Polymeric (SU-8) Optical Microscanner Driven by Electrostatic Actuation

A torsional micromechanical scanner was fabricated using photosensitive polymer (SU-8). The scanner consists of two parts; top layer (micro mirror) and bottom layer (an anchor and electrodes). The SU-8 scanner is actuated by electrostatic force generated from the gap-closing electrodes. For the fabricated optical scanner with the mirror area of 3times3 mm
²
, the experimentally determined scanning angles were 0.85deg and 3.1deg for 60 Hz (non-resonant) and 1.13 kHz (resonant) driving frequencies, respectively, at an input voltage of 160 V. A polymer-based actuator offers advantages including a low-cost fabrication process and low frequency operation.