Integrated Mems Technologies for Adaptive Optics Chair ________________________________________ Date ________________ ________________________________________ Date ________________ Integrated Mems Technologies for Adaptive Optics

Integrated MEMS Technologies for Adaptive Optics by Blake Ching-Yu Lin Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences University of California, Berkeley Professor Richard S. Muller, Chair Image resolutions of modern optical systems are many times limited by wavefront aberrations due to turbulence in the optical media. Adaptive Optics (AO) is a technology that utilizes deformable mirrors (DM) to correct the wavefront distortion, thereby enhancing the image resolution. In this research, we investigate the design and fabrication of micromechanical-deformable-mirror arrays for AO applications. The mirror arrays are produced using surface micromachining techniques developed for the fabrication of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). Because many AO applications require large arrays (100s-1000s of segments) of closely-spaced deformable mirrors that need to be controlled individually, it is highly desirable that the DM arrays can be integrated with CMOS control electronics. In this research, we develop a CMOS-compatible fabrication