Two-Dimensional Optical Scanner with Large Angular Rotation Realized by Self-Assembled Micro-Elevato - Broadband Optical Networks and Technologies: An Emerging Reality/Optical MEMS/Smart Pixels/Organic

Two-dimensional (2D) optical scanners with large-area mirrors and large angular rotation are of great interest for applications in display, printing, optical scanning and sensing, optical data storage, and free-space optical links between satellites. The Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) technology is very attractive to reduce the size, weight, and complexity of the optical scanners. Several bulk[ 1,2] and surface-micromachined [3,4] 2D scanners have been reported. To achieve large angular rotation for large-area micromirrors, the mirrors need to be suspended high above the substrate. This requires the use of complicated processing steps such as thick sacrificial materials or wafer bonding with bulk-micromachined structures.