JP3392025B2 - Light deflection device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical deflecting device suitably used for optical interconnection or the like in which arbitrary multipoints are freely connected by a lightwave, and more particularly, in an integrated circuit device and between devices, between devices and between devices. The present invention relates to an optical connection device or optical wiring for mutual connection, optical switching for switching transmission data as optical signals, and an optical deflection device for optical interconnection applied to optical information processing and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, holograms or liquid crystal switch arrays have been studied as optical deflectors used for reconfigurable (programmable) optical interconnection of connection paths. However, although a hologram having a variable diffraction direction can be configured by an optical writing type spatial light modulator, it is necessary to perform interference exposure on a liquid crystal or an optical crystal, and the device configuration is complicated. Besides, there is also a method using a liquid crystal switch array for switching in two directions, but since it requires multistage or repeated switching, the device configuration is extremely large. Furthermore, since it is a liquid crystal, it is inferior in high speed.

[0003]

With respect to the light deflection mechanism applying the diffraction phenomenon of light or the change of the refractive index as described above, a micromirror is manufactured based on the micromechanics technology, and the micromirror is tilted to produce an optical beam. The method of aiming at the bias of is proposed. For example, L. J. Hornbe
ck et al. proposes a spatial light modulator that changes the reflection direction of incident light by uniaxially rotating and displacing a thin metal plate serving as a mirror by an electrostatic force (US Pat. No. 5,0).
61,049, JP-A-4-230722). In addition, Toshiyoshi et al. Proposed an optical cross connector in which the mirror is uniaxially displaced based on the same driving principle to optically connect the optical fibers (H. Toshiyoshi et al ,.
"Fabrication and Operation of Electrostatic Micro
Torsion Mirrors for OpticalSwitches ", Technical D
igest of The l4th SENSOR SYMPOSIUM, pp.275-277, 19
96). Mirrors using these thin film plates can make the optical deflector compact and have a large deflection angle. However, since the light deflection direction is binarized (the thin film plate is moved in the balance of the spring force which changes temporarily with respect to the elongation and the electromagnetic force which changes with the inverse square of the distance). Since it is a two-way switching optical switch, it is necessary to arrange devices in multiple stages and perform switching in order to perform deflection in any direction.

Further, as another example of using a mirror other than a thin film plate, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-333528 discloses a hemisphere having a plane portion serving as a mirror in a groove filled with optical oil.
There has been proposed an optical deflecting device that is rotated by a contact type or non-contact type drive mechanism that is disposed so as to face a flat surface portion. This has a feature that incident light can be deflected in an arbitrary direction by freely rotating a hemisphere, and it is not necessary to perform multistage switching.

However, in this optical deflector,
In order to rotate the hemisphere by the torque generated by the force acting on the flat surface of the hemisphere and stop the hemisphere at a desired position, it is necessary to apply an equal torque in the direction opposite to the rotation direction ( FIG. 8A). Torque for rotation (F1 x
If the torque (F2 × r2) for stopping the rotation is different from r1), the hemisphere rotates in the direction of the combined torque. In order to stop the rotation, it is necessary to make the composition of all the torques applied to the entire flat surface of the hemisphere zero. In the case of a rotatable hemisphere, the positions (r1, r2) of the points of action on the plane are not necessarily fixed positions, and the points of action change to positions (r1 + δr, r2 + δr) depending on the rotation angle θ of the hemisphere. (See FIG. 8B).

Certainly, in the contact-type drive mechanism of this optical deflecting device, the flat surface portion is strongly pressed against the groove and the hemispherical surface is pressed against the groove without stopping by the torque, so that the position of the action point does not change. It is possible to stop the rotation of the hemisphere. However, in this case, excessive force is applied to the contact points between the flat surface portion, the hemispherical surface, and the groove, which may cause plastic deformation or damage of the hemispherical body or the groove, which reduces the durability of the optical deflector. Cause. Further, the contact-type drive mechanism needs to have a movable part such as an electromagnetic actuator, which complicates the device and is disadvantageous in downsizing and arraying. further,
The drive mechanism having such a movable part has a problem that it is difficult to seal the optical oil in the groove.

On the other hand, the non-contact type drive mechanism is advantageous in downsizing and arraying, and since the moving part can be eliminated, the optical oil can be easily sealed. However, in the non-contact drive mechanism, a force (F
1, F2) depends on the distance from the plane part of the hemisphere and the action points (r1, r2) also move as described above,
Both the forces (F1, F2) and the points of action (r1, r2) depend on the rotation angle of the hemisphere, and it is difficult to control the rotation angle of the hemisphere. On the other hand, it has the advantages described above. However, after all, considering the torque control for stopping the rotation of the hemisphere, in the non-contact type drive mechanism, the force (F1, F2) such as electrostatic force or magnetic force is the distance from the plane portion of the hemisphere, that is, the hemisphere. Since it depends on the rotation angle of the body, and the action points (r1, r2) also depend on the rotation angle as shown in FIG. 8, there are many parameters to be considered and it is difficult to control the torque. .

It is therefore an object of the present invention has been made in view of the problems point included in the above prior art, and its object is
(1) The deflection angle of the light beam can be set large, (2) the incident light can be deflected in any direction, and (3) the rotation direction of the light deflection member such as a hemisphere and the deflection angle of the light beam. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical deflecting device which can be easily controlled, and (4) can be miniaturized and can be easily arrayed in one or two dimensions.

[0009]

The optical deflecting device of the present invention for achieving the above object is a deflecting surface portion for deflecting an incident light beam, and a spherical surface formed so as to face the deflecting surface portion so as to surround the deflecting surface portion. A partial spherical body having a partial spherical surface portion consisting of a part of
A support that rotatably supports the partial sphere as it rotates , and a dielectric filled in the space between the support and the partial sphere.
And a driving means for rotating the partial sphere,
The drive means is arranged on the surface of the partial spherical surface of the partial spherical body so that the force for rotating the partial spherical body acts on the surface of the partial spherical surface.
Charged with different charges created by the action of a dielectric liquid
Two regions with different charging characteristics and a support or support.
Part that is provided at a position facing the partial sphere through the holding body
It is characterized by comprising a driving electrode for generating an electric field in the vicinity of the spherical portion . In this configuration, between the support and the partial sphere
Fill the voids with a dielectric liquid and
Are charged with different charges, and the electrodes arranged on the support side
Control the rotation of the partial sphere by using the electrostatic force generated between
It And the electrical wiring to the partial sphere is unnecessary
Then, the configuration becomes that simple. Also supports drive electrodes
Substrate with a new drive electrode provided on the body side
It is also possible to prepare a structure and connect it to the support.
It Thereby, the control drive circuit is integrated on the substrate.
It becomes possible and the configuration becomes simple.

According to the above construction, by applying a force for rotating a partial sphere such as a hemisphere to the partial spherical surface (hemispherical surface), the point of application of torque is always on the surface of the partial sphere. change in the distance from the rotational center Ru is suppressed.
This facilitates control of the rotation direction and deflection angle of the partial sphere. Further, in the optical deflecting device of the present invention, the partial sphere is driven in a non-contact manner and the driving mechanism has a relatively simple structure, which is suitable for downsizing and arraying. Furthermore, in the optical deflecting device of the present invention, since the range of rotation control of the partial sphere can be made relatively large, a large deflection angle can be obtained,
It is possible to deflect light in any direction.

The following specific embodiments can be preferably adopted. The support is configured to rotatably support the partial sphere around the center of the sphere of which the partial spherical portion is a part. In this way, the deflection control of the light beam can be performed easily and accurately. There are the following modes for supporting the partial sphere. A recess is formed in the support, and the partial sphere is rotatably supported therein. In this case, in order to smoothly and rotatably support the partial sphere, it is preferable that the partial sphere is supported by the concave portion through the void, and the void is filled with the liquid. Further, similarly, in order to smoothly and rotatably support the partial sphere, it is preferable to form a recess having a shape corresponding to the partial spherical portion (partial spherical shape such as hemispherical shape) on the support. In this way, even if a force in the direction passing through the center of the partial sphere is applied to the partial sphere, the concave part receives the movement in this direction so that the partial sphere does not shift in the direction of this force, and the suitable rotation of the partial sphere This is because it guarantees exercise. However, the recess need not be limited to this shape as long as it ensures such a preferable rotational movement, and may be conical, cylindrical, or the like.

The deflecting surface portion typically comprises a flat surface portion. If necessary, the deflecting surface portion may be a concave surface or a convex surface other than the flat surface portion, but if the flat surface portion is used, the deflection control of the light beam can be easily performed. Further, the partial spherical surface portion is typically a hemispherical surface portion. This makes it easier to support the rotation of the partial sphere and also relatively easy to create the partial sphere.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

Furthermore, the deflection of the light beam is performed by reflection or refraction. In the former case, a reflecting layer for reflecting / deflecting the light beam is formed on the deflecting surface portion such as a flat surface portion, and the light beam is incident on the deflecting surface portion from the deflecting surface portion side or the partial sphere side, and Reflection / deflection is performed by the provided reflection layer. In the latter case, the partial sphere is transparent to the deflecting light beam, and the refractive index between the deflecting surface portion and the space in contact with the deflecting surface portion (which may be filled with a liquid having a predetermined refractive index) is Light is deflected by refraction at the interface according to Snell's law. Since the light incident side and the light emitting side are opposite to each other with the partial sphere in between, it may be convenient in some cases.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An optical deflecting device of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
A detailed description will be given with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing of FIG.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an optical deflector according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The optical deflector of this embodiment has a hemisphere 1 having a flat surface portion 2 for deflecting an incident light beam, and when the hemisphere 1 rotates, the hemisphere 1 is rotatable in a hemispherical recess 3a through a gap. It has a support 3 for stable support and a drive means for rotating the hemisphere 1. The driving means is for rotating the hemisphere 1 to rotate the hemisphere 1.
Charging regions 7a and 7b having different charging characteristics on the spherical surface of
As shown in, the charging area 7a is formed in a strip shape,
The charging area 7b is provided in the shape of a bowl at the bottom),
A drive electrode 8 is provided below the support 3 in order to apply an electric field in the vicinity of the charging areas 7a and 7b. The light is deflected by the reflective layer 4 provided on the plane portion 2. The void is filled with the dielectric liquid 5, and in order to seal the dielectric liquid 5, a spacer 9 for preventing the rotation of the hemisphere 1 is provided on the upper part of the hemisphere 1 and the upper part of the hemisphere 1 is covered. It is closed by a parallel plate-shaped substrate 6.

The details of the driving means of the first embodiment of the optical deflecting device of the present invention will be described below. An electric double layer is formed in particles (hemisphere 1) in a dielectric liquid 5 such as silicone oil by exchanging charges between the particles and the liquid, and the particles are positively or negatively charged. As described above, the hemisphere 1 of the present embodiment has the charging areas 7a and 7b on the spherical surface, which have different charging characteristics in the liquid 5. By being made of materials having different spherical surfaces (MgF ₂ and quartz glass, as will be described later), the surface charge amount of the hemisphere 1 in the liquid 5 is also different in the charging regions 7a and 7b, and the hemisphere 1 is electrically charged. Has a moment (the direction of the vector is the vertical direction of FIG. 1 through the center of the hemisphere 1). When an electric field is applied to the hemisphere 1 by the drive electrode 8, a torque is applied to the hemisphere 1 so as to align the polar direction of the electric charge (the direction of the vector of the electric moment) with the electric field direction. Since the electric charge exists only on the surface of the hemisphere 1,
The distance from the center of rotation of the hemisphere 1 at the point of torque application always matches the radius of the hemisphere 1. After that, when the hemisphere 1 rotates and the polar directions of the charges of the hemisphere 1 are aligned in the direction of the electric field, the torque disappears and the rotation stops. Even if the electric field is cut off after the rotation is stopped, the hemisphere 1 is stopped at the same position due to the frictional action between the hemisphere 1 and the recess 3a, and the position is saved. When the electric field direction by the drive electrode 8 is changed, torque is similarly generated so that the polar direction is aligned with the electric field direction, and the hemisphere 1 rotates again. Using the above driving means,
No electrical wiring to the hemisphere 1 is required.

FIG. 2 shows the drive electrodes 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 8e for the hemisphere 1 when the optical deflector is viewed from above.
An example of the arrangement of The drive electrodes 8a, 8b, 8c,
Based on the five-point arrangement of 8d and 8e, the driving method of the optical deflecting device of this embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the hemisphere 1 is provided with a charging area 7b that is negatively charged and a charging area 7a that is positively charged in the dielectric liquid 5.
As shown in (a), a positive voltage is applied to the central drive electrode 8b, and other drive electrodes (8d and 8e on the front side and the other side are not shown)
An electric field is exerted by applying a negative voltage to. At this time, the charged region 7b is aligned with the drive electrode 8b in the polar direction of the charge, and the hemisphere 1 is in a state of standing upright as shown in FIG. 3A, and the incident light incident on the reflective layer 4 at the angle θ is θ. It is reflected at the exit angle.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the switch SW
When 1 and SW2 are switched and a positive voltage is applied to the left drive electrode 8a and a negative voltage is applied to the other drive electrodes (8d and 8e are not shown), the polar directions of the charges in the charging region 7b are also aligned in the electric field direction. The hemisphere 1 rotates to the right in the plane of the drawing around the spherical center, and the hemisphere 1 takes a rotation angle of a constant angle (α). As a result, the reflected light has an angle (2
α) It is further deflected. Switch the switch, and again
By setting the switches SW1 and SW2 as shown in (a), the hemisphere 1 returns to the position shown in FIG. 3 (a). It is possible to drive the hemisphere 1 to various positions using the above method. For example, by applying a positive voltage to the drive electrode 8a and the drive electrode 8b independently and applying a negative voltage to the other drive electrodes, the hemisphere 1 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3 (a) and the position shown in FIG. 3 (b). It is also possible to obtain a state between the positions and obtain an angle equal to or smaller than the deflection angle (2α). What kind of voltage application state and what kind of deflection angle can be obtained are measured in advance, and the rotation state of the hemisphere 1 is controlled based on the stored information to obtain a desired deflection angle. Good.

Next, an example of a manufacturing process of the optical deflecting device of this embodiment will be described. The hemisphere 1 has 100 made of quartz glass.
Micro beads for a collimator lens of a light emitting diode having a diameter of about μm are used, and one end of the beads is polished by a polishing process to form the flat surface portion 2. The flat portion 2 of the hemisphere 1 is fixed with an adhesive tape, and Mg is placed on the spherical surface of the hemisphere 1.
Charged area 7 is formed by vacuum deposition of F ₂ by a sputtering method.
a is formed. After that, a photoresist is applied to the surface of the hemisphere 1, and a photolithography process is used to expose and develop the photoresist on a part of the spherical surface of the hemisphere (a part corresponding to the charged region 7a or a part corresponding to the charged region 7b). Then, the MgF ₂ on the portion corresponding to the charged area 7b is removed by ion etching using Ar. In this way, the quartz glass is partially exposed to form the charging area 7b. next,
The spherical surface side of the hemisphere 1 is fixed with an adhesive tape, the adhesive tape on the flat surface side is peeled off, and Al (aluminum) to be the reflective layer 4 is formed on the flat surface portion 2 by the electron beam evaporation method. After this, peel off the adhesive tape, remove the photoresist,
A hemisphere 1 made of quartz glass having charging regions 7a and 7b having different charging characteristics shown in FIG. 1 and having a reflecting layer 4 on a flat surface 2 is formed.

Quartz glass is also used as the support 3, and ITO, which is a transparent conductive film, is formed on the lower surface of the quartz glass by a vacuum vapor deposition method, and the driving as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is performed by a photolithography process and etching. The electrodes 8a to 8e are formed. On top of this quartz glass, Cr (chrome) and Au
(Gold) is sequentially deposited by an electron beam evaporation method to form a mask. A part of the Cr-Au mask is patterned and removed into a circular shape by a photolithography process and etching, and the quartz glass is isotropically etched with an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid through the patterning and removing portion to form a hemispherical recess 3a.
Are formed on the support 3. After that, the Cr-Au mask is removed to form the support 3 shown in FIG. Into the recess 3a of the support 3, the reflecting layer 4 and the hemisphere 1 having the charged regions 7a and 7b are put, and at the same time, the dielectric liquid 5 made of silicone oil is put. Finally, the spacer 9 made of glass having a hollow structure is attached to the support 3 with an adhesive to form the substrate 6
Then, the upper part of the spacer is sealed with an adhesive, and the dielectric liquid 5 and the hemisphere 1 are sealed as shown in FIG.

A voltage of +100 V was applied between the drive electrode 8a and the other drive electrodes of the optical deflector thus manufactured. As a result, the hemisphere 1 was rotated as described above, and the angle (α) shown in FIG. 3B became 20 °. Thus, the reflected light is further 40 ° from the deflection angle of FIG.
It became possible to deflect. When the voltage application was released after the rotation of the hemisphere 1 was stopped, the hemisphere 1 did not move due to the frictional action with the recess 3a through the silicone oil 5 and the deflection angle of the reflected light did not change. Next, a voltage of +100 V was applied between the right drive electrode 8c and the other electrode. As a result, the angle (α) was −20 °, and the reflected light could be deflected by −40 ° from the deflection angle shown in FIG. Similarly, when the voltage application was released after the rotation was stopped, the deflection angle did not change. From the above, it was possible to perform optical deflection of 80 ° by using the optical deflector of the present embodiment. In addition, by applying a voltage to the drive electrode 8d and the drive electrode 8e in the same procedure as described above, it was possible to perform optical deflection of 80 ° in a direction perpendicular to the deflection direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface). .

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an optical deflector according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The optical deflector of this embodiment also has a support 1 having a hemispherical recess 13a that rotatably supports the hemisphere 11 through a gap when the hemisphere 11 rotates.
3 and a driving means for rotating the hemisphere 11.
The driving means is provided with charging regions 17 a and 17 b having different charging characteristics on the spherical surface of the hemisphere 11, and a driving electrode 18 for applying an electric field below the support 13. The basic structure is the same as in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, the hemisphere 11
The dielectric liquid 1 that guides the incident light from the lower surface of the support 13 to the flat surface portion 12 (there is no reflection layer here) and fills the voids
The incident light is deflected by using the difference between the refractive index of 5 and the refractive index of the material of the hemisphere 11.

A spacer 19 for preventing the rotation of the hemisphere 11 is provided on the upper part of the hemisphere 11 and is closed by a substrate 16.

The optical deflector of this embodiment also rotates the hemisphere 11 by the same driving means as in the first embodiment. That is, an electric field is applied by the drive electrode 18 to the electric moment formed by the charged regions 17a and 17b of the hemisphere 11 having different surface charge amounts in the liquid 15 so that the polar directions of the charges are aligned with the electric field direction. The hemisphere 11 is rotated by the torque At this time, as described in the first embodiment, the distance from the center of rotation of the point of torque application matches the radius of the hemisphere 11. Further, even if the electric field is cut off after the rotation is stopped, the hemisphere 11 is stopped at the same position, and the position is saved. When the electric field direction is changed, torque is similarly generated so that the electric field direction is aligned with the polar direction, and the hemisphere 11 is rotated again. When this driving means is used, no electrical wiring to the hemisphere 11 is required, as in the first embodiment.

The principle of deflection in the second embodiment will be described.
Now, using the driving means, the hemisphere 11 is rotated by an angle (α) with respect to the incident light from the lower portion of the support 13. Assuming that the refractive index of the dielectric liquid 15 is n ₁ and the refractive index of the hemisphere 11 is n ₂ , the deflection angle (β) from the incident light in FIG. 4 is given by the following formula according to Snell's law. β = sin ⁻¹ (n ₂ · sin α / n ₁ ) −α A specific example will be described. Micro beads for a collimator lens of a 100 μm diameter light emitting diode having a refractive index of 1.9 are used for the hemisphere 11, no reflective layer is provided on the hemisphere 11, and the refractive index of the dielectric liquid 15 is 1. 33
The optical deflecting device of this embodiment is manufactured by the same manufacturing process as that of the first embodiment except that the above-mentioned methyl alcohol is used. Drive electrodes 18a, 18b, 18c, 18 for the hemisphere 11
The arrangement of d and 18e (18d and 18e are not shown) is similar to that of the first embodiment. When a voltage of +100 V was applied between the drive electrode 18a and the other drive electrodes, the hemisphere 11 rotated and the angle (α) shown in FIG. 4 became 20 °. After the rotation was stopped, even if the voltage application was released, the angle (α) did not change. As a result, by substituting these specific numerical values into the above equation, β was 9 ° from this equation, and the emitted light could be deflected by 9 ° with respect to the incident light.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an optical deflector according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the drive electrode 28 supports the hemisphere 21 and the recess 2 of the support 23.
An insulating layer 30 is formed on the surface 3 a and on the drive electrode 28. Other than this, the configuration is similar to that of the first embodiment.

The optical deflector of this embodiment also has a hemisphere 21 having a plane portion 22 for deflecting an incident light beam, and the hemisphere 21.
Has a support 23 having a concave portion 23a that rotatably supports it via a gap when rotating, and a charging region 27 having different charging characteristics on the spherical surface of the hemisphere 21 for rotating the hemisphere 21.
a and 27b are provided. Similar to the first embodiment, a reflection layer 24 is provided on the flat surface portion 22 to deflect light by reflection. Also,
The scan Bae <br/> p o 29 for not inhibiting the rotation of the hemisphere 21 to the upper hemisphere 21 is provided, the gap is filled dielectric liquid 25 performs sealing of the dielectric liquid 25 Therefore, it is blocked by the substrate 26. The optical deflector of this embodiment also rotates the hemisphere 21 by the same driving means as in the first embodiment.

The manufacturing process of the optical deflecting device of this embodiment is as follows.
Only the manufacturing process shown in the embodiment differs from the process of forming the support 23. The manufacturing process of the support 23 will be described below. Cr (chromium) is formed on the upper surface of the quartz glass that becomes the support 23.
And Au (gold) are sequentially formed by an electron beam vapor deposition method to form a mask, and a part of the Cr—Au mask is patterned and removed into a circular shape by a photolithography process and etching. The quartz glass is isotropically etched with an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid. After this,
The Cr-Au mask is removed and the hemisphere 21 is attached to the support 23.
To form a hemispherical concave portion 23a. Next, Al (aluminum) is deposited on the inner surface of the hemispherical recess 23a by a sputtering method, and a drive electrode 28 is formed by a photolithography process and etching as shown in FIG. You can do like 2). Silicon dioxide is formed on the drive electrode 28 by a sputtering method to form an insulating layer 30.

In the optical deflector of this embodiment, the drive electrode 28
Is formed on the spherical surface of the hemispherical concave portion 23a of the support member 23, the distance between the charging regions 27a and 27b of the hemispherical body 21 and the drive electrode 28 becomes shorter than that in the first embodiment, and the hemispherical body 21 is formed. It has become possible to reduce the voltage required for rotation.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of an optical deflector according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The light deflecting device of this embodiment also has a hemisphere 31 having a flat portion 32 for deflecting an incident light beam, and a support 33 that rotatably supports the hemisphere 31 through a gap when the hemisphere 31 rotates. .
However, in this embodiment, in order to rotate the hemisphere 31, the movable electrode 37 is provided below the spherical surface of the hemisphere 31, and the support 3 is provided.
A drive electrode 38 for applying an electric field is provided on the lower part of 3. Further, in order to apply a voltage to the movable electrode 37, the hemisphere 3
A fixed electrode 40 is formed on the surface of the hemispherical recess 33a of the support body 33 that supports 1 (for example, the fixed electrode 40 is provided with wiring from the outside along the surface of the hemispherical recess 33a), and the hemisphere is formed. 31 rotates while bringing the movable electrode 37 into contact with the fixed electrode 40. These are connected to a power supply so that a voltage can be applied between the fixed electrode 40 and the drive electrode 38. When a voltage is applied to the fixed electrode 40 and the drive electrode 38, the movable electrode 37 and the drive electrode 38 that are in contact with the fixed electrode 40
A voltage is applied between and, and torque is generated by the electrostatic attractive force (electrostatic force) to rotate the hemisphere 31. At this time, the movable electrode 3
Since electric charges are generated only on the surface of No. 7 and a torque is generated by this and electrostatic attraction between desired portions of the drive electrode 38, the distance from the center of rotation of the point of action of torque is the same as in the above embodiment. It matches the radius of 31. This rotation causes the plane portion 32 to tilt, and the reflection layer 34 provided on the plane portion 32 reflects incident light and deflects the light. The fixed electrode 40 is arranged so that the movable electrode 37 is always in contact with the fixed electrode 40 even if the hemisphere 31 rotates.

The manufacturing process of the optical deflecting device of this embodiment will be described below. The hemisphere 31 is made of quartz glass and has a thickness of 100 μm.
Micro beads for a collimator lens of a light emitting diode having a diameter of m are used, and one end of the beads is polished by polishing to form a flat portion 32. Flat part 3 of this hemisphere 31
2 is fixed with adhesive tape, and the photoresist is a hemisphere 3
1 is applied to the surface, and a part of the hemisphere (bottom) is exposed by exposing and developing a part of the photoresist on the spherical surface of the hemisphere using a photolithography process. After that, Pt (platinum) is vacuum-deposited by a sputtering method. Next, hemisphere 3
The spherical surface side of 1 is fixed with an adhesive tape, the adhesive tape on the flat surface portion 32 side is peeled off, and Al (aluminum) to be the reflective layer 34 is formed on the flat surface portion 32 by an electron beam evaporation method.
After that, the adhesive tape is peeled off, the photoresist is removed, and the Pt film formed on the photoresist is lifted off.
The movable electrode 37 is formed.

As the support 33, the support of the first embodiment is used, and Ta (tantalum) is deposited by the electron beam evaporation method on the surface of the hemispherical recess 33a supporting the hemisphere 31, and the photolithography process is performed. The fixed electrode 40 is formed by etching. Since the movable electrode 37 and the fixed electrode 40 are always in contact with each other and both slide when the hemisphere 31 rotates, a material having high mechanical hardness is used for these.

In the thus-fabricated optical deflector, as in the case of the first embodiment, the dielectric liquid of silicone oil fills the gap between the hemisphere 31 and the support 33,
When a voltage is applied to the drive electrode 38 and the fixed electrode 40 (which of the drive electrodes 38 divided into a plurality (the drive electrodes 38 may be selected in some cases) and the voltage is applied between the fixed electrode 40, It suffices to select the desired deflection angle based on the information stored by previously measuring and storing the relationship between the voltage application state and the deflection angle). It was rotated by the generated electrostatic attraction (electrostatic force). The hemisphere 31 stops at the place where the electrostatic attraction passes through the spherical center of the hemisphere 31, and holds this position. Since the dielectric liquid is not always necessary in this embodiment, when a voltage was applied between the drive electrode 38 and the fixed electrode 40 without adding silicone oil, the hemispheres 31 could rotate similarly. . As described above, in the optical deflecting device of the present embodiment, the torque is generated by the electrostatic attraction between the drive electrode 38 and the movable electrode 37, so that the dielectric liquid is not necessarily required and the hemisphere 31 can be rotated. It was possible.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an optical deflector array in which the optical deflecting devices of the first embodiment are arranged in a two-dimensional array. As the hemisphere used for the optical deflector array, the hemisphere 51 having a reflection layer on the same plane as in the first embodiment was used. The support is a support 53 in which hemispherical recesses for supporting the hemispheres 51 manufactured in the same manufacturing process as the first embodiment are formed in an array, and in this example, the lower part of the support 53 is used. No drive electrode is provided in the. Drive electrode 55
Was formed on a separately prepared rotation control substrate 60. Also in the optical deflector array of this embodiment, the dielectric liquid is used as the support 53.
The hemispherical concave portion and the space of the hemisphere 51 are filled. The rotation control board 60 and the holes 6 corresponding to the hemispheres 51 are formed.
With the spacer 59 having 1, the hemispheres 51 sandwich the support bodies 53 arranged in the respective hemispherical recesses, and these are adhered,
Further, the upper surface of the spacer 59 is sealed with the substrate 56. In this optical deflector array, each hemisphere 51 can be rotated independently, whereby the deflection angle of the light beam incident on each hemisphere 51 can be controlled independently, and the incident light can be controlled for each optical deflector. It is possible to deflect in a two-dimensional plane. Of course,
It is also possible to arrange the light deflection devices in a one-dimensional array.

[0038]

As described above, in the optical deflecting device of the present invention, the force for rotating the partial sphere is applied to the partial spherical surface, and the point of application of the torque is always located at the radius from the spherical center of the partial sphere. The distance from the center of rotation of the point does not change. This facilitates control of the rotation direction and rotation angle of the partial sphere, simplifies the device, and is suitable for downsizing and arraying. Furthermore, since it is possible to drive the partial sphere relatively large, it is possible to provide a light deflection device capable of obtaining a large light deflection angle and capable of performing light deflection in an arbitrary direction. Furthermore, since the driving means of the partial sphere of the present invention is a non-contact type, it becomes easy to seal a liquid such as a dielectric liquid around the partial sphere.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a light deflecting device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a layout view of the drive electrode according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view for explaining the driving means and operation of the optical deflecting device of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view for explaining the principle of light deflection by the light deflecting device of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of an optical deflecting device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of an optical deflecting device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of an optical deflector array according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a drive mechanism of a conventional optical deflector.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 11, 21, 31, 51 hemisphere 2, 12, 22, 32 Plane part 3, 13, 23, 33, 53 Support 3a, 13a, 23a, 33a Hemispherical recess 4, 24, 34 Reflective layer 5,15,25 Dielectric liquid 6, 16, 26, 56 substrate 7, 17, 27 charged area 8, 18, 28, 38, 55 drive electrodes 9, 19, 29, 59 Spacer 30 insulating layer 37 movable electrode 40 fixed electrode 60 rotation control board 61 holes

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-55-60902 (JP, A) JP-A-7-333528 (JP, A) JP-A-9-318888 (JP, A) 67615 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02B 26/08

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A partial spherical body having a deflecting surface portion for deflecting an incident light beam and a partial spherical surface portion formed of a part of a spherical surface facing the deflecting surface portion so as to surround the deflecting surface portion, and the partial spherical body rotates. At the time of this, a support that rotatably supports this, a dielectric liquid filled in the space between the support and the partial sphere,
A driving means for rotating the partial sphere is provided, and the driving means applies a dielectric liquid on the surface of the partial spherical portion of the partial sphere so that the force for rotating the partial sphere acts on the surface of the partial spherical portion. Driving for forming an electric field in the vicinity of the partial spherical surface by being provided at a position facing the partial sphere through the support or the two regions formed by the action and having different charging characteristics. An optical deflector comprising an electrode. 2. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the support body is configured to rotatably support the partial sphere around a center of a sphere of which the partial spherical portion is a part. apparatus. 3. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the support has a recess formed therein, and the partial sphere is rotatably supported in the recess. 4. The support body is formed with a concave portion having a shape corresponding to the partial spherical surface portion, and the partial spherical body is rotatably supported therein, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The optical deflector described. 5. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting surface portion is a flat surface portion. 6. The optical deflector according to claim 1, wherein the partial spherical surface portion is a hemispherical surface portion. 7. A reflection layer for reflecting / deflecting a light beam is formed on the deflecting surface portion.
7. The optical deflector according to any one of 6 to 6. 8. The partial sphere is solid, is made of a material that transmits a deflecting light beam, and the deflecting surface portion and a space in contact with the deflecting surface portion have different refractive indexes. 7. The optical deflector according to any one of 7. 9. The optical deflecting device according to claim 1, wherein the drive electrodes are provided at five locations facing the partial spherical surface portion on the support side. 10. A plurality of optical deflecting devices according to claim 1, wherein the partial spheres and driving means for driving the partial spheres are arranged in a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array. Characteristic light deflection device.