JPH02277012A - Microactuator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the microactuator which can adjust a device finely by providing a moving mechanism made of a piezoelectric material, plural electrodes provided on beams, and a control circuit which moves a table. CONSTITUTION:The microactuator is constituted by providing the moving mechanism 10, the electrodes 17 - 20 provided on the beams 12 - 15, and the control circuit 21. When the control circuit 21 applies negative voltages having the same voltage level to the electrodes 17 and 18 and positive voltages to the electrodes 19 and 20, the beams 12 and 13 made of piezoelectric materials contract and the beams 14 and 15 expand. Their quantities of variation correspond to the voltage levels and they operate reversely when the voltages are applied reversely. Consequently, the table 16 is balanced and moves as shown by an arrow (a). Further, when the electrodes 17 and 20 are applied with negative voltages and the electrodes 18 and 19 are applied with positive voltages at the same time, the beams 12 and 15 contract and the beams 13 and 14 extend, so that the table 16 turns as shown by an arrow (b). The table rotates reversely when the voltages are applied reversely. Consequently, the fine table 16 can be moved to a desired position and a system to be adjusted is mounted on the table 16 to enable parallel movement and turning on the table plane, thereby adjusting the system to be adjusted finely.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a microactuator applied to, for example, optical axis adjustment of an optical device.

(Prior Art) In a device with a fine structure, for example, an optical device 1 with a size of about LO+n as shown in FIG.
3! #Setup is performed. This optical device 1 includes a light emitting element 3 provided inside a device body 2, and an optical fiber 4 connected to a connector 5 on the side facing the light emitting element 3.
installed by. An optical lens system 6 is arranged between the light emitting cables 3 and the optical fibers 4.

With such a configuration, the light from the light emitting element 3 is emitted as an expanded beam, and this expanded beam is emitted by the optical lens system 6.
The light beam is converted into a focused beam 7 and input into the optical fiber 4.

By the way, in such an optical device 1, the optical axis of the optical lens system 6 is adjusted so that the condensed beam 7 reliably enters the optical fiber 4 without loss, or this optical axis adjustment is performed from outside the device main body 2 to an external optical axis. This is done by changing the attitude of the optical lens system 6 using an adjustment device.

However, such an external optical axis adjustment device is large and expensive. Moreover, the optical device 1 is becoming increasingly miniaturized, and it becomes difficult to adjust the optical axis of a large-sized optical axis adjustment device for such an optical device 1 without changing the structure or the like. Therefore, there is a need for an adjustment means that can be applied not only to the optical device 1 as described above but also to all fine devices.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, various adjustments to fine devices require large external adjustment devices and are expensive, and a means for adjustment that can be applied to all fine devices is required. has been done.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a microactuator that allows fine adjustment of devices.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention includes a fine movable mechanism formed from a piezoelectric material in which a table is supported by a plurality of beams, a plurality of electrodes provided on each of the six beams, This microactuator is equipped with a control circuit that moves the table by supplying positive and negative voltages to these electrodes, respectively, to achieve the above object.

The movable mechanism is formed by laser assisted etching.

(Function) By providing such a means, when positive and negative voltages are supplied from the control circuit to the plurality of electrodes provided on each of the six beams, the six beams contract due to the piezoelectric effect and the table Moving.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a microactuator. In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a movable mechanism, and this movable mechanism 10 has a table 16 formed inside an outer frame 11 and supported by four beams 12, 13, 14, and 15. By the way, this movable mechanism 10 is formed by laser-assisted etching, and the length of each side of the outer frame 11 is approximately 10 m5. And 6 beams 12
Electrodes 17, 18 and 19, 20 made of gold (Au) are formed at 13, 14, and 15, respectively.

By the way, laser-assisted etching is a processing method that performs microfabrication. For example, a material such as silicon 81 is immersed in a chemical solution, or the material is placed in a flowing chemical solution, and the surface of the material is etched in this state. The area irradiated with the laser beam is selectively removed by irradiating the area with a laser beam. Therefore, the movable mechanism 10 shown in FIG.
It is formed by immersing the coated material in a potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution and performing wet etching using an Nb:YAG laser as an assist.

On the other hand, 21 is a control circuit, and this control circuit 21 has a function of applying analog voltages of positive and negative polarities to each electrode 17.1g and 19.20 by varying the voltage level according to the amount of movement of the table 16. It has the following. Note that the surface of the movable mechanism 10 opposite to that on which the electrodes 17 to 20 are formed is grounded.

With such a configuration, each electrode 17 is controlled by the control circuit 21.
When a negative voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 17.18 of ~2Q and a positive voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 19.20, the piezoelectricity of the piezoelectric material is increased as shown in FIG. As a result of the effect, the six beams 12 and 13 are contracted and the six beams 14 and 15 are elongated. Here, the amount of contraction of the six beams 12 and 13 depends on the level of negative voltage, and the amount of contraction of the six beams 14°1
The amount of elongation in No. 5 corresponds to the level of positive voltage. As a result,
The table 16 moves in parallel in the direction of arrow (A). In addition,
When a positive voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 17, 18 and a negative voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 19, 20, the table 16 moves in parallel in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow (A). In addition, each electrode 17 is controlled by the control circuit 21.
When a negative voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 17.20 among the electrodes 17.20 and a positive voltage of the same voltage level is applied to each electrode 18.19, the piezoelectricity of the piezoelectric material increases as shown in FIG. As a result of the effect, the 6 beams 12.15 will shrink and the 6 beams 13.14 will elongate. As a result, the table 16 rotates in the direction of arrow (b). Note that while applying a positive voltage of the same voltage level to each electrode 17.20, each electrode 18.
When a negative voltage of the same voltage level is applied to the table 19, the table 16 rotates in the opposite direction to the direction of the arrow (b).

In this way, in the above embodiment, positive and negative ry pressures are applied from the control circuit 21 to the electrodes 17 to 20 provided on the six beams 12 to 15, respectively, and the piezoelectric effect is applied to the six beams 12 to 15. Since the table 16 is moved by contraction, the fine table 16 can be moved to a desired position. Therefore, by placing the system to be adjusted on the table 16, fine adjustments can be made by moving or rotating the system in parallel on the plane of the table 16.

Next, a case in which the microactuator of the first embodiment is applied to an optical device will be described with reference to the configuration diagram of the optical device shown in FIG.

Note that the same parts as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. A light-emitting cable 31 is provided inside the device main body 30, and an optical fiber 32 is attached to the side facing the light-emitting element 31 by connectors 3. A light receiving cable 34 divided into four parts is provided at the position where the optical fiber 32 is attached.

A movable mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 1 is provided inside the device main body 30, and an optical lens system 36 is provided on the table 16 of the movable mechanism 1, 0 via a support 35. On the other hand, the attitude control circuit 37 receives the light receiving signals from each of the four divided elements of the light receiving element 34, determines the focusing position of the focused beam 31b from these light receiving signals, and uses this focusing position and the optical axis of the optical lens system 36. Each voltage signal v1 to v4 calculates the amount of deviation from the focusing position when the two are aligned and eliminates this amount of deviation.
It has a function of supplying each of the electrodes 17 to 20 of the movable mechanism 10.

With such a configuration, the expanded beam 31 a of light emitted from the light emitting element 31 is converted into a condensed beam 31 b by the optical lens system 36 and enters the optical fiber 32 . At this time, the light-receiving element 34 outputs each light-receiving signal according to the amount of light received from the four divided elements according to the focusing position of the focused beam 31b. These light reception signals are sent to the attitude control circuit 37, and this attitude control circuit 37 determines the focusing position of the focused beam 31b from each light receiving signal and compares it with the focusing position when the optical axis of the optical lens system 36 is aligned. Find the amount of deviation. Then, this attitude control circuit 37 sends voltage signals v1 to V to each electrode 17 to 20, respectively, to eliminate this amount of deviation. As a result, the six beams 12 to 15 of the movable mechanism 10 contract as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the table 16 moves and rotates by 110 rows. However, by moving the table 16, the attitude of the optical lens system 36 is adjusted, and as a result, the optical axes of the optical lens system 36 are aligned.

When applied to an optical device in this manner, the optical axis of the optical lens system 36 can be adjusted by providing the movable mechanism 10 inside the ultra-small device main body 30.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may be modified without departing from the spirit thereof. For example, the table 16 of the movable mechanism 10 is not limited to parallel movement and rotation as in the above-mentioned embodiment, but may be modified so that the table is moved parallel on the XY plane and rotated in the θ direction.

Further, the present invention is not limited to optical axis adjustment of optical devices, but may be applied to various adjustments of other minute devices.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the first invention, it is possible to provide a microactuator that can finely adjust devices.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 4 are diagrams for explaining one embodiment of the microactuator according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the action of the movable mechanism. ,
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram when applied to an optical device, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the prior art. 10... Movable mechanism, 11... Outer frame, 12-15...
・Beam, 16...Table, 17-20...Electrode, 2
1... Control circuit. Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A fine movable mechanism formed from a piezoelectric material in which a table is supported by a plurality of beams, a plurality of electrodes provided on each beam, and positive and negative voltages are supplied to each of these electrodes to support the table. A microactuator comprising: a control circuit for moving a microactuator; (2) The microactuator according to claim (1), wherein the movable mechanism is formed by laser-assisted etching.