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We have developed a manufacturing process for micromirrors based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. The process involves designing an electrostatic vertically comb-driven actuator and utilizing a self-alignment process to produce a height difference between the movable comb structure and the fixed comb structure of the micromirror. To improve the stability of the micromirror, we propose four instability models in micromirror operation with the quasi-static driving principle and structure of the micromirror considered, which can provide a basic guarantee for the performance of vertical comb actuators. This analysis pinpoints factors leading to instability, including the left and right gap of the movable comb, the torsion beams of the micromirror, and the comb-to-beams distance. Ultimately, the voltages at which device failure occurs can be determined. We successfully fabricated a one-dimensional micromirror featuring a 0.8 mm mirror diameter and a 30 μm device layer thickness. The height difference between the movable and fixed comb structures was 10 μm. The micromirror was able to achieve a static mechanical angle of 2.25° with 60 V@DC. Stable operation was observed at voltages below 60 V, in close agreement with the theoretical calculations and simulations. At the driving voltage of 80 V, we observed the longitudinal displacement movement of the comb fingers. Furthermore, at a voltage of 129 V, comb adhesion occurred, resulting in device failure. This failure voltage corresponds to the lateral torsional failure voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for imaging and detecting in various instrument areas has brought light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to the forefront of consumer technology. Among different LiDAR, microelectromechanical system (MEMS) LiDAR has more appeal due to its small size and high integration. However, due to its low resolution and slight scanning angle, MEMS LiDAR does not apply to all scenes. Thus we presented a 360-deg scanning LiDAR emission optical system. Design formulas were deduced from theoretical formulas. In this system, the aspheric lens collimated the beam, MEMS micromirrors tracked the concentric circular beams, and the converging lens compensated for the divergence of the outgoing beam. By doing so, the target was scanned 360 deg at high resolution. With Zemax, the fast-axis divergence angle was 0.2484 mrad, the slow-axis divergence angle was 0.1546 mrad, and the system energy utilization rate was 84.16% with an angular resolution of 0.0142 deg at a distance of 10,000 mm. We have provided a potential solution for improving the scanning angle and resolution of MEMS LiDAR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]