Micromachined apparatus for improved reflection of light

Abstract

A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light is described that is designed to reduce losses in quality or intensity of light. Mirrors are used having lengths that are longer than their widths to reduce clipping of light when a mirror is located at an angle with respect to light falling thereon. Relatively long mirror torsion components are used to reduce forces required to pivot the mirrors. Regardless of the dimensions of the mirrors and the use of long torsion components, the mirrors are still located relatively close to one another. The relatively close positioning of the mirrors is due to a combined use of notches formed in support frames to which the torsion components are secured, oval shapes of the mirrors which take up less space than rectangular shapes, matching oval openings in the support frames, and the arrangement of the support frames in a non-rectangular array wherein tips of the support frames are located between one another.

1 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a support structure; and    a plurality of mirrors each being pivotally secured to the support structure, a first to a third adjacent ones of the mirrors being located at corners of a first triangle, each corner being less than 90°.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the mirrors are located at corners of a plurality of contiguous triangles, each triangle having three corners, each of which is less than 90°.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising a plurality of support frames, each support frame being pivotally secured to the support structure, the first, second and third mirrors being secured to a first, second, and third of the support frames, respectively.  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus according to  claim 3  wherein the third support frame is partially located between the first and second support frames.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus according to  claim 4  wherein a respective mirror pivots relative to a respective support frame about a respective mirror pivot axis, the mirror pivot axis about which the third mirror pivots being located between the mirror pivot axes about which the first and second mirrors pivot.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 1  further comprising an electrostatic barrier structure located between the first and second, the first and third, and the second and third mirrors.  
     
     
         7 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a support structure;    a plurality of support frames pivotally secured to the support structure and being located in first and second substantially parallel lines, the support frames in the first line pivoting about a first support frame axis and the support frames in the second line pivoting about a second support frame axis which is spaced and substantially parallel to the first support frame axis, a respective support frame in the second line being partially located between adjacent ones of the two of the support frames in the first line; and    a plurality of mirrors, each being secured to a respective support frame so as to be pivotal about a respective mirror axis transverse to a respective support frame axis about which the support frame pivots.    
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 7  further comprising an electrostatic barrier structure located between the support frames and being formed so as to completely surround each support frame.  
     
     
         9 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a substrate;    a support component secured to the substrate;    a reflective component located next to the support component and having a predetermined minimum spacing from the support component; and    a torsion connector having one end secured to the support component and a second opposing end secured to the support component, pivoting of the reflective component winding the torsion component against a torsion spring force thereof, a torsion length of the torsion spring component being more than the predetermined minimum spacing.    
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 9  wherein the support component is a support structure and the reflective component includes: 
 a support frame, the torsion component being a frame torsion component securing the support fame to the support structure; and  
 a mirror pivotally secured to the support frame.  
 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus according to  claim 10  wherein the support frame has a surface from which the predetermined minimum spacing is measured to the support structure, and a notch formed in the surface, the torsion length of the frame torsion component extending into the notch.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus-according to  claim 9  further comprising: 
 a support structure secured to the substrate, the support component being a support frame pivotally secured to the support structure, the reflective component being a mirror, and the torsion component being a mirror torsion component securing the mirror to the support frame.  
 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus according to  claim 12  wherein the support frame has a surface from which the predetermined minimum spacing is measured to the mirror, and a notch being formed in the surface, the torsion length of the mirror torsion component extending into the notch.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus according to  claim 9  wherein a first to a third adjacent ones of the mirrors are located in a triangle having comers, each of which is less than 90°.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus according to  claim 14  wherein each mirror has a long axis and a short axis transverse to the long axis, the long axes of the first to the third mirror components being located parallel and spaced from one another.  
     
     
         16 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a support structure; and    a plurality of mirrors secured to the support structure, each mirror having a substantially oval shape having a long axis and a short axis, the mirror being pivotal relative to the support structure about an axis transverse to the long axis thereof.    
     
     
         17 . An apparatus according to  claim 16  further comprising a plurality of support frames, each being secured to the support structure, each mirror being secured to a respective support frame, each support frame being pivotal relative to the support structure so as to pivot the mirror about the axis transverse to the long axis thereof, and the mirror being pivotal relative to the support frame about an axis transverse to the short axis thereof.  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus according to  claim 17  wherein the support frame defines an opening within which the mirror is located, the opening having a substantially oval shape.  
     
     
         19 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a support structure;    a plurality of support frames each being pivotally secured to the support structure for pivotal movement about a respective support frame axis; and    a plurality of mirrors each being pivotally secured to a respective support frame for pivotal movement about a respective mirror axis which is transverse to the respective support frame axis about which the respective support frame pivots, four adjacent ones of the mirrors being located in a zigzag arrangement with each subsequent mirror in the zigzag arrangement having its respective mirror axis spaced from the mirror axis of a previous mirror in the zigzag arrangement.    
     
     
         20 . An apparatus according to  claim 19  wherein each support frame has a surface having a minimum predetermined spacing as measured to a respective mirror, a notch being formed in the surface, further comprising a plurality of mirror torsion components, each mirror torsion component having one end secured to a respective mirror, extending from the mirror into a respective notch and having a second, opposing end secured to a respective support frame, pivoting of the mirror winding the torsion component against a torsion spring force thereof.  
     
     
         21 . A micromachined apparatus for reflecting light, comprising: 
 a support structure;    a plurality of support frames each being pivotally secured to the support structure for pivotal movement about a respective support frame axis; and    a plurality of mirrors each being pivotally secured to a respective support frame for pivotal movement about a respective mirror axis which is transverse to the respective support frame axis about which the respective support frame pivots, three adjacent ones of the mirrors being located in a non-rectangular array.