Fabrication and current-drive of SiGe/Si Micro-origami epitaxial MEMS device on SOI substrate

A micromirror structure with SiGe/Si heteroepitaxial layer on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate using a ʹMicro-origamiʹ technique has been successfully fabricated. The micromirror is supported by two curved hinge structures. The device is driven by application of a current, and net angular displacements larger than 10(degree) (static) and 30(degree) (in resonance) were obtained. These values are comparable with or even larger than the reported values for other MEMS optical switches or beam scanning devices. The experimental results suggest that the movement is evoked by a thermal effect. The Micro-origami device has advantages of low operation voltage smaller than 2 V, and structural compatibility with the Si or SiGe LSIs.