A micromirror comprising a mirror pivotally attached to a mount by a first pivoting structure that permits pivotal movement of the mirror relative to the mount about a first axis. A first comb drive with a first portion fixed relative to the mirror and a second portion fixed relative to the mount, and the first comb drive are adapted to actuate the mirror about the first axis. A first support structure pivotally attached to the mount by a second pivoting structure that permits pivotal movement of the mount relative to the first support structure about a second axis, and the second axis is non-parallel to the first axis. A second comb drive with a first portion fixed relative to the mount and a second portion fixed relative to the first support structure, and the second comb drive is adapted to actuate the mount about the second axis.

A micromirror which comprises a mirror pivotally attached to a mount by a first pivoting structure that permits pivotal movement of the mirror relative to the mount about a first axis; a first comb drive which has a first position fixed relative to the mirror and second portion fixed relative to the mount. The first comb drive being for actuating the mirror about the first axis. A weight connected to the mirror, and the weight and mirror being on opposite sides of a fulcrum of the first pivoting structure. The first axis is non-parallel to a longitudinal axis extending through the weight and the mirror.

A method for manufacturing an opening structure is provided. The method may include: forming a patterned mask over a first side of a carrier; forming material over the first side of the carrier covering at least a portion of the carrier; forming a first opening in the carrier from a second side of the carrier opposite the first side of the carrier to at least partially expose a surface of the patterned mask; and forming a second opening in the material from the second side of the carrier using the patterned mask as a mask.

A microfabricated gas flow structure includes an array of vertical gas flow channels in a side-by-side parallel flow arrangement. Adjacent gas flow channels are separated by a thin wall having a thickness which can be an order of magnitude or more less than the channel width, offering exceptionally high area efficiency for the array. Channel walls can be formed from a dielectric material to provide the walls with sufficient integrity at nanoscale thicknesses and to provide thermal insulative properties in the lateral direction, thereby controlling power losses when the gas flow structure is employed as a Knudsen pump. The gas flow structure can be microfabricated as a monolithic structure from an SOI wafer, with the gas flow channels formed in the device layer and the heat sink formed from the handle layer.

A method of etching features in a silicon wafer includes coating a top surface and a bottom surface of the silicon wafer with a mask layer having a lower etch rate than an etch rate of the silicon wafer, removing one or more portions of the mask layer to form a mask pattern in the mask layer on the top surface and the bottom surface of the silicon wafer, etching one or more top surface features into the top surface of the silicon wafer through the mask pattern to a depth plane located between the top surface and the bottom surface of the silicon wafer at a depth from the top surface, coating the top surface and the one or more top surface features with a metallic coating, and etching one or more bottom surface features into the bottom surface of the silicon wafer through the mask pattern to the target depth plane.

A micromirror comprising a mirror pivotally attached to a mount by a first pivoting structure that permits pivotal movement of the mirror relative to the mount about a first axis. A first comb drive with a first portion fixed relative to the mirror and a second portion fixed relative to the mount, and the first comb drive are adapted to actuate the mirror about the first axis. A first support structure pivotally attached to the mount by a second pivoting structure that permits pivotal movement of the mount relative to the first support structure about a second axis, and the second axis is non-parallel to the first axis. A second comb drive with a first portion fixed relative to the mount and a second portion fixed relative to the first support structure, and the second comb drive is adapted to actuate the mount about the second axis.

A method for manufacturing a flexible strip, including forming a plate of the required thickness with one or more micromachinable substrate wafers; affixing, on either side of the plate, an upper mask with an upper window and a lower mask with a lower window, of identical geometry; etching the plate, at least to mid-thickness, from the upper side of each upper etching window, and from the side of each lower etching window; removing the upper mask and the lower mask, to delimit a flexible strip having a height equal to the thickness of the plate, and whose edges are as-etched. A flexible strip made of micromachinable material, including, between two parallel upper and lower surfaces, two peripheral, tapered and reverse-tapered edge surfaces, for a flexible pivot, a resonator, a movement or a watch.

A micromirror and micromirror array may have a first stationary structure, and a mirror structure connected to a first pivoting structure that pivots the mirror structure relative to the first stationary structure about a first axis of rotation. A first comb drive pivots the mirror structure about the first axis of rotation. The first comb drive has a first portion attached to the stationary structure and a second portion attached to the mirror structure, the first portion being electrically isolated from the second portion. The micromirror or micromirror array may be mounted to a Through Silicon Via (TSV) wafer having electrical connections that extend between a first side and a second side of the TSV wafer such that the first and second portions of each comb drive are electrically connected to the electrical connections.

A method for manufacturing an opening structure is provided. The method may include: forming a patterned mask over a first side of a carrier; forming material over the first side of the carrier covering at least a portion of the carrier; forming a first opening in the carrier from a second side of the carrier opposite the first side of the carrier to at least partially expose a surface of the patterned mask; and forming a second opening in the material from the second side of the carrier using the patterned mask as a mask.

A mirror device includes a frame body, a mirror configured to tilt about a Y-axis with respect to the frame body, a fixed inner comb electrode including a plurality of electrode fingers arranged in the arrangement direction along the Y-axis and provided at the frame body, and a movable inner comb electrode including a plurality of electrode fingers arranged in the arrangement direction and provided at the mirror, the electrodes fingers of the fixed inner comb electrode and the movable inner comb electrode being alternately arranged. The mirror includes a mirror body and an extension extending from the mirror body. Some of the electrode fingers of the movable inner comb electrode are provided at the mirror body, and another electrode fingers of the movable inner comb electrode are provided at the extension.