A Biaxial PZT Optical Scanner for Pico-Projector Applications

We report a newly developed two-dimensional MEMS optical scanner based on the ADRIP (Arc Discharge Reactive Ion-Plating) deposited piezoelectric PZT film of typical 4 mu m. A circular mirror of 1.2 mm in diameter is suspended within a pair of resonant mechanism that oscillates at 25 kHz for +/- 12 degrees mechanical angle with a typical voltage of 10 V. A gimbal plate including the mirror is supported with another pair of meandering suspensions to tilt the plate in the orthogonal direction at 60 Hz for the off-resonant vertical motion of +/- 8 degrees mechanical. Overall power consumption of the piezoelectric actuation was 100 mW or less. As a mechanical reinforce, a rib-structure was designed on the backside of the mirror by using a structural optimization tool TOSCA to suppress the dynamic curvature to 100 nm or less. A piezoelectric sensor was also integrated in the identical PZT film after optimizing the electrode shape to pick up the mechanical angle of the scanner and to give a trigger signal to the control system. A plug-in type pico-projector optics and electronics has been assembled in a 7.5 cm x 12 cm x 5 cm volume with RGB lasers to demonstrate a HD (high definition) class image projection of 720 horizontal lines. The fundamental resonance of the entire scanner mechanism was made to be 1 kHz or higher, thereby exhibiting a compatibility with vehicle applications.