Design and Simulation of A MEMS Based Horseshoe Shaped Low Current Lorentz Deformable Mirror (LCL-DM)

B. Park [1], T. Chen [1], C. Shafai [1],
[1] Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Published in 2015

This poster presents the design and analysis of a novel horseshoe shaped MEMS actuator for adaptive optics. The actuation mechanism is Lorentz force enabling low current (below 10 mA) operation. The actuator combined with an overlying aluminum coated SU-8 soft polymer membrane for the mirror, together form the complete adaptive optics system to enable correction of wavefront distortion of optical aberrations. Simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics® software detail actuator design, mirror motion, and inter-element crosstalk between actuators. Thermal effect by Joule heating, a major drawback of high current actuators, is simulated, and show the Lorentz actuator has less than 0.1 K temperature change.