part, a second support part, a first elastic layer, and a second elastic layer. The first elastic layer is superposed on the first torsion beam. The second elastic layer is superposed on the second torsion beam. A vertical dimension of an active layer is smaller than a horizontal dimension of the active layer in a cross section orthogonal to a direction in which the rotator is interposed between the first torsion beam and the second torsion beam. A material of the first elastic layer and the second elastic layer is higher in fatigue life than metal.

A micro-electronic non-landing mirror system includes a substrate, at least two supporting assemblies, at least two driving electrodes, a rotating mirror, and a driving circuit. The rotating mirror is elastically supported on the supporting assemblies through elastic reset assemblies. When the driving circuit applies a driving voltage, the rotating mirror moves closer to the driving electrode to which the driving voltage is applied within a range of movement that does not land on the substrate. When the driving circuit removes the driving voltage, the rotating mirror gets back to move away from the driving electrode under elastic restoring force of the elastic reset assemblies. Each elastic reset assembly includes at least two elastic reset units connected to different corners of the rotating mirror by a corresponding one supporting assembly. Each elastic reset unit is configured for providing the rotating mirror with at least two rotational degrees of freedom.

MEMS devices include a suspended element connected to a fixed part of a substrate by one or more flexures, wherein the one or more flexures are configured to permit movement of the suspended element relative to a fixed part of the substrate. An actuator coupled to the suspended element and a damping structure coupled to the suspended element extends into a gap between the suspended element and the fixed part of the substrate. One or more fluid confinement structures are configured to permit movement of the damping structure within a limited portion of the gap and to confine a viscoelastic fluid to the limited portion of the gap.

An apparatus comprising: a thermally-actuated microactuator configured to deflect a component in dependence on an applied stimulus; and an extender having a length configured to increase deflection of the component by the microactuator, wherein the extender comprises one or more voids.

A microelectromechanical device is provided that includes a mobile rotor and a fixed stator in a device plane. Moreover, a fixed wall defines a wall plane that is adjacent to the device plane and a motion limiter is provided to prevent the rotor from coming into direct physical contact with the fixed wall. The motion limiter includes a shock absorber that extends from the rotor to the stator and a fixed stopper structure that protrudes from the fixed wall toward the shock absorber.

Methods, apparatuses, and methods of manufacture are described that provide one or more fixed blades mounted to a frame or substrate, one or more movable blades mounted to each structure to be moved, and flexures on which the structures are suspended which reduces moment of inertia during use.

An optical scanning system includes one or more Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) used to scan a field-of-view (FOV) over a field-of-regard (FOR). The MEMS MMA is configured such that optical radiation from each point in the FOV does not land on or originate from out-of-phase mirror segments and a diffraction limited resolution of the optical system is limited by the size of the entrance pupil and not by the size of individual mirrors.

A frame (110) is rotatably coupled to a substrate (200) by way of a torsion spring element (100), wherein the frame (110) can be both twisted in relation to the substrate (200) and moved linearly in relation to said substrate (200). The torsion spring element (100) is made of a single piece and suitable for use in micro-electromechanical devices.

A MEMS-mirror device (1) is provided that comprises a support (2), a mirror body (3) that is rotationally suspended with respect to the support along a rotation axis (4), and an actuator (7A, 7B) to induce a rotation in the mirror body around the rotation axis. The mirror body (3) has a mirror surface (311) that in a neutral state defines a reference plane (x, y) having a longitudinal axis (y) through a center of the mirror body parallel to the rotation axis (4) and a lateral axis (x) transverse to the longitudinal axis. The mirror body (3) has a central portion (31) and integral therewith a pair of extension portions (32A, 32B) that extend in mutually opposite directions along the longitudinal axis. Each of the extension portions (32A, 32B) is flexibly coupled at a lateral side (322A, 322B) to the support with a respective plurality (6A, 6B) of torsion beams (61) which in a neutral state of the mirror body extend in the reference plane (x, y). The torsion beams of a respective plurality of torsion beams have a respective first end (611) attached to the support and a respective second end (612) attached to the respective extension portion, wherein the respective first end and the respective second end have mutually different positions (y1, y2) in the direction of the longitudinal axis (y) and in the lateral direction (x) are at mutually opposite sides (x1, x2) of the rotation axis (4).

A platform includes first and second actuation layers. The first actuation layer includes first and second frames and a plurality of actuators connected between the first frame and the second frame, wherein the plurality of actuators are adapted to move the first and second frames with respect to each other in a first direction. The second actuation layer includes third and fourth frames and a plurality of actuators connected between the third frame and the fourth frame, wherein the plurality of actuators are adapted to move the third frame and the fourth frame with respect to each other in a second direction, different from the first direction. Thereby, the fourth frame of the second actuation layer and the second frame of the first actuation layer are mechanically connected to each other, such that the second actuation layer experiences the movement in the first direction induced by the first actuation layer.