2 Degree-of-Freedom Spiral Micromirror Manipulator: Fabrication and Spatial Mechanical Assembling

We present a process for the fabrication and assembly of a novel spiral-shaped micromirror manipulator for free space optical switching. The manipulator is comprised of two different parts, which are fabricated using conventional surface micromachining processes. The footprint of the assembled device is about 600μm and the height of the micro pyramid is 200μm. In spite of conventional approaches to microsystem design, which prefer devices with monolithic and self-assembling properties, the two parts are fabricated on two different chips. They are then assembled using a spatial mechanical approach. A number of separate spiral and pyramid parts are fabricated and the first assembling test on a single actuator is performed. In this paper, the Surface micromachining processes used for fabrication of the parts are presented and their sensitivity and issues are discussed. Spatial mechanical assembly results are presented and process issues are addressed.