Stroboscopic supercontinuum white-light interferometer for MEMS characterization

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS)

Background:

• Characterizing MEMS device dynamics is crucial for performance evaluation.
• Traditional methods may lack the resolution or speed for high-frequency applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a supercontinuum-based scanning white-light interferometer for dynamic 3D MEMS characterization.
• To assess the accuracy of this technique by comparing it with a conventional LED setup.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a supercontinuum light source modulated for stroboscopic operation.
• Synchronized light modulation with MEMS device oscillation for dynamic 3D profile acquisition.
• Employed a scanning white-light interferometer for high-resolution measurements.

Main Results:

• Successfully recorded dynamic 3D profiles of a MEMS microbridge.
• Measured a maximum deflection of 1.42±0.03 μm for a microbridge under specific voltage and frequency conditions.
• Results from the supercontinuum method showed excellent agreement with measurements from a white light LED setup.

Conclusions:

• The supercontinuum-based interferometer provides accurate dynamic 3D characterization of MEMS devices.
• This technique holds significant potential for the analysis of high-frequency MEMS.
• Validated the method's reliability through comparison with established techniques.