Homogeneity of Electro-Mechanical and Optical Characteristics in Ring-Shaped MEMS Shutter Arrays with Subfield...

We present a MEMS array-based approach for micro-irises called "ring shutter", utilizing subfield addressing for applications in advanced micro-optics, such as interference microscopy. This experimental study is focused on investigating the homogeneity of electro-mechanical and optical characteristics within and between subfields of a lab demonstrator device. The characterization aims to ensure crosstalk-free and swift optical performance, as demonstrated in a previous study. For this purpose, the transmission in the initial state, actuation voltages, and response dynamics are measured for each electrode and the entire device, and the results are thoroughly compared. The measurements are conducted by expanding an existing optical actuation setup via tailored 3D-printed apertures, to isolate selected rings and zones. Evaluation of measurement data confirms the stable and crosstalk-free operation of the ring shutter. Both angular and radial homogeneity are robust and follow the expectations in the experiment. While transmission, actuation voltage and closing time slightly rise (up to 25%) with increased radial position represented by five discrete ring sections, the characteristics for different angular zones remain nearly constant. Response times are measured below 40 µs, actuation voltages do not exceed 60 V, and the overall transmission of the ring shutter yields 53.6%.