Two-dimensional thermally actuated optical microprojection

A dual-axis, raster-scanning laser display based on a monolithic micromachined scanner is presented. The scanner consists of a mirror located at the end of a thermally actuated bimorph beam. The novelty of the device is that the two orthogonal angular motions are given by the same "L"-shaped cantilever, which is simultaneously excited at non-resonance (frame scanning) and at resonance (raster scanning). The demonstration microdevice has a raster-scanning frequency at 1345 Hz that allows, if combined with 10 Hz sawtooth Game signal, the definition of more than 100 lines. Mechanical scan amplitudes over 15 degrees in two orthogonal directions were achieved. The typical power consumption is 5 mW. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.