A Monolithic Forward-View MEMS Laser Scanner with Decoupled Raster Scanning and Enlarged Scanning Angle for Micro LiDAR Applications

Dingkang Wang*, Sanjeev J. Koppal, Huikai Xie

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and characterization of a forward-view optical scanner realized by two vertical 2-axis MEMS mirrors integrated on a Silicon Optical Bench (SiOB). The mirror plate sizes of the first and second MEMS mirrors are 0.6× 0.7 mm2 and 1.2× 1.4 mm2, respectively. With the second MEMS mirror larger, the optical beam will not be truncated even during large-angle dynamic scanning. This dual-mirror configuration also enables multiple scanning modes, e.g., an enlarged 2D field of view (FoV) by combining the scans of both mirrors, and a decoupled raster scanning by actuating the two mirrors separately. Experiments show that the enlarged 2D FoV reached 28°(h) × 31° (v) and the FoV of the decoupled raster scanning reached 38°(h) × 8° (v). The measured first resonances of the two mirrors were 2.09 kHz and 0.85 kHz, respectively. The overall size of the MEMS scanner was only 5.3× 5.8× 3.0 mm3, and its weight was 20 mg. This 2-axis forward optical scanner is much smaller and lighter than other two-mirror scanning modules, giving it a great potential for applications in miniature LiDAR for micro-robotics. [2020-0081].

Original languageEnglish
Article number9123864
Pages (from-to)996-1001
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Microelectromechanical Systems
Volume29
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2020

Keywords

  • LiDAR
  • MEMS LiDAR
  • MEMS mirror
  • electrothermal actuation
  • forward-view scanner
  • vertical MEMS mirror

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