BULK MICROMACHINING PROCESS FOR FABRICATING AN OPTICAL MEMS DEVICE WITH INTEGRATED OPTICAL APERTURE

摘要

An optical MEMS device is fabricated by forming an aperture (20) through the thickness of a first substrate (10) to enable an optical signal to be transmitted through the aperture (20). A movable, actuatable microstructure is formed on a second substrate (30). The second substrate (30) is bonded to the first substrate (10). The first and second substrates (10, 30) are aligned to enable the microstructure to interact with the optical signal upon actuation of the microstructure. A conductive element (25A) is formed on the first substrate (10) to serve as a contact or an interconnect. A channel (43) is formed in the second substrate (30). An insulating layer (57A) can be deposited on the inside surfaces of this channel (43). When the first and second substrates (10, 30) are bonded together, the conductive element (25A) formed on the first substrate (10) is disposed within the channel (43) and is isolated from conductive regions of the resulting optical MEMS device. In another method, an optical MEMS device is fabricated from a substrate (200) that comprises an etch-stop layer (200C) interposed between first and second bulk layers (200A, 200B). The movable, actuatable microstructure is formed into the first bulk layer (200A), and the aperture (230) is formed through the second bulk layer (200B).