Handbook of Silicon Based MEMS Materials and Technologies

Chapter Thirteen. Optical Modeling of MEMS

Optics is related to the processing of silicon MEMS in many ways. For example, photolithography is used to pattern MEMS structures, while ellipsometry and optical microscopy are used to characterize them. However, the use of optics in the fabrication or characterization of nonoptical MEMS is not discussed in this chapter. Instead, we concentrate on the theory and modeling of optical MEMS structures. A typical example of optical MEMS (or micro-optical-electromechanical systems, MOEMS) is a movable mirror on silicon. However, we extend the concept of optical MEMS to also cover static optical structures that are realized on silicon with similar processing methods as those used in the fabrication of movable ...