Micromachined lens microstages for two-dimensional forward optical scanning

Abstract

This work presents a novel approach for a miniaturized optical scanning module based on lateral and piston motion of two commercial lenses by MEMS actuation. Two aspheric glass lenses of 1 mm diameter are assembled on two electrostatically actuated microstages moving along perpendicular axes to tilt optical path. The compact integration secures the effective beam aperture of 0.6 mm within the device width of 2 mm. The lens mass provides high-Q motions at low operating voltages of DC 5 V and AC 10 V(pp), i.e., the lateral angle of +/- 4.6 degrees at 277 Hz and the vertical angle of +/- 5.3 degrees at 204 Hz. The device can provide a new direction for miniaturizing laser scanning based endoscopes or handheld projectors. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America