Patent ID: 7159397
Filing Date: 2007-01-09
Classification: F03G,G02B

Abstract:
1. A microelectromechanical (MEM) apparatus, comprising: (a) a substrate; (b) a pair of tensile-stressed actuators located proximate to each other on the substrate and arranged noncollinearly to provide two oppositely-directed forces due to a built-in longitudinally-directed tensile stress which is directed along the length of at least one beam in each tensile-stressed actuator, with a change in the two oppositely-directed forces being produced by a change in temperature of at least one of the pair of tensile-stressed actuators; and (c) a platform suspended above the substrate by the pair of tensile-stressed actuators, with the platform being initially tilted at an angle relative to the substrate in response to the two oppositely-directed forces acting at different locations on the platform due to the built-in longitudinally-directed tensile stress, and with the platform being tiltable at a different angle relative to the substrate with a change in the temperature of at least one of the pair of tensile-stressed actuators.