Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/JP4409811B2/en
Timestamp: 2020-08-12 04:43:34+00:00
Document Index: 109998247

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 121', 'art 1', 'art 3001', 'art 3001', 'art 3001', 'art 3001', 'art 3001', 'art 3001']

JP4409811B2 - Optical scanning device, optical writing device, image forming apparatus, vibrating mirror chip, and optical scanning module - Google Patents
Optical scanning device, optical writing device, image forming apparatus, vibrating mirror chip, and optical scanning module Download PDF
JP4409811B2
JP4409811B2 JP2002216250A JP2002216250A JP4409811B2 JP 4409811 B2 JP4409811 B2 JP 4409811B2 JP 2002216250 A JP2002216250 A JP 2002216250A JP 2002216250 A JP2002216250 A JP 2002216250A JP 4409811 B2 JP4409811 B2 JP 4409811B2
JP2002216250A
JP2003172897A (en
2001-08-20 Priority to JP2001-248851 priority Critical
2001-08-20 Priority to JP2001248851 priority
2001-09-28 Priority to JP2001304069 priority
2001-09-28 Priority to JP2001-304069 priority
2002-07-25 Application filed by 株式会社リコー filed Critical 株式会社リコー
2002-07-25 Priority to JP2002216250A priority patent/JP4409811B2/en
2002-08-20 Priority claimed from US10/223,294 external-priority patent/US7593029B2/en
2003-06-20 Publication of JP2003172897A publication Critical patent/JP2003172897A/en
2010-02-03 Publication of JP4409811B2 publication Critical patent/JP4409811B2/en
239000000758 substrates Substances 0.000 claims description 385
230000003014 reinforcing Effects 0.000 claims description 101
239000010409 thin films Substances 0.000 claims description 94
239000010408 films Substances 0.000 claims description 75
XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N silicon Chemical compound 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[Si] XUIMIQQOPSSXEZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 68
229910052710 silicon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 68
238000007733 ion plating Methods 0.000 description 6
238000001771 vacuum deposition Methods 0.000 description 5
The present invention relates to an optical scanning device having a configuration in which a minute mirror supported by two beams is reciprocally oscillated using a beam as a torsional rotation axis.
This type of optical scanning device using micromachining technology is expected to be applied to the optical writing system of image forming devices such as digital copying machines and laser printers, and the reading system of reading devices such as barcode readers and scanners. Has been.
IBM J. Res. Develop Vol. In the optical scanning device described in 24 (1980), an electrostatic attractive force between a mirror substrate supported by two beams provided on the same straight line and an electrode provided at a position facing the mirror substrate Thus, the two beams are reciprocally oscillated using the torsional rotation axis. This optical scanning device formed by micromachining technology has a simple structure and can be formed in a batch in a semiconductor process compared to a conventional optical scanning device using a polygon mirror rotation using a motor. It is easy and low in production cost, and since it is a single anti-slope, there are no variations in accuracy due to multiple surfaces, and further, since it is reciprocating scanning, it can be expected to be effective in speeding up.
The 13th Annual International Workshop on MEMS2000 (2000) 473-478 and MEMS1999 333-338 have a mirror substrate with a large deflection angle so that the electrode does not overlap the vibration area. An electrostatically driven torsional vibration type optical scanning device provided with electrodes has been proposed. These optical scanning devices are driven by electrostatic attraction between a mirror substrate as a movable electrode made of silicon having a plate thickness of 20 μm and a fixed electrode facing the mirror substrate end face with a small gap therebetween. Are formed at the same site. In the optical scanning device described in The 13th Annual International Workshop on MEMS2000 (2000) 473-478, a minute asymmetry of the structure generated in the formation process is given to give an initial moment with respect to the torsional rotation axis for starting the mirror substrate. Is used. On the other hand, in the optical scanning device described in MEMS1999 333-338, a metal electrode thin film for activation is provided on a surface orthogonal to the drive electrode.
Also, an optical scanning device has been proposed in which the end area of the mirror substrate and the fixed electrode are formed in a comb-like shape to increase the opposing area in order to reduce the voltage for driving the mirror substrate (Japanese Patent No. 2924200). No., Patent No. 30111144).
In Optical MEMS 2000, an oscillating mirror chip using a thin-film mirror has been prototyped. Polysilicon with tensile stress is formed on a circular frame and is extended in parallel to the torsion beam on the outside of the frame. A comb-like electrode is formed, and a mechanism for torsionally vibrating the torsion beam with the electrodes arranged above and below is provided.
A mirror substrate of a torsional vibration type optical scanning device manufactured using a micromachining technique is generally formed by a method of penetrating a silicon substrate by dry etching, and the thickness of the mirror substrate is several tens of μm. For example, in the optical scanning device described in The 13th Annual International Workshop on MEMS2000 (2000) 473-478, a mirror substrate with a plate thickness of 30 μm and a maximum of 1.5 mm □ is formed, and also described in MEMS1999 333-338. In the optical scanning device, a mirror substrate having a plate thickness of 20 μm and a maximum of 3 mm □ is formed.
Even in such a thin mirror substrate, depending on the spread of light from the light source or the required beam diameter in the actual use portion, one side of the mirror substrate may have to be several mm in size.
Here, assuming that the moment of inertia of the mirror is I, the driving torque is Trq, the angular velocity is ω, and the viscous resistance in the mirror vibration space is δ, the mirror deflection angle θ can be expressed by the following equation.
θ = Trq × K (ω, δ) / I
However, K (ω, δ) is a vibration coefficient.
When the weight of the mirror is M, the density is ρ, and the width, length, and thickness of the mirror are b, a, and t, respectively, the moment of inertia I of the mirror can be expressed by the following equation.
I = M (a ^ 2 + b ^ 2) / 12
= Ρ t a b (a ^ 2 + b ^ 2) / 12
It can be seen that as a structure for increasing the deflection angle, the mirror should be lightened to reduce the moment of inertia.
On the other hand, assuming that the torsional elastic coefficient of the beam is k and the moment of inertia of the mirror is I, the resonance frequency f of the mirror can be expressed by the following equation.
f = 1 / 2π√ (k / I)
Here, when the beam width is c, the height is t, and the length is L, the torsional elastic coefficient k can be expressed by the following equation.
k = β t c ^ 3 E / L (1 + ν)
Where β is the cross-sectional shape factor, E is the Young's modulus, and ν is the Poisson's ratio.
Thus, in order to increase the resonance frequency of the mirror, increase the cross-sectional area of the beam or shorten the length, increase the torsional elastic modulus, or reduce the mirror to reduce the moment of inertia. You can see that
Now, reducing the moment of inertia by making the mirror lighter is effective for increasing the deflection angle as well as for high-speed operation, and in particular, as a structural means for increasing the deflection angle, the lightweight of the mirror. Is essential. However, if the mirror thickness is reduced to reduce the weight while maintaining the size required for the mirror substrate, the mirror substrate deforms during vibration and maintains the mirror surface shape constant when high speed driving is required. This makes it difficult to perform such a problem that the beam shape and the focal position fluctuate. In addition, it is difficult to control the plate thickness with high accuracy in the manufacturing process, and there is a problem that the resonance frequency varies due to variations in the plate thickness.
In the Optical MEMS 2000 report, an optical scanner was fabricated with a mirror made of a thin film and supported by a frame, but currently it is less than 1 mm in size and can be used as it is for a large mirror. When used, there is a problem that the mirror is deformed during operation at a high frequency, or the surrounding frame supporting the mirror is deformed by the tensile stress of the thin film mirror.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its main object is to perform stable optical scanning with small deformation of the mirror surface even when a large mirror substrate is operated at a high speed with a large deflection angle. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical scanning device or a vibrating mirror chip capable of realizing the above, and an optical scanning module, an optical writing device, and an image forming apparatus using the same.
The optical scanning device according to the present invention includes a mirror substrate supported by two torsion beams and reciprocally oscillating about the torsion beam as a rotation axis, and etching a single substrate, as described in claim 1, In the optical scanning device in which the torsion beam, the mirror substrate, and a frame for connecting the torsion beam to support the mirror substrate are integrally formed, the mirror substrate has ribs having the same thickness as the torsion beam. A rib region that crosses the mirror substrate that linearly connects between the torsion beams, and a rib that borders the mirror substrate. And the corners of the intersecting portions of the ribs are curved.
Since the optical scanning device having such a structure is integrally formed from the support portion to the movable portion, it has high strength and excellent durability, and the rib structure can reduce the weight of the mirror substrate and maintain its rigidity. Since the portion can maintain flatness without being distorted not only when stationary but also when vibrating, it is possible to always perform optical scanning with a stable beam shape. In addition, the ribs that rim the mirror during vibration can reduce deformation in the direction perpendicular to and parallel to the torsion beams, and the ribs that cross the mirror substrate that linearly connect between the torsion beams vibrate. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a stable scanning beam shape. Further, the corners of the intersecting portions of the ribs are curved, and stress concentration at the time of vibration at those portions is alleviated, and the occurrence of cracks from there is reduced, so that the durability is improved.
According to another aspect of the optical scanning device of the present invention, the optical scanning device according to the present invention has a mirror substrate that is supported by two torsion beams and reciprocally vibrates about the torsion beam as a rotation axis. In the optical scanning device in which the torsion beam, the mirror substrate, and a frame body that supports the mirror substrate by connecting the torsion beam by etching are integrally formed, the mirror substrate has the thickness of the torsion beam A rib region having the same thickness and a thinned region thinner than the thickness of the torsion beam, the rib crossing the mirror substrate linearly connecting the torsion beam, and the mirror substrate And the corner of the portion where the torsion beam and the rib that borders the mirror substrate intersect is curved. Because the corner of the part where the torsion beam and the rib that borders the mirror substrate intersect is curved, the stress concentration during vibration at that part is relaxed and the occurrence of cracks from there is reduced. Improves.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention is that, as described in claim 3, the mirror substrate crosses a rib that crosses the mirror substrate in a straight line between the torsion beams, thereby framing the mirror substrate. The present invention has a rib for bridging the rib. In this way, the rib that bridges the rib that borders the mirror substrate is a rib in a direction in which the inertial force is greatly increased during vibration, so that the deformation of the mirror substrate can be effectively reduced, and the stable scanning beam shape Can be obtained.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention is that, as described in claim 4, the rib bridging the rib that borders the mirror substrate is a rib that crosses the mirror substrate that linearly connects between the torsion beams. It is to pass in the orthogonal direction. That is, since the ribs are arranged with the shortest length in the direction in which the inertial force increases, deformation of the mirror substrate can be effectively reduced, and a stable scanning beam shape can be obtained. At the same time, the increase in the weight of the mirror substrate due to the rib can be minimized, and the decrease in the deflection angle can be minimized.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention resides in that, as described in claim 5, the mirror substrate has a mirror surface on a surface opposite to the surface having the rib region and the lightening region. . According to such a configuration, since the entire mirror surface can be used, the degree of freedom of the usable beam shape is great and versatility is improved.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention is that, as described in claim 6, the mirror substrate and the torsion beam have a positional relationship in which the mirror surface and the center in the thickness direction of the torsion beam coincide with each other. It is in. By adopting such a positional relationship, the positional deviation during the torsional rotation of the beam irradiated on the mirror surface is eliminated, and the scanning position accuracy of the reflected beam can be improved.
According to another aspect of the optical scanning device of the present invention, the optical scanning device includes a mirror substrate that is supported by two torsion beams and reciprocally vibrates about the torsion beam as a rotation axis. In the optical scanning device in which the torsion beam, the mirror substrate, and the frame that supports the mirror substrate by combining the torsion beam by etching are integrally formed, the mirror substrate has a thickness that is the same as that of the torsion beam. A rib region that is the same, and a thinned region that is thinner than the thickness of the torsion beam, the rib crossing the mirror substrate that linearly connects the torsion beam; and the mirror substrate A movable electrode is provided in a portion parallel to the torsion beam of the rib for rimming the mirror substrate, and a fixed electrode is provided on the frame so as to face the movable electrode, mirror Of the ribs bordering the plate, the length of the torsion beam and parallel portions, characterized in longer than the length of the rib across the mirror substrate connecting between said torsion beam in a straight line.
As described above, the movable electrode is provided in a portion parallel to the torsion beam of the rib that borders the mirror substrate, and the fixed electrode is provided on the frame body so as to face the movable electrode. Since the thickness can be increased, it is possible to increase the deflection angle by increasing the electrode area and obtaining a large electrostatic torque without increasing the driving voltage. Furthermore, the length of the movable electrode is increased by making the length of the rib parallel to the torsion beam longer than the length of the rib crossing the mirror substrate that connects the torsion beams in a straight line. Therefore, the electrode area can be further increased. Therefore, the electrostatic torque can be further increased without increasing the drive voltage, and the mirror substrate can be vibrated with a larger deflection angle.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention resides in that the movable electrode and the fixed electrode are comb-like. Thus, the comb-like electrode structure can increase the electrode area as compared with the planar electrode structure, so that the electrostatic torque at the same voltage can be increased to increase the deflection angle.
Another feature of the optical scanning device according to the present invention is that, as described in claim 9, the mirror substrate and the torsion beam are formed of single crystal silicon, and the reliability is low because there are few defects in the structural material. It is advantageous in terms of cost because it is high, excellent in durability, and easy to process.
The optical writing device according to the present invention is characterized in that, as described in claim 10, the optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and an optical beam modulated by a recording signal of the optical scanning device. And a means for causing the light beam reflected by the mirror surface to form an image on a surface to be scanned. The optical writing device having such a configuration is low in power consumption because the optical scanning device can be driven at a low voltage, and is excellent in quietness because the wind noise during reciprocal vibration of the mirror substrate is low. In addition, since a mirror substrate of an optical scanning device having a large size and high accuracy can be used, the degree of freedom of a usable beam shape is large and excellent in versatility.
The image forming apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that, as described in claim 11, the optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, an electrostatic latent image carrier, and a mirror of the optical scanning device. Means for causing a light beam modulated by a recording signal to enter the mirror surface of the substrate, and means for causing the light beam reflected by the mirror surface to form an image on the electrostatic latent image carrier, An electrostatic latent image according to the recording signal is formed on the electrostatic latent image carrier. It is possible to form an image by optically scanning the electrostatic latent image carrier with a stable light beam shape, and it is excellent in terms of power consumption and quietness.
According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vibrating mirror chip comprising: a mirror substrate that is supported by two torsion beams and deflects a light beam; and a mirror drive unit that torsionally vibrates the mirror substrate about the torsion beam as a rotation axis The mirror substrate includes a mirror portion formed in a thin film shape and a frame body coupled to the mirror portion, and the frame body is a reinforcing beam that bridges the inside of the frame body on the extension of the torsion beam. And at least one of the inside corner of the frame, the portion where the frame and the reinforcing beam intersect, and the portion where the reinforcing beams intersect each other are formed in a curved surface. And
According to the invention of claim 12, since the mirror substrate has a mirror portion formed in a thin film shape and a frame body coupled to the mirror portion, the mirror substrate is large and lightweight and has a large deflection angle. It is possible to provide a vibrating mirror chip in which deformation of the mirror substrate during operation is reduced and a stable beam shape can be obtained. Further, since the frame body has a reinforcing beam that bridges the inside of the frame body on the extension of the torsion beam, the rotation axis passing through the torsion beam is stable during operation, and the direction of the torsion beam of the frame body during operation is stable. Deformation can be reduced, unnecessary vibration modes can be suppressed, and a stable beam shape can be obtained. Since at least one of the inside corner of the frame, the portion where the frame and the reinforcing beam intersect, and the portion where the reinforcing beams intersect each other is formed in a curved surface, the stress concentration on the corner Can be mitigated, and breakage of the mirror substrate during operation or handling can be reduced.
The invention according to claim 13 is a vibrating mirror chip having a mirror substrate supported by two torsion beams and deflecting a light beam, and mirror driving means for torsionally vibrating the mirror substrate with the torsion beam as a rotation axis. The mirror substrate has a mirror portion formed in a thin film shape and a frame body coupled to the mirror portion, and the frame body is a reinforcement that bridges the inside of the frame body on the extension of the torsion beam. The reinforcing beam is separated from the mirror portion.
According to the invention described in claim 13, since the reinforcing beam is separated from the mirror portion, the frame body sufficiently maintains its rigidity by the reinforcing beam, and the mirror portion has almost no distortion, and has high flatness and surface accuracy. Can be obtained.
According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating mirror chip according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, it is line symmetric with respect to the rotation axis, and is line symmetric with respect to an axis that passes through the center of the rotation axis and is orthogonal to the rotation axis. It is characterized by having a reinforcing beam. According to this configuration, deformation can be reduced evenly over the entire mirror portion during operation, so that a stable beam shape can be obtained.
According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vibrating mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, at least one of the frame and the reinforcing beam has the same thickness as the torsion beam. According to this configuration, a torsion beam, a frame body, and a reinforcing beam can be formed simultaneously, and a vibrating mirror chip can be formed at low cost.
According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, the mirror portion has a mirror surface on the side opposite to the side to which the frame is coupled. According to this configuration, the entire mirror surface can be used effectively, and there is no beam loss.
According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the vibrating mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, the mirror portion has a center axis of the torsion beam passing through the mirror portion. According to this, the center axis of vibration passes through the mirror portion, and the optical design becomes easy.
According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vibration mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to seventeenth aspects, the mirror portion is formed of a multilayer film. Since the mirror part is formed of a multilayer film, it is possible to design the mirror part by utilizing a thin film having a plurality of various functions, and a high-performance vibrating mirror chip with a high degree of design freedom in structure and process. Can be manufactured at low cost.
According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to eighteenth aspects, the mirror driving means is disposed at a position facing the movable electrode provided on the frame and the movable electrode. And a fixed electrode. According to this, the electrode structure is simple, the manufacturing cost is low, and the mirror substrate can be driven efficiently.
According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating mirror chip according to the nineteenth aspect, the movable electrode is comb-shaped. Since the movable electrode has a comb-teeth shape, the electrode area is large, so that the driving torque can be increased and the deflection angle of the mirror substrate can be increased.
According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the optical scanning module, the oscillating mirror chip according to any one of the twelfth to twentieth aspects, a transmission part of the light beam deflected by the oscillating mirror chip, and the oscillating mirror chip, A terminal portion connected to the mirror driving means is provided in the container. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an optical scanning module including a vibrating mirror chip that is large and lightweight, has a large deflection angle, reduces deformation of the mirror substrate during operation, and can obtain a stable beam shape. .
According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, in the optical scanning module according to the twenty-first aspect, the optical scanning module further includes a reflection optical system that multi-reflects the light beam on a mirror substrate of a vibrating mirror chip. Thereby, even if the deflection angle of the mirror substrate is small, the emission angle of the light beam from the optical scanning module can be increased.
A twenty-third aspect of the present invention is directed to a light source device that generates a light beam, a light scanning module according to the twenty-first or twenty-second aspect, and the light scanned by the light scanning module. And an optical system for imaging the beam. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an optical scanning device including a vibrating mirror chip that is large and lightweight, has a large deflection angle, reduces deformation of the mirror substrate during operation, and can obtain a stable beam shape. Since the vibrating mirror chip is small, the optical scanning device can be miniaturized, and one or a plurality of optical scanning devices can be arranged.
According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical scanning device according to the twenty-third aspect, the vibrating mirror chip has a mirror surface on the side opposite to the side to which the frame body is coupled, and the frame body and the frame body A light beam is reflected by a portion of the mirror surface where a reinforcing beam that bridges the inside of the mirror is not coupled to the mirror portion. According to this, it is possible to obtain a stable beam shape by reflecting the light beam at a portion having no mirror surface distortion and high flatness.
According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image forming apparatus, the optical scanning device according to the twenty-third or twenty-fourth aspect, a photosensitive member that forms an electrostatic latent image by the optical scanning device, and the electrostatic latent image are visualized with toner. The image forming apparatus includes: a developing unit that forms an image; and a transfer unit that transfers the toner image visualized by the developing unit to a recording sheet. According to this, the mirror substrate is large and lightweight, the deflection angle is large, the deformation of the mirror substrate during operation is reduced, and an image forming apparatus including a vibrating mirror chip that can obtain a stable beam shape is provided. Since the vibrating mirror chip is small, the image forming apparatus can be downsized, and noise and vibration of the optical scanning device can be reduced.
The configuration of the optical scanning device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1A is a schematic central sectional view of the optical scanning device, and FIG. 1B is a schematic rear view of the optical scanning device.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a mirror substrate, which is supported by two torsion beams 102 and 103 provided in a straight line at the center of two opposing end portions 109 and 110. In the mirror substrate 101, a metal thin film 115 having a sufficient reflectivity with respect to used light is formed as a mirror surface on the surface of a substantially square flat plate portion (upper surface in FIG. 1A), and a reinforcing portion is formed on the back surface of the flat plate portion. As shown, a plurality of reinforcing protrusions 121 (hereinafter referred to as ribs) extending in a direction perpendicular to the torsion beams 102 and 103 are formed side by side. On the back surface of the mirror substrate 101, the thickness of the rib 121 region is the same as the thickness of the torsion beams 102 and 103. That is, the region other than the rib region is a thinned region thinner than the torsion beams 102 and 103. The torsion beams 102 and 103 have dimensions with torsional rigidity so as to obtain a resonance frequency necessary for the optical scanning device, and are fixed to the inner frame (frame body) 104. The periphery of the inner frame 104 is fixed by an outer frame (frame body) 120 having a larger plate thickness.
This optical scanning device has mirror driving means for reciprocally oscillating the mirror substrate 101 with the beams 102 and 103 as the torsional rotation shafts using electrostatic force. Specifically, as will be described below, this mirror driving means is composed of a fixed electrode and a movable electrode for driving, and a fixed electrode and a movable electrode for activation, and the end of the mirror substrate 101 is used as these movable electrodes. Is done.
The end portions 105 and 106 not supported by the beams 102 and 103 of the mirror substrate 101 have a comb-tooth shape, and the same comb-tooth shaped driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 provided on the inner frame 104 of the same portion have a minute gap. They are facing each other in the form of striking and meshing. The comb-shaped end portions 105 and 106 act as a driving movable electrode. Further, the end portions 109 and 110 supported by the beams 102 and 103 of the mirror substrate 101 have a linear shape, and are shifted from the end portions 109 and 110 in the thickness direction of the substrate to be provided on the outer frame 120. And facing a small gap. The portions of the mirror substrate end portions 109 and 110 facing the fixed electrodes 111 and 112 act as starting movable electrodes.
The inner frame 104 and the outer frame 120 have an integral structure made of a conductive material, and an insulating material 113 is formed on the surface thereof. On the insulating material on the inner end face of the outer frame 120, the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112 are formed at positions close to and opposed to the end portions 109 and 110 of the mirror substrate 101, respectively. In this part, the outer frame 120 is thicker than the mirror substrate 101, and the mirror substrate end portions 109 and 110 and the fixed electrodes 111 and 112 are shifted in the substrate thickness direction so that they do not overlap each other. Yes.
Further, a part where the insulating material 113 is removed and the conductive material is exposed is formed in a part of the outer frame 120, and an electrode lead pad 114 is formed in that part. The fixed driving electrodes 107 and 108 formed on the comb-shaped end surface of the inner frame 104 and the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112 formed on the inner end surface of the outer frame 120 are pads formed on the surface of the outer frame 120. 116 and 117 and pads 118 and 119 formed on the back surface are drawn out.
The operation of the optical scanning apparatus having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The mirror substrate 101 supported by the two beams 102 and 1031 is grounded via an electrode lead pad 114 formed on the outer frame 120. When a voltage of, for example, 50 V is applied to the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112, the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112 and the end portions of the mirror substrate 101 which are shifted in the substrate thickness direction so as not to overlap each other with a gap of, for example, 5 μm Since the electrostatic attractive force acts between 109 and 110, the mirror substrate 101 is driven in the counterclockwise direction in the figure as the torsional rotation axis of the mirror substrate 101, and finally, as shown by circle A in FIG. In addition, the mirror substrate 101 is swung to a position where the mirror substrate end portions 109 and 110 partially overlap with the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112, so that vibration is required between the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 and the end portions 105 and 106 of the mirror substrate 101. A large step is generated. In the structure of the optical scanning device according to the present invention, it is easy to form the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112 widely in the step direction, so that even if the torsional rigidity of the beams 102 and 103 is large, a step necessary for starting is generated. Can be made.
Next, when the voltage applied to the fixed electrodes for driving 111 and 112 is cut off and at the same time a voltage of 50 V, for example, is applied to the fixed electrodes for driving 107 and 108, the electrostatic attractive force acting between the electrodes and the end portions 105 and 106 of the mirror substrate 101 and the beam Due to the torsional rigidity of 102 and 103, the mirror substrate 101 swings in the clockwise direction. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the voltage application to the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 is interrupted when the mirror substrate 101 reaches the horizontal position, the mirror substrate 101 further swings in the clockwise direction due to the moment of inertia, and finally As shown in FIG. 2 (c), it swings to a position where the moment of inertia and the torsional rigidity of the beams 102 and 103 are balanced. Immediately thereafter, when a voltage is applied to the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 again, the mirror substrate 101 swings counterclockwise due to electrostatic attraction and torsional rigidity of the beams 102 and 103. As shown in FIG. 2D, when the voltage application to the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 is stopped when the mirror substrate 101 reaches the horizontal position again, the mirror substrate 101 balances the moment of inertia and the torsional rigidity of the beams 102 and 103. Swings further to position.
By setting the driving frequency of the mirror substrate 101 by the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108 to the resonance frequency of the mirror substrate 101, the mirror substrate 101 is reciprocally oscillated with a larger swing angle than the displacement at the time of starting by the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112. (Oscillate).
FIG. 3 shows the mirror scanning angle and driving pulse timing in such a driving method. As shown in the figure, the driving pulse is applied for the time T when the mirror moves toward the center of the image where the scanning angle becomes 0, where δ is the delay in pulse application start from the time when the scanning angle becomes maximum. That is, pulse driving is performed twice during one cycle.
In the optical scanning device of the present embodiment, even if the plate thickness of the mirror substrate 101 is reduced to increase the area of the mirror substrate 101 and reduce the plate thickness of the mirror substrate 101 so that a predetermined moment of inertia is obtained, The reinforcing ribs 121 provided on the back surface can effectively suppress deformation of the mirror substrate 101 at rest and during vibration. Therefore, since the flatness of the mirror surface is maintained even when vibrating at a high frequency, optical scanning with a stable beam shape is possible. The rib 121 has a shape suitable for exerting a sufficient reinforcing effect while suppressing an increase in the moment of inertia of the mirror substrate 101 as much as possible. In addition, the deformation of the mirror substrate 101 is likely to occur at a portion away from the beams 102 and 103, but the rib 121 extending in a direction orthogonal to the beams 102 and 103 as in this embodiment effectively deforms at such portions. Can be suppressed. Further, since the reinforcing rib 121 is provided on the back surface (the surface opposite to the mirror surface) of the flat plate portion of the mirror substrate 101, the entire flat plate portion surface can be used as a mirror surface. Therefore, the optical scanning device of this embodiment is The flexibility of the beam shape that can be used is large and versatility is high. Further, the rib 121 provided on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101 is left as a convex portion when the silicon substrate is etched into a concave shape, as will be described with reference to FIGS. 4D and 5E. Since it can be formed easily, the manufacturing process of the optical scanning device is not complicated.
Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the optical scanning device of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. It is obvious that the manufacturing process described below can be similarly applied to the optical scanning devices of the second, third, and fourth embodiments described later.
As materials for the mirror substrate, torsion beam, and frame of the optical scanning device, high-precision impurities can be easily used and the entire member can be used as a common electrode. The included low resistance silicon substrate is used.
First, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 202 is applied to a thickness of, for example, 100 μm as a mask for deeply etching silicon on one surface of a silicon substrate 201 having a thickness of 200 μm that has been polished on both sides (FIG. 4A). The mask material used here may be a material that has good adhesion to silicon, has a selection ratio during etching of 100 μm, large enough to remain as a mask even during silicon etching, and can be easily removed after etching. Alternatively, a Ni plating film or the like may be used.
Next, this resist is exposed and developed to be patterned into an inner frame shape (FIG. 4B).
Using this resist as a mask, the silicon substrate is etched and removed to a depth of, for example, 100 μm in an inner frame shape using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy (FIG. 4C). The fixed electrodes 111 and 112 for activation are formed in a post process at the step portion of the etching end face formed here.
After dissolving and removing the resist 202, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 203 is again applied to the substrate with the step formed in a thickness of 100 μm, for example, and exposed and developed to be patterned into the shape of the reinforcing convex 121 (FIG. 4 (d)).
Then, using this resist as a mask, the portion of the silicon substrate thinned down to 100 μm is etched away to a depth of, for example, 50 μm in the shape of the reinforcing rib 121 using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) (FIG. 5E). .
Next, on the silicon substrate surface opposite to the surface etched into the shape of the inner frame 104, a high-viscosity heat resistant resist 204 is applied with a thickness of 100 μm, for example, and the back surface of the region where the silicon substrate on the inner side of the frame is thinned, Patterning is performed on the mirror substrate 101 and the beams 102 and 103 (FIG. 5F).
Using this resist as a mask, a mirror substrate 101 and beams 102 and 103 are formed by dry etching using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy until it penetrates the silicon substrate (FIG. 5). (G)). As described above with reference to FIGS. 4D and 5E, the silicon substrate can be etched into a concave shape, and the remaining convex portions are formed as reinforcing ribs 121. The mirror substrate 101 can be easily formed integrally using a process.
Next, after dissolving and removing the resist used as a mask in the previous process, the entire substrate is thermally oxidized to form, for example, a SiO 2 film 205 having a thickness of 1 μm on the surface as an insulating material with respect to the substrate (FIG. 5H). ).
Next, on the SiO2 film on the inner end face of the frame, a Ti thin film having a thickness of, for example, 300 mm was formed by sputtering as the metal thin films 206 and 207 to be the starting fixed electrodes 111 and 112, the driving fixed electrodes 107 and 108, and the lead pads 116, 117, 118, and 119. Later, for example, a Pt thin film having a thickness of 1200 mm is formed by sputtering, and an Al thin film 208 is formed as a metal thin film 115 to be a mirror surface on the mirror substrate surface (FIG. 6 (i)). When forming these films, the metal thin film is shielded with a metallic stencil mask so that a metal thin film is not formed in a region other than the electrodes. The film was formed from an oblique direction in a tilted state using a jig. Here, the Ti thin film is for improving the adhesion of the Pt thin film on the SiO2 film. Here, a Pt thin film is used as an electrode material. However, Au, Ti, or other materials may be used as long as the conductivity is high and adhesion with SiO 2 can be secured. In addition, the Al thin film 208 was deposited as a metal thin film for the mirror surface, but Au and other materials can be selected as long as the metal thin film provides the necessary and sufficient reflectivity for the laser light used in the optical scanning device. is there. Further, although the sputtering method is used here as a film forming method, the film may be formed by other methods such as vacuum deposition and ion plating.
Next, a part of the SiO2 film on the back surface of the frame is removed by etching using a metal mask to form a contact hole 209 (FIG. 6 (j)). In this contact hole 209 where the silicon is exposed, an Al thin film 210 as a pad 114 for applying a voltage to the mirror substrate is formed using a metal mask, and the electric resistance between the substrate and the substrate is lowered to 400 ° C. Heat treatment is performed (FIG. 6 (k)).
An optical scanning apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ of FIG.
In the optical scanning device of the present embodiment, for example, the reinforcement extending in the direction orthogonal to the beams 102 and 103 similar to the first embodiment on the back surface of the flat plate portion of the mirror substrate 101 having a thickness of 30 μm and a size of 4 mm □. Unlike the first embodiment, reinforcing ribs 121a and 121b are also provided at positions along the ends where the beams 102 and 103 are joined. The height of each reinforcing rib is, for example, 30 μm, and the thickness of the coupling end of the mirror substrate 101 with the beams 102 and 103 is 60 μm, which is the same as the thickness of the beams 102 and 103. Therefore, compared with the case where the reinforcing ribs 121a and 121b are not provided, the coupling strength between the beams 102 and 103 and the mirror substrate 101 is increased, and the reliability of the optical scanning device is improved. Since the other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.
An optical scanning device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B ′ of FIG.
In the optical scanning device of this embodiment, for example, a reinforcing rib 121 having a height of, for example, 30 μm is provided on the back surface of the flat plate portion of the mirror substrate 101 having a thickness of 30 μm and a size of 4 mm □. Unlike the above, the reinforcing ribs 121 extend in a direction orthogonal to and parallel to the beams 102 and 103 and have a lattice shape as a whole. Further, reinforcing ribs 121 are also provided at positions along the end portions of the mirror substrate flat plate portion that are coupled to the beams 121 and 122 and the end portions that face the driving electrodes. Since the configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.
In the optical scanning device of the present embodiment, the mirror substrate 101 is entirely reinforced by the lattice-like reinforcing ribs 121 as described above, and the torsional deformation of the mirror substrate 101 is also effectively suppressed. Optical scanning with a beam shape is possible. Similarly to the second embodiment, the end portion of the mirror substrate 101 coupled to the beams 102 and 103 has the same thickness of 60 μm as the beams 102 and 103, and the coupling strength between the mirror substrate 101 and the beams 102 and 103 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Increased from Example. Further, the end of the mirror substrate facing the fixed driving electrode acts as a movable electrode, but the thickness of this end increases by the amount of the reinforcing rib 121 to 60 μm. As a result, the mirror substrate 101 can be driven at a lower voltage.
An optical scanning device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a rear view of the mirror substrate 101. As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the mirror substrate 101 is substantially H-shaped so that it is widest at both end portions between the beams 102 and 103, that is, at the end portion facing the fixed electrode for driving. It has a planar shape. Such a planar shape is effective in reducing the moment of inertia of the mirror substrate 101 and thereby lowering the drive voltage. Further, the reinforcing ribs 121 are formed in a lattice shape as in the third embodiment, and are also formed at positions along end portions that are coupled to the beams 102 and 103 and end portions that function as movable electrodes. Therefore, the coupling strength between the mirror substrate 101 and the beams 102 and 103 can be improved, and the area of the movable electrode can be increased to reduce the driving voltage.
An optical scanning apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical scanning device, and FIG. 10B is a schematic rear view of the optical scanning device.
Reinforcing ribs 121 are provided on the back side of the mirror substrate 101 in the same manner as in the previous embodiments.In this embodiment, the reinforcing ribs 121 include ribs 121d that extend the torsion beams 102 and 103 and cross the mirror substrate 101. Ribs 122e are provided to rim the outer periphery of the mirror substrate 101. The thickness of the rib 121 is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other areas are thinned regions thinner than the torsion beams 102 and 103.
Deformation of the mirror substrate 101 when the mirror substrate made of silicon without a reinforcing rib as in this embodiment is 20 μm in thickness and 4 mm × 4 mm in size and oscillates at a ± 5 ° swing angle at 2.5 kHz. The calculation result of the maximum value of is shown in FIG. Thus, in the case of a mirror substrate without a reinforcing rib, it can be seen that the deformation at the center position on both sides of the mirror centering on the torsion beam is the largest, and the deformation amount is about 1 μm.
In the mirror substrate 101 of the present embodiment, it is trimmed.Rib 121eWhile reducing this deformation, it is also possible to reduce the deformation in the direction perpendicular to it, and torsion beams 102 and 103 are extended to make the mirror substrate 101Crossing rib 121dHas the effect of improving the positional accuracy of the center axis of vibration, and thus a stable scanning beam shape can be obtained.
An example of the method of manufacturing the optical scanning device according to the fifth embodiment described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
As a material for the mirror substrate, the torsion beam, and the frame, a silicon substrate with high precision and easy microfabrication was used.
First, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 1202 is applied to a thickness of 100 μm as a mask for deeply etching silicon on one side of a 200 μm-thick silicon substrate 1201 polished on both sides (FIG. 12A). The mask material used here should be a material that has good adhesion to silicon, has a selection ratio during etching of 100 μm, large enough to remain as a mask during silicon etching, and can be easily removed after etching. Alternatively, a Ni plating film or the like may be used.
Next, this resist is exposed and developed to be patterned into an inner frame shape (FIG. 12B).
Using this resist as a mask, the silicon substrate is etched away to a depth of 100 μm in an inner frame shape using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy (FIG. 12 (c)). A fixed electrode for activation is formed in a post process at the step portion of the etching end face formed here.
After the resist 1202 is dissolved and removed, the high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 1203 is again applied to a thickness of 100 μm on the stepped substrate, and is exposed and developed to be patterned into a reinforcing rib shape (FIG. 12D). ).
Then, by using this resist as a mask, a portion of the silicon substrate thinned down to 100 μm is etched and removed to a depth of 50 μm using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) to form a rib shape (FIG. 13). (e)).
Next, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 1204 is applied to the surface opposite to the surface etched with silicon in the shape of the inner frame, with a thickness of 100 μm. And patterning into a beam shape (FIG. 13 (f)).
Using this resist as a mask, a mirror substrate and a beam are formed by dry etching using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy until it penetrates the silicon substrate (FIG. 13 (g) )).
After dissolving and removing the resist, the entire substrate is thermally oxidized to form a 1 μm thick SiO 2 film 1205 on the surface as an insulating material with respect to the substrate (FIG. 13 (h)).
Next, on the SiO2 film on the inner end face of the frame, a Ti thin film 300 mm was formed by sputtering as a starting fixed electrode and a driving fixed electrode, respectively, and then 1200 mm thick Pt thin films 1206 and 1207 were formed by sputtering. Form a film. Further, an Al thin film 1208 is formed as a mirror surface on the mirror substrate surface (FIG. 14 (i)). When forming the film, the Pt thin film 1207 as a fixed driving electrode that is shielded with a metallic stencil mask so as not to form a metal thin film in a region other than the electrode and close to the same part is a mirror. The substrate was formed from an oblique direction with the substrate tilted using a jig. Here, the Ti thin film is for improving the adhesion of the Pt thin film on the SiO 2 film. Here, although a Pt thin film is used as an electrode material, other materials such as Au, Ti, etc. may be used as long as they have high conductivity and can secure adhesion with SiO 2. Further, although the sputtering method is used here as a film forming method, the film may be formed by other methods such as vacuum deposition and ion plating. In addition, although Al was formed as the metal thin film 1208 as the mirror surface, other materials such as Au can be selected as long as the metal thin film can provide the necessary and sufficient reflectivity for the laser light to be used. As the film method, other methods such as a sputtering method and an ion plating method may be used.
Next, a part of the SiO 2 film on the back surface of the frame is removed by etching using a metal mask to form a contact hole 1209 (FIG. 14 (j)). An electrode 1210 for applying a voltage to the mirror substrate is formed in the contact hole where the silicon is exposed using a metal mask, and a heat treatment at 400 ° C. is performed to reduce the resistance between the electrode and the substrate (FIG. 14 ( k)).
It is obvious that the manufacturing method described above can be similarly applied to the optical scanning devices of sixth to eleventh embodiments described later.
<< Production Method 2 >>
Another example of the method of manufacturing the optical scanning device according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the method described here, an SOI substrate that can be easily processed with high precision and can easily form an electrode separation structure is used as a material for a mirror substrate, a torsion beam, and a frame. Here, the mirror substrate and the substrate on the side where the torsion beam is formed are 100 μm in thickness with a low resistance of 0.1 Ω · cm or less, containing high-concentration impurities, so that each isolated part can be used as an electrode as it is The substrate on the side where the frame is to be formed is a silicon substrate with a thickness of several Ω · cm to several tens of Ω · cm with a thickness of 525 μm, and these are separated by an insulating film made of an oxide film with a thickness of 1 μm. A description will be given assuming that an SOI substrate is used.
First, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 2002 is applied in a thickness of 100 μm as a mask for deeply etching silicon on the surface of the 626 μm-thick SOI substrate 2001 that has been polished on both sides as a mask for deeply etching silicon (FIG. 15A). . The mask material used here may be any material as long as it has good adhesion to silicon, has a selection ratio at the time of etching of 100 μm, large enough to remain as a mask at the time of silicon etching, and can be easily removed after etching. Ni plating film or the like may be used.
Next, this resist is exposed and developed to be patterned into an inner frame shape (FIG. 15B).
Using this resist as a mask, the silicon substrate is etched away to a depth of 525 μm where the oxide film is exposed in the shape of the inner frame using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy (FIG. 15 ( c)). Here, since the oxide film has an extremely low etching rate compared to silicon, it functions as an etching stop layer. Note that a starting fixed electrode is formed in a step portion of the etching end face formed here in a later step.
Next, after dissolving and removing the resist 2002, a high-viscosity heat-resistant resist 2003 is applied again to a substrate on which the mirror substrate is to be formed to a thickness of 100 μm, and is exposed and developed to be patterned into a rib shape (FIG. 15). (d)).
Then, using this resist as a mask, a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) is used to etch and remove a portion of the silicon substrate thinned to 100 μm to a depth of 50 μm to form a rib shape (FIG. 16 ( e)).
Next, a resist 2004 is applied to the surface on which the ribs are formed to a thickness of 1.5 μm and patterned into a mirror substrate and a beam shape (FIG. 16 (f)). At this time, since it is necessary to apply the resist including the step portion of the rib, the resist is applied in a spray form.
Using this resist as a mask, a mirror substrate and a beam are formed by dry etching using a dry etching apparatus (ICP-RIE) having a high etching rate and high anisotropy until it penetrates the silicon substrate (FIG. 16 (g) )).
Next, an Al thin film 2005 serving as a driving fixed electrode is formed on a part of the frame by a vacuum evaporation method using a metal mask, and a heat treatment at 400 ° C. is performed to reduce the resistance between the Al thin film 2005 and the substrate (FIG. 16). (h)). Here, the Al thin film 2005 can be a thin film made of other materials such as Au, and the film forming method can also use other methods such as a sputtering method and an ion plating method.
According to such a manufacturing method using an SOI substrate, after forming a mirror substrate, forming an oxide film for subsequent insulation, forming a metal electrode on the mirror substrate end surface position on the oxide film, and A step of forming a contact portion by removing a part of the oxide film becomes unnecessary, and the manufacturing process can be shortened. It is obvious that this manufacturing method can be similarly applied to the optical scanning devices of the sixth to eleventh embodiments described later.
An optical scanning apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 17B is a sectional view taken along line A-A ′.
Since the overall configuration of the optical scanning device of this embodiment is the same as that of the fifth embodiment, illustration and description thereof are omitted, and only the configuration relating to the reinforcing rib 121 of the mirror substrate 101, which is a feature of this embodiment, is described. To do. A reinforcing rib 121 is provided on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101 having a size of 4 mm □. In this embodiment, the torsion beams 102 and 103 are extended and the rib 121d crossing the mirror substrate 101 and the outer periphery of the mirror substrate are framed.Rib 121eIn addition, a rib 121f that is orthogonal to the center of the rib 121d and bridges the rib 121e is provided. The thickness of the rib region is 60 μm, which is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other lightening regions are thinner than the torsion beam by 30 μm.
Since the inertial force in the minute area of the mirror substrate 101 during vibration is proportional to the product of the mass of the minute area and the square of the distance from the torsion beams 102 and 103, the inertia due to the mass of the minute area in the direction parallel to the torsion beams 102 and 103 The deformation is small because there is no difference in the inertial force depending on the position only by the difference in force, but the deformation is large in the direction perpendicular to the torsion beam because the difference in the inertial force depending on the position is large. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rib 121f is provided to increase the rigidity in the direction orthogonal to the torsion beam, thereby effectively suppressing deformation due to vibration.
An optical scanning apparatus according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 18A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 18B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B ′.
Since the overall configuration of the optical scanning device of this embodiment is the same as that of the fifth embodiment, illustration and description thereof are omitted, and only the configuration relating to the reinforcing rib 121 of the mirror substrate 101, which is a feature of this embodiment, is described. To do.
Reinforcing ribs 121 are provided on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101 having a size of 4 mm □. In this embodiment, ribs 121d extending the torsion beams 102 and 103 to cross the mirror substrate 101 and ribs rimming the outer periphery of the mirror substrate 101 are provided. In addition to 121e, a plurality of ribs 121g that are parallel and perpendicular to the rib 121d are provided in a lattice pattern. The grid-shaped rib 121g is located with respect to the center of the rib 121d so that the center of gravity (G) of the mirror substrate 101 is at the center of the rib 121d.SymmetricallyIs arranged. The thickness of the rib region is 60 μm, which is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other lightening regions are thinner than the torsion beam by 30 μm.
By adding the grid-like ribs 121g in this way, the deformation of the mirror substrate in the orthogonal direction and the parallel direction in the torsion beams 102 and 103 can be reduced more than in the sixth embodiment. However, since the increase in the weight of the mirror substrate acts to reduce the deflection angle, a larger driving torque, that is, a higher driving voltage is required to compensate for this.
An optical scanning device according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 is a rear view of the mirror substrate.
Also in this embodiment, as in the case of the seventh embodiment, as the reinforcing rib 121 on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101, the ribs 121d extending the torsion beams 102 and 103 and crossing the mirror substrate 101, and the outer periphery of the mirror substrate are edged. And ribs 121g in a lattice shape parallel to and perpendicular to the ribs 121d are provided. The mirror substrate free end side portion 121ds of the rib 121d that borders the outer periphery of the mirror substrate is longer than the length of the rib 121d and projects outward from the end portion coupled to the torsion beams 102 and 103 of the mirror substrate 101. The rib portion 121ds has a comb-teeth shape, and acts as a drive movable electrode opposite to the frame-side drive fixed electrodes 107 and 108 (FIG. 10) having the same comb-teeth shape with a narrow gap therebetween. The lengths of the fixed electrodes 107 and 108 are increased by the increase in the length on the electrode side. The thickness of the rib region is 60 μm, which is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other lightening regions are thinner than the torsion beam by 30 μm.
Providing the grid-like rib 121g can effectively suppress the mirror substrate deformation in the direction orthogonal to and parallel to the torsion beams 102, 103, but the mirror substrate weight increases, so it is necessary to obtain the necessary deflection angle. Driving torque (electrostatic force) also increases. Therefore, in this embodiment, it acts as a movable electrode.Rib part 121eThe drive torque is increased by extending the length of the drive electrode to increase the drive electrode area.
An optical scanning apparatus according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 20A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 20B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B ′.
Also in this embodiment, as in the case of the sixth embodiment, ribs 121d extending the torsion beams 102 and 103 and crossing the mirror substrate 101 are provided as reinforcing ribs 121 on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101 having a size of 4 mm □. And rim the outer periphery of the mirror substrateRib 121eAs shown in FIG. 20A, each corner portion of the rib 121e, andRib 121d and rib 121eCurvature is attached at the intersection with. Since the portion to which this curvature is added is a portion where stress due to deformation of the mirror substrate during vibration tends to concentrate, stress concentration is mitigated by adding the curvature, and cracks are less likely to occur from that portion. The thickness of the rib region is 60 μm, which is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other lightening regions are 30 μm thinner than the torsion beam.
An optical scanning apparatus according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21A is a rear view of the mirror substrate, and FIG. 21B is a sectional view taken along the line B-B ′.
Also in this embodiment, as in the case of the sixth embodiment, ribs 121d extending the torsion beams 102 and 103 and crossing the mirror substrate 101 are provided as reinforcing ribs 121 on the back surface of the mirror substrate 101 having a size of 4 mm □. And a rib 121d that rims the outer periphery of the mirror substrate. As shown in FIG. 21A, the intersecting portion of the rib 121e and the torsion beams 102 and 103 (the connecting portion between the torsion beams 102 and 103 and the mirror substrate 101). Has a curvature. Since this portion is a portion where stress due to deformation of the mirror substrate during vibration tends to concentrate, stress concentration is mitigated by adding a curvature, and cracks are less likely to occur from that portion. The thickness of the rib region is 60 μm, which is the same as that of the torsion beams 102 and 103, and the other lightening regions are thinner than the torsion beam by 30 μm.
As in the ninth embodiment, each corner of the rib 121e and the intersecting portion between the rib 102e and the rib 102e may be curved, and such an aspect is also encompassed by the present invention. It is natural.
In the optical scanning devices of the above embodiments, as schematically shown in FIG. 22, the surface of the mirror substrate 101 (the surface on the side where the mirror surface 115 is formed) and the surfaces of the torsion beams 102 and 103 are the same surface. It had been.
In the optical scanning apparatus according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, as schematically shown in FIG. 23, the positional relationship is such that the surface of the mirror substrate 101 coincides with the centers of the torsion beams 102 and 103 in the thickness direction. Is done. By adopting such a positional relationship, deviation of the beam position on the mirror surface due to torsional rotation of the mirror substrate does not occur, so that the scanning position accuracy of the reflected beam is improved.
Other configurations may be the same as those in the above embodiments. Further, among the reinforcing ribs 121, the rib 121e surrounding the outer periphery of the mirror substrate is formed so as to protrude also to the front side of the mirror substrate 101 as shown in the figure, but is not limited thereto.
Although not shown, the mirror substrate and the means for driving the mirror substrate include a portion through which the light beam deflected by the mirror substrate is transmitted and a terminal portion for connection with the driving means. An optical scanning device accommodated in a container is also included in the present invention.
The optical scanning device of the present invention described above is optimal as an optical scanning device for an image forming apparatus such as a photographic printing type printer or a copying machine. Next, an example of such an image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
In FIG. 24, reference numeral 301 denotes an optical writing device, and 302 denotes a photosensitive drum that provides a scanned surface of the optical writing device 301. The optical writing device 301 scans the surface (surface to be scanned) of the photosensitive drum 302 in the axial direction of the drum with one or a plurality of laser beams modulated by the recording signal. The photosensitive drum 302 is driven to rotate in the direction of arrow 303, and an electrostatic latent image is formed by optical scanning of the surface charged by the charging unit 304 by the optical writing device 301. That is, in a broad sense, the photosensitive drum 302 is an electrostatic latent image carrier. The electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing unit 305, and the toner image is transferred to the recording paper 307 by the transfer unit 306. The transferred toner image is fixed on the recording paper 307 by the fixing unit 307. Residual toner is removed by a cleaning unit 309 from the surface portion of the photosensitive drum 302 that has passed through the transfer unit 306. It is apparent that a configuration using a belt-like photoconductor in place of the photoconductor drum 302 is also possible. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the toner image is once transferred to a transfer medium, and the toner image is transferred from the transfer medium to a recording sheet and fixed.
The optical writing device 301 includes a light source unit 320 that emits one or a plurality of laser beams modulated by a recording signal, and the optical scanning device 321 of the present invention described in relation to the first to eleventh embodiments. And an imaging optical system 322 for imaging the laser beam from the light source unit 320 on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device 321, and one or a plurality of laser beams reflected by the mirror surface. It comprises a scanning optical system 323 for forming an image on the surface (scanned surface) of the body drum 302. The optical scanning device 321 is incorporated in the optical writing device 301 in a form mounted on a circuit board 325 together with an integrated circuit 324 for driving the optical scanning device 321.
The optical writing device 301 having such a configuration has the following advantages. As described above, the optical scanning device 321 according to the present invention is advantageous in terms of stability of the laser beam shape and lowering of the driving voltage, and also consumes less power for driving than a rotating polygon mirror. It is advantageous for power saving of the forming apparatus. The wind noise when the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device 321 vibrates is smaller than that of the rotary polygon mirror, which is advantageous for improving the quietness of the image forming apparatus. The optical scanning device 321 requires much less installation space than the rotary polygon mirror, and the optical device device 321 generates only a small amount of heat, so that the optical writing device 301 can be easily downsized. This is advantageous for downsizing the forming apparatus.
The transport mechanism of the recording paper 307, the driving mechanism of the photosensitive drum 302, the control means such as the developing unit 305 and the transfer unit 306, the driving system of the light source unit 320, and the like may be the same as those in the conventional image forming apparatus. It is omitted.
FIG. 25 shows a perspective view and a sectional view of the vibrating mirror chip in the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 25A is a perspective view of the entire vibrating mirror chip, and FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the beam at the center of the vibrating mirror chip.
The vibration mirror chip in this embodiment is a mirror substrate formed by combining a mirror portion 3001 and a frame body 3002, a reinforcing beam 3003, a torsion beam 3004, a support portion 3005, a thermal oxide film 3006, a frame 3007, and a frame body. A part of the movable electrode 3008 and the movable electrode lead pad 3009, the fixed electrode 3010 and the fixed electrode lead pad 3011 are included.
The mirror substrate includes a thin-film mirror portion 3001 including a silicon nitride (SiN) thin film and a metal thin film 3012; a frame body 3002 that is coupled to the mirror portion 3001 and is formed of silicon single crystal on the outer edge of the mirror portion 3001; The reinforcing beam 3003 bridges the inside of the frame 3002 at the same height as 3002.
Here, the metal thin film 3012 and the frame 3002 in the mirror portion 3001 are on opposite sides of the central silicon nitride thin film. The metal thin film 3012 has a sufficient reflectance with respect to light, and the surface opposite to the frame 3002 is used as a mirror surface. If there is a mirror surface on the opposite side of the frame in this way, there is no frame on the mirror surface, so the entire mirror surface can be used effectively for reflection of the light beam, preventing loss of the light beam. Can do.
Since the silicon nitride (SiN) thin film has a tensile stress as an internal stress, the flatness of the mirror portion 3001 including the metal thin film 3012 inside the frame body 3002, particularly the mirror surface can be secured. As a result, a stable light beam shape can be obtained. Here, a silicon nitride thin film is used as the mirror portion 3001, but another thin film having a tensile stress as an internal stress, such as a polycrystalline silicon thin film, can also be used.
Further, as a feature of the present invention, since the mirror portion 3001 is entirely formed of a thin film, it is lightweight even when a large mirror substrate is formed, and thus the moment of inertia is reduced. A large deflection angle can be obtained. Further, since the mirror portion 3001 is held by the frame body 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003, the mirror substrate 3002 has high rigidity as a mirror substrate, and can be obtained with a stable beam shape with little deformation of the mirror substrate during operation.
The mirror substrate is supported by two torsion beams 3004 in the vicinity of the center of the outer side surface of the frame 3002. The two torsion beams 3004 are coupled to positions facing each other on the outer side surface of the frame 3002 and are provided on substantially the same straight line so as to include the rotational axis of the torsional vibration of the mirror substrate. During operation of the vibrating mirror chip, the mirror substrate supported by the torsion beam 3004 is torsionally oscillated with the torsion beam 3004 as the rotation axis, and deflects the light beam emitted from the beam light source onto the mirror surface of the mirror substrate.
The reinforcing beam 3003 that bridges the inside of the frame 3002 is preferably disposed on the extension of the torsion beam 3004. By arranging the reinforcing beam 3003 on the extension of the torsion beam 3004, that is, on the same straight line as a part of the rotational axis of the torsional vibration, the mirror substrate becomes symmetrical with respect to the rotational axis of the torsional vibration during operation. . As a result, the rotating shaft is stabilized during operation, deformation of the frame 3002 in the direction of the torsion beam 3004 is reduced, unnecessary vibration modes are suppressed, and a stable beam shape can be obtained. The two torsion beams 3004 are formed integrally with the frame 3002 from a silicon single crystal so that sufficient resistance to repeated torsional vibrations can be obtained and appropriate torsional rigidity can be obtained. Further, the height, width, and length of the torsion beam 3004 are appropriately designed based on the torsional rigidity so that the resonance frequency as a vibrator becomes a desired value.
The resonance frequency f of the mirror substrate by the torsion beam can be expressed by the following equation, where k is the torsional elastic coefficient and I is the moment of inertia of the mirror substrate.
f = 1 / (2π) × √ (k / I)
Here, the torsional elastic coefficient k can be expressed by the following equation where the width of the torsion beam is c, the height of the torsion beam is t, and the length of the torsion beam is L.
k = βtc ^ 3E / (L (1 + ν))
The moment of inertia I of the mirror substrate can be expressed by the following equation, where M is the weight of the mirror substrate and a is the width of the mirror substrate (direction perpendicular to the torsion beam).
I = M a ^ 2/12
From the above formula, it can be seen that a mirror substrate having a size of 1 mm × 4 mm and a plate thickness of 60 μm is supported by a beam having a cross section of 50 μm × 60 μm and a length of 500 μm, so that the mirror substrate is resonantly driven at about 3 kHz.
The side of the torsion beam 3004 that is not connected to the frame body 3002 is connected to a support portion 3005 that is integrally formed of the same silicon, and this support portion 3005 is formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. The frame 3007 is fixed. The frame 3002 of the mirror substrate, the reinforcing beam 3003, the torsion beam 3004 and the support portion 3005 are formed of a common low resistance silicon substrate, and an Al thin film is formed on the surface of the support portion 3005 as a movable electrode lead pad 3009. Has been. Here, if the frame 3002, the reinforcing beam 3003, and the torsion beam 3004 all have the same height (thickness), they can be formed simultaneously, and a vibrating mirror chip can be manufactured at a low cost.
In the frame of the mirror substrate, comb-shaped movable electrodes 3008 are formed on both side surfaces in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis direction by the torsion beam. Thus, by making a movable electrode into a comb-tooth shape, an electrode area can be increased and the drive torque of the mirror substrate by an electrostatic force can be enlarged. As a result, the deflection angle of the mirror substrate can be increased. Further, a fixed electrode 3010 for driving having the same comb-teeth shape is provided independently of the movable electrode 3008 and the like, with a minute gap from the movable electrode 3008 having a comb-teeth shape. The comb-shaped driving fixed electrode 3010 is opposed to the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008 so as to be engaged therewith. Since the movable electrode 3008 and the fixed electrode 3010 are disposed to face each other, the electrode structure is simple, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the mirror substrate can be driven efficiently. The driving fixed electrode 3010 is formed of a low-resistance silicon substrate, and is fixed to the frame 7 formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. Further, an Al thin film is formed as a fixed electrode lead pad 3011 on the surface of the fixed electrode 3010.
Next, the operation of the vibrating mirror chip in the twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Since the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008 formed on the frame is formed of a low-resistance silicon substrate common to the frame, the torsion beam, and the support part, the movable electrode lead formed on the support part surface of the torsion beam This is the same potential as the pad (3009 in FIG. 25). A driving fixed electrode 3010 formed of a low-resistance silicon substrate is fixed to the frame 3007 via a thermal oxide film 3006. Here, two fixed electrode lead pads 3011 in the fixed electrode 3010 are grounded. An electrostatic force is applied between the movable electrode 3008 and the fixed electrode 3010 by simultaneously applying a voltage to each of the movable electrode lead pads on the surface of the movable electrode 3008. In contrast to FIG. 26, two movable electrode lead pads in the movable electrode 3008 may be grounded, and a voltage may be applied to the fixed electrode lead pad 3011 on the surface of the fixed electrode 3010.
FIG. 26A shows an initial state where no voltage is applied to the movable electrode lead pad. Here, the mirror substrate has a small amount of about several μm from the horizontal position due to slight asymmetry such as shape and internal stress, but has an initial displacement. For this reason, the movable electrode 8 formed on the mirror substrate and the fixed electrode 3010 formed on the frame via the thermal oxide film 3006 are not stationary so that the surfaces facing each other are parallel to each other. , Facing each other with a slight displacement in the direction of the twist angle.
By applying an electrostatic force between the movable electrode 3008 and the fixed electrode 3010 having such an arrangement to apply a voltage to the movable electrode lead pad, the surfaces of the movable electrode 3008 and the fixed electrode 3010 facing each other are parallel to each other. It is possible to torsionally vibrate (rotate) about the torsion beam in the opposite direction, that is, the direction in which the mirror substrate as shown in FIG.
When the applied voltage is increased and the application of the voltage is stopped at the moment when the mirror substrate becomes horizontal with the fixed electrode, as shown in FIG. 26C, the beam is moved to the opposite side to the initial displacement due to the inertia of the mirror substrate. Can be displaced to a position where the torsional rigidity of the mirror substrate and the moment of rotation of the mirror substrate are balanced. Here, when a voltage is applied again to the movable electrode for driving 3008, the mirror substrate rotates in the opposite direction due to the electrostatic attractive force between the movable electrode 3008 and the fixed electrode 3010 and the torsional rigidity of the beam. It is displaced again to a horizontal position with the fixed electrode.
By setting the driving frequency of the driving movable electrode 3008 to the resonance frequency of the mirror substrate and the torsion beam, a large deflection angle of the mirror substrate can be obtained. At this time, since the deformation of the mirror substrate is reduced by the reinforcing beam 3003 provided on the back surface of the mirror portion 1, the beam reflected by the mirror portion 1 is not irregularly reflected, and a stable scanning beam shape can be obtained.
Next, FIG. 27 shows a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the vibrating mirror chip in the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. The vibrating mirror chip in the present embodiment has the same structure as that of the twelfth embodiment except for the structure of the mirror portion. The mirror substrate includes a mirror portion 3001 formed of a thermal oxide film 3006 and a silicon nitride thin film 3013, and a frame body 3002 formed of a silicon single crystal coupled to the mirror portion 3001. The inside of the frame body 3002 formed on the outer edge of the mirror portion 3001 is bridged by a reinforcing beam 3003. On the side of the mirror portion 3001 where the frame body 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003 are not formed, a metal thin film 3012 having a sufficient reflectivity for the light to be used is formed as a mirror surface. The mirror substrate is supported by two torsion beams 3004 in the vicinity of the center of the outer side surface of the frame 3002. The two torsion beams 3004 are coupled to positions facing each other on the outer side surface of the frame body 3002, and are provided on the same straight line so as to serve as a rotational axis of torsional vibration of the mirror substrate. Further, it is preferable that the reinforcing beam 3003 for bridging the inside of the frame body 3002 is arranged at a position on the same straight line as the torsion beam 3004.
The side of the torsion beam 3004 that is not coupled to the frame 3002 is coupled to a support portion 3005 that is also integrally formed of silicon, and this support portion 3005 is formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. The frame 3007 is fixed. A metal thin film 3012 is formed as a movable electrode lead pad 3009 on the surface of the support portion 3005. Comb-shaped movable electrodes 3008 are formed on both sides of the mirror substrate frame 3002 in the direction orthogonal to the direction of the rotational axis of the torsion beam. In addition, a driving fixed electrode 3010 having a similar comb-tooth shape is provided at a minute interval from the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008. The comb-shaped driving fixed electrode 3010 is opposed to the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008 so as to be engaged therewith. The driving fixed electrode 3010 is formed of a low-resistance silicon substrate, and is fixed to a frame 3007 formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. Further, a metal thin film 3012 is formed as a fixed electrode lead pad 3011 on the surface of the fixed electrode 3010.
Here, in the twelfth embodiment, the mirror portion 3001 is formed of a single layer film of a silicon nitride thin film having tensile stress as an internal stress. However, the mirror portion 3001 in the thirteenth embodiment is a thermal oxide film 3006. The thermal oxide film 3006 is formed on the mirror substrate frame 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003 side, and the silicon nitride thin film 3013 is formed on the mirror surface side. The thermal oxide film 3006 has a large selection ratio when etching silicon, and is convenient as an etching stop layer. However, since the thermal oxide film 3006 usually has a compressive stress as an internal stress, if it is used as a single layer film, it will buckle and flatness as a mirror surface cannot be secured. Therefore, a silicon nitride thin film 3013 having a tensile stress as an internal stress is formed in combination with the thermal oxide film 3006 and is adjusted so that the stress of the entire film becomes a tensile stress by forming a two-layer film. . In this way, by forming the mirror portion 3001 including the metal thin film 3012 as a multilayer film, the mirror portion can be designed using a plurality of thin films having various functions. Further, the design of the mirror part 1 and the design freedom in the process are high, and a high-performance vibrating mirror chip can be manufactured. Here, since the structure of the vibrating mirror chip in this embodiment using the thermal oxide film 3006 as an etching stop layer is considered to be simpler in manufacturing method and more advantageous in terms of cost, the vibration in this embodiment will be described next. A manufacturing method of the mirror chip will be described with reference to FIGS.
An SOI (Silicon on Insulator) wafer was used to manufacture the vibrating mirror chip in the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, in the SOI wafer, the lower thick wafer through the thermal oxide film 3006 is called a base wafer 3014, and the upper thin wafer is called a bond wafer 3015. The base wafer 3014 used as a frame is a (100) wafer having a thickness of 525 μm and a medium resistance. The bond wafer 3015 used as a frame, a reinforcing beam, a torsion beam, a support portion, a movable electrode, and a fixed electrode has a thickness. A 60 μm, low resistance (100) wafer was used. The thickness of the thermal oxide film 3006 between the two wafers was 500 nm. The thickness of the bond wafer was set according to the design values of the resonance frequency of the mirror substrate and the torsion beam. Further, the above-described SOI wafer is obtained by temporarily bonding two sufficiently cleaned silicon wafers in a reduced-pressure atmosphere through a thermal oxide film, followed by heat treatment and main bonding at a high temperature of 1000 ° C. or higher. It can be produced by polishing the wafer to a desired thickness.
First, as shown in FIG. 28A, a silicon nitride thin film 3013 having a thickness of 1000 angstroms was formed on both surfaces of this SOI wafer by LP-CVD (low pressure vapor phase chemical deposition). The thin film formed here uses a silicon nitride thin film 3013 having sufficient resistance as an etching mask when all the base wafer having a thickness of 525 μm is removed by anisotropic etching with KOH solution. In general, the thermal oxide film 3006 having a thickness of about 1 μm used for anisotropic etching has a higher etching rate than the silicon nitride thin film 3013, and thus is not suitable as a mask for deep etching of silicon.
Next, the silicon nitride thin film 3013 is patterned by dry etching using a resist mask, and regions where the mirror portion 3001 and the torsion beam portion are to be formed are removed by etching. At this time, the (100) silicon wafer is etched in a direction inclined at an angle of 54.7 ° with respect to the surface of the etching mask on which the silicon nitride thin film 3013 is formed. For this reason, it is necessary to design an etching mask pattern in consideration of the fact that the finally remaining bond wafer region is an inner region of the mask pattern.
Next, as shown in FIG. 28B, using the patterned silicon nitride thin film 3013 as an etching mask, the base wafer 3014 is thermally oxidized by anisotropic etching using a 30 mass% KOH solution heated to 85 ° C. Etch away until 3006 is reached. At this time, the thermal oxide film 6 can be used as an etching stop layer because the etching rate with respect to the KOH solution is slower than that of silicon. As a result, a silicon diaphragm 3016 made of a bond wafer 3015 having a thickness of 60 μm is formed using the base wafer 3014 as a frame 3007. In the subsequent steps, a mirror substrate, a torsion beam, and a comb electrode are formed on the silicon diaphragm 3016.
Next, as shown in FIG. 28C, a silicon nitride thin film 3013 having a thickness of 1000 angstrom is formed again by LP-CVD, and an Al thin film having a thickness of 1000 angstrom is further formed as a mirror surface by sputtering. Although the thermal oxide film 3006 is used as a thin mirror part 3001, the thermal oxide film 3006 generally has a compressive stress as an internal stress. In general, a metal thin film formed by a sputtering method also has a compressive stress. Therefore, the silicon nitride thin film 30013 is formed together with the thermal oxide film 3006, and the compressive stress of the thermal oxide film 3006 and the metal thin film 3012 is canceled by the tensile stress as the internal stress of the silicon nitride thin film 3013, so that the silicon nitride thin film 3013 In addition, the internal stress of the entire multilayer film composed of the thermal oxide film 3006 and the metal thin film 3012 is set to the tensile stress. That is, here, the silicon nitride thin film 3013 serves as a stress adjusting film, and the stress of the entire multilayer film can be easily adjusted. Further, although Al is formed as the metal thin film 3012 here, other materials such as Au can be used as long as the metal thin film can obtain a necessary and sufficient reflectance for the laser light to be used. Further, although the sputtering method is used as the film forming method, the film may be formed by other methods such as a vacuum evaporation method and an ion plating method.
Next, as shown in FIG. 28 (d), a resist is patterned in the region where the mirror portion 3001 of the bond wafer 3015 is formed, and the silicon nitride thin film 3013 other than the region where the mirror portion 3001 of the bond wafer 3015 is formed using this resist as a mask. The thermal oxide film 3006 and the Al metal thin film 3012 are removed by dry etching to form a mirror portion 3001 including the silicon nitride thin film 3013, the thermal oxide film 3006, and the Al metal thin film 3012.
Next, as shown in FIG. 29E, the silicon nitride thin film 3013 opposite to the mirror portion 3001 of the bond wafer is patterned by dry etching into a frame, a beam, a reinforcing portion, and a minute gap shape using a resist mask.
Further, as shown in FIG. 29 (f), using a resist / silicon nitride thin film as a mask, a dry etching apparatus having a high etching rate and high anisotropy is used, and the thickness of the mirror substrate and its surrounding silicon is 60 μm thick. Through etching was performed. At this time, the etching of the mirror substrate stops at the thermal oxide film 3006 in the mirror portion formed in FIG.
Finally, a part of the two fixed electrode surfaces is removed by dry etching using a mask of silicon nitride thin film 3013, and an Al thin film is formed on the surface of the obtained silicon substrate by a sputtering method and fixed. In order to lower the resistance between the electrode and the substrate, heat treatment at 400 ° C. is performed to form electrode lead pads 3009 and 3011. Here, an Al thin film is used as an electrode material, but other materials such as Au, Ti, etc. may be used as long as they have high conductivity and can secure adhesion to silicon. Further, the film forming method is not limited to the sputtering method, and the film may be formed by other methods such as vacuum deposition and ion plating.
FIG. 30 shows a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the vibrating mirror chip in the fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. The vibrating mirror chip in the present embodiment has the same structure as that of the thirteenth embodiment except for the structure of the mirror portion. The mirror substrate includes a mirror portion 3001 formed of a thermal oxide film 3006 and a silicon nitride thin film 3013, a frame body and a reinforcing beam formed of a silicon single crystal that is coupled to the mirror portion 3001 with the mirror portion 3001 extended. , Consisting of. A frame (not shown) formed on the outer edge of the mirror portion 3001 and a reinforcing beam (not shown) bridging the inside of the frame are at the same height. A metal thin film 3012 having a sufficient reflectivity with respect to the light to be used is formed as a mirror surface on the surface of the mirror portion 1 where the frame and the reinforcing beam are not formed. The mirror substrate is supported by two torsion beams 3004 near the center of the side surface outside the frame. The two torsion beams 3004 are coupled to positions facing each other on the outer side surface of the frame, and are provided on the same straight line so as to serve as a rotational axis of torsional vibration of the mirror substrate. Further, it is preferable that the reinforcing beam for bridging the inside of the frame is also arranged at a position on the same straight line as the torsion beam 3004. The side of the torsion beam 3004 that is not coupled to the frame is coupled to a support portion 3005 that is also integrally formed of silicon, and the support portion 3005 is formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. It is fixed to the frame 3007. A metal thin film 30122 is formed on the surface of the support portion 3005 as a movable electrode lead pad 3009. Comb-shaped movable electrodes 3008 are formed on both sides of the mirror substrate frame in the direction orthogonal to the rotational axis direction of the torsion beam 3004. In addition, a driving fixed electrode 3010 having a similar comb-tooth shape is provided at a minute interval from the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008. The comb-shaped driving fixed electrode 3010 is opposed to the comb-shaped movable electrode 3008 so as to be engaged therewith. The driving fixed electrode 3010 is formed of a low-resistance silicon substrate, and is fixed to a frame 3007 formed of silicon via a thermal oxide film 3006. Further, a metal thin film 3012 is formed as a fixed electrode lead pad 3011 on the surface of the fixed electrode 3010.
Here, in the thirteenth embodiment, the mirror portion 3001 is formed on the frame 3007 side of the mirror substrate, but the mirror portion 3001 in this embodiment is formed on the side opposite to the frame 3007 of the mirror substrate. Since the basic manufacturing method is the same as that of the thirteenth embodiment, the description of the manufacturing method is omitted here. By disposing the mirror part 3001 on the side opposite to the frame 3007 in this way, there is no structure disposed above the mirror surface of the mirror part 3001, so the degree of freedom in optical design is increased.
FIG. 31 shows a plan view of the vibrating mirror chip in the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention. The vibrating mirror chip in this embodiment has the same structure as that of the thirteenth embodiment except for the structure of the reinforcing beam 3003 on the mirror substrate. Therefore, only the structure of the reinforcing beam 3003 will be described here. In the thirteenth embodiment, the reinforcing beam 3003 for bridging the inside of the frame is arranged at a position substantially collinear with the torsion beam 3004, whereas the reinforcing beam for bridging the inside of the frame 3002 in the present embodiment. The beam 3003 bridges the vicinity of the central portion of the side surface of the frame 3002 on which the comb-shaped electrodes 3017 are formed facing each other in a direction substantially orthogonal to the extension of the torsion beam 3004, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis of the torsional vibration. Are arranged. The vibrating mirror chip of this embodiment can be manufactured in the same manner as the thirteenth embodiment by changing the pattern of the reinforcing beam 3003. By arranging the reinforcing beam 3003 as in the present embodiment, the portion of the comb electrode 3017 is supported by the reinforcing beam 3003 during the operation of the vibrating mirror chip of the present invention, and deformation in the rotational direction of the mirror surface can be reduced, A stable beam shape can be obtained.
Further, as a sixteenth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 32, as a reinforcing beam for bridging the inside of the frame body 3002, in a position substantially collinear with the torsion beam 3004, that is, in a direction along the rotational axis of torsional vibration, The reinforcing beam 3003 and the torsion beam 3004 to be arranged are bridged in the direction substantially perpendicular to the torsion beam 3004, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the rotational axis of the torsional vibration, near the central portion of the side surface of the frame body on which the comb electrode 3017 is formed A mirror substrate having both the reinforcing beam 3003 arranged in the same manner can also be manufactured. Thus, it is preferable to provide a reinforcing beam that is line-symmetric with respect to the rotational axis of torsional vibration and that is line-symmetrical with respect to an axis that passes through the center of the rotational axis and is orthogonal to the rotational axis. If the reinforcing beam 3003 provided inside the frame satisfies the symmetry of the arrangement as described above, the reinforcing beam 3003 is not only in a direction parallel to or perpendicular to the torsion beam 3004 but also in a direction inclined with respect to the torsion beam 3004 (torsional vibration). The direction may be inclined with respect to the rotation axis. When such a beam is provided, deformation can be reduced evenly over the entire mirror portion during operation, so that a stable beam shape can be obtained.
Further, as shown in FIG. 33 as a seventeenth embodiment, as a reinforcing beam for bridging the inside of the frame 3002, a reinforcing beam 3003 arranged at a position substantially collinear with the torsion beam 3004, a torsion beam 3004, The reinforcing beam 3003 is disposed in a substantially orthogonal direction by bridging the vicinity of the central portion of the side surface of the frame body on which the comb electrodes 3017 facing each other are formed. Here, the inside of the frame body 3002, a portion where the frame body 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003 intersect, or a portion where the reinforcing beam 3003 intersects each other is formed on a curved surface. In this way, if the corners of the frame 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003 are curved, the stress concentration on the corners can be alleviated, so the mirror substrate can be damaged during operation or handling of the vibrating mirror chip. Can be reduced.
A cross-sectional view of the vibrating mirror chip in the eighteenth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. The vibrating mirror chip in this embodiment has the same structure as that of the thirteenth embodiment except for the structure of the reinforcing beam 3003 on the mirror substrate. Therefore, only the structure of the reinforcing beam 3003 will be described here.
In the thirteenth embodiment, since the height of the reinforcing beam 3003 that bridges the inside of the frame matches the height of the frame 3002, the frame 3002 and the reinforcing beam 3003 are both joined to the back surface of the mirror portion 3001. On the other hand, the height (thickness) of the reinforcing beam 3003 that bridges the inside of the frame 3002 in this embodiment is lower (thin) than the frame 3002 and is a mirror. Separated from part 3001. As a result, the frame 3002 maintains sufficient rigidity by the reinforcing beam 3003, and the mirror part 3001 is substantially independent from the reinforcing beam 3003 over the entire surface, so that the mirror part has almost no distortion and the mirror surface is flat. High surface accuracy can be obtained.
FIG. 35 shows a sectional view of the vibrating mirror chip in the nineteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the oscillating mirror chip in this embodiment, the mirror part 3001 is arranged at substantially the center position of the height of the frame 3002. Therefore, the height of the reinforcing beam 3003 is about ½ of the height of the frame 3002. Since the height of the frame 3002 is the same as the height of the torsion beam 3004, in another embodiment, the center of the mirror portion 3001 vibrates at a position that is separated by a distance corresponding to half the height of the frame 3002. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the central axis of the torsion beam which is the rotation axis is arranged to pass through the mirror portion. Therefore, the mirror part vibrates around the rotational axis of torsional vibration in the mirror part, and the optical design becomes easy.
FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical scanning module equipped in the optical scanning device according to the present invention. The mirror substrate 3020 torsionally vibrates is made of a silicon substrate having a thickness of 60 μm, and a mirror portion and a torsion beam 3004 that pivotally supports the mirror portion are formed by etching and separated from the frame portion. Both side portions of the mirror portion facing each other with the torsion beam 3004 sandwiched are formed in a concavo-convex shape, and the frame side is also formed in a concavo-convex shape so as to mesh with the comb teeth. Further, the back side of the mirror surface of the mirror part is left with a rib-like beam, and the mirror part is thinned to 5 μm by etching from the back side of the mirror surface to reduce the weight. A metal film such as Au is deposited on the mirror portion and the uneven portion on the frame portion side, and the uneven portion on both ends of the mirror portion is used as the movable electrode 3008, and the uneven portion on the opposite frame portion side is used as the fixed electrode 3010. When a voltage is applied to one of the fixed electrodes 3010, the mirror part generates an electrostatic force between the opposing movable electrode 3008, and the torsion beam 4 is twisted to cause a small angle rotation, and a voltage is alternately applied to each electrode. Torsional vibration. Here, when the frequency of the applied voltage is brought close to the resonance frequency of the mirror portion, the amplitude can be expanded by resonance. In this embodiment, the minute distance between the electrodes is 4 μm, the width of the torsion beam is 60 μm, the mirror diameter is 4 × 2 mm, and resonance vibration occurs at 2.5 kHz. In addition, by making the electrode into a comb shape, the outer peripheral length of the mirror substrate 3020 is made as long as possible, and the area of the electrode is increased. Thereby, a larger electrostatic torque can be obtained by applying a low voltage. The frame is made of a 525 μm silicon substrate, and is bonded to the above-described mirror substrate via an insulating film, and the central portion can be seen through the mirror substrate 3020. On the frame, a first reflecting element 3021 having a reflecting surface inclined by about 26 ° from a bonding surface with the mirror substrate 3020 and a second reflecting element 3022 having a reflecting surface similarly inclined by about 9 ° are provided as light beams. Are joined to face each other with a minute interval through which a roof is passed to form a roof-like pair mirror. The reflective elements 3021 and 3022 described above are each made of a silicon substrate inclined by 9 ° slice angle from the crystal plane orientations (110) and (111), and the (111) plane is exposed by etching, and the (111) plane is The joint surface between the mirror chip and the frame. In the support base, a bottom plate portion 3026 and a pedestal portion 3025 having a square hole 3030 at the center are integrally formed of a sintered metal such as Fe, and a plurality of terminals 3027 are held through an insulating material. The frame 3007 superimposed on the mirror substrate 3020 is held by being joined to the pedestal portion 3025, and the square hole 3030 described above becomes a space in which the mirror substrate 3020 swings. The electrode lead pad is connected to the upper end of each terminal 3027 by wire bonding. The module is mounted by abutting the bottom surface of the bottom plate portion of the support base against the circuit board, and the lower end of the terminal 3027 is inserted into the through hole of the circuit board, and at the same time, the electrical connection is made by soldering. Fixed to the circuit board. Further, a box cover-shaped cover 3029 having a window 3028 through which a light beam passes is mounted on the outer edge of the pedestal 3030, and the inside is filled with an inert gas and sealed. When sealing the oscillating mirror chip with the support base and the cover 3029, a gas having a low viscous resistance is selected as an inert gas, or the inside of the mirror substrate 3020 is depressurized to reduce the load on the mirror substrate 3020. Since it can be vibrated, the deflection angle of the mirror substrate can be increased.
Next, FIG. 37 shows a cross-sectional view of the above-described optical scanning module. The light beam passes through the window 3028 and the through-hole at an incident angle of about 20 ° with respect to the normal of the mounting surface in a plane perpendicular to the mounting surface (in the vertical scanning section) including the rotation axis of the mirror substrate 3020. Then, the light enters the mirror substrate 3020. The light beam deflected by the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 is then reflected by the first reflecting element reflecting surface 3023, incident again on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020, and then reflected by the second reflecting element reflecting surface 3024. . Reflection is repeated while moving the position in the vertical scanning section between the second reflecting element reflecting surface 3024 and the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 (three repetitions in FIG. 37 of this embodiment), and passes through the through hole. Then, the light beam is emitted at an angle of about 40 ° with respect to the incident light beam, that is, at an angle of 20 ° on the opposite side to the normal ray of the mounting surface.
In this embodiment, the light beam is multiple-reflected on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 as described above, so that the light beam can obtain a large scanning angle even if the deflection angle of the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 is small. Yes. That is, when the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 is tilted by torsional vibration, the light beam is multiple-reflected in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, and the reflection angle of the light beam increases each time it is reflected. Here, assuming that the total number of reflections on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 is N and the deflection angle of the mirror substrate 3020 is α, the scanning angle θ, which is the angle of the emitted light beam, is 2Nα, and the more the number of reflections, the greater the number of reflections. growing. In the case of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 37, since the total number of reflections of the light beam on the mirror surface of the mirror substrate 3020 is 5 with a deflection angle of ± 5 °, a scanning angle of 50 ° is obtained.
FIG. 38 shows an optical scanning device using the above-described optical scanning module. The optical scanning module 3031 is sequentially arranged in accordance with the scanning direction of the laser light on a circuit board 3032 on which a driving circuit for the semiconductor laser and a driving circuit for the mirror substrate of the oscillating mirror chip are formed. In each light scanning module 3031, a sensor is disposed on the circuit board 3032 on the light beam scanning start side. An optical system that scans each optical scanning module 3031 with laser light includes a semiconductor laser 3033, a coupling lens 3034, and a first lens 3035 and a second lens 3036 that constitute the scanning optical system. The first lens 3035 and the second lens 3036 have optical axes that coincide with each other in the vertical scanning section including the rotation axis of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning module 3031, and the side surfaces of the respective lenses with respect to the surface scanned by the laser light. It is arranged and fixed in the housing so as to be parallel. The semiconductor laser 3033 uses a general-purpose element in which a light emitting source and a monitoring photodiode are incorporated, and its lead terminal is connected to the circuit board 3032 by a flexible cable. On the circuit board 3032, a circuit that controls modulation of the semiconductor laser 3033, a circuit that applies a driving pulse voltage to the fixed electrode in the vibrating mirror chip, and the like are formed. Laser light emitted from the semiconductor laser 3033 is substantially parallel to the scanning direction of the laser light by a coupling lens 3034 in which the first surface is axisymmetric aspherical surface and the second surface is a cylinder surface having a curvature in the vertical scanning direction. In the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the laser beam, the focused light beam is focused on the mirror surface of the vibrating mirror chip. The laser light is incident on the optical scanning module via the incident mirror, deflected, scanned and emitted by the vibrating mirror chip. The emitted laser light is imaged on the surface to be scanned by the above-described scanning optical system, and image recording is performed. A synchronization mirror is provided immediately before the second lens 3036, reflects the light beam on the scanning start side, detects the angular displacement of the mirror surface of the vibration mirror chip in the sensor, and generates a synchronization signal. Based on this synchronization signal, each semiconductor laser 3033 is turned on / off by a modulation signal in which pixel data is placed on a pulse train whose frequency changes within one scan with time by an LD driving unit.
Here, the mirror part of the oscillating mirror chip in the optical scanning module has a mirror surface on the side opposite to the side to which the frame is coupled, and the reinforcing beam that bridges the frame and the inside of the frame is coupled to the mirror part. If the light beam is reflected at a portion of the mirror surface that is not formed, the light beam is reflected at a portion having no distortion on the mirror surface and high flatness, which is desirable because a stable beam shape can be obtained.
FIG. 39 shows an example of an image forming apparatus using the above-described optical scanning device. Around the photosensitive drum 3041, which is the scanned surface of the laser beam, a charged charger 3042 that charges the photosensitive member to a high voltage, and a charged toner is attached to the electrostatic latent image recorded by the optical scanning device 3040. There are arranged a developing roller 3043 to be converted, a toner cartridge 3044 for supplying toner to the developing roller, and a cleaning case 3045 for scraping and storing the toner remaining on the drum. As described above, latent image recording is performed on the photosensitive drum by dividing the main scanning direction. The recording paper is supplied from the paper supply tray 3046 by the paper supply roller 3047, and is sent out by the registration roller pair 3048 in accordance with the recording start timing in the sub-scanning direction, and the toner is transferred by the transfer charger 49 when passing through the photosensitive drum. Then, the toner is fixed by the fixing roller 3050 and discharged to the paper discharge tray 3052 by the paper discharge roller 3051. As described above, an image based on the pixel data can be formed on the recording paper.
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was described, this invention is not limited only to the structure of these Examples, A various deformation | transformation is accept | permitted.
As described above, according to the present invention, even when a large mirror substrate is operated at high speed with a large deflection angle, an optical scanning device or a vibrating mirror chip capable of performing stable optical scanning with little deformation of the mirror surface, and Further, it is possible to provide an optical scanning module, an optical writing device, and an image forming apparatus using them.
1A and 1B are a cross-sectional view and a back view for explaining an example of an optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory diagram of an optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a timing relationship between a mirror scanning angle and a driving pulse.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
7A and 7B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the invention. FIGS.
FIGS. 9A and 9B are a rear view and a sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the invention. FIGS.
10A and 10B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of the optical scanning device according to the invention.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a calculation result of the deformation amount of the mirror substrate.
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a manufacturing process of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
17A and 17B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of a mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
18A and 18B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a back view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
20A and 20B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the invention.
FIGS. 21A and 21B are a rear view and a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of the mirror substrate of the optical scanning device according to the invention. FIGS.
FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the mirror substrate and the torsion beam of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the positional relationship between the mirror substrate and the torsion beam of the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 24 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining an example of an optical writing device and an image forming apparatus using the optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 25 is a perspective view and a sectional view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
27A and 27B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a method for manufacturing a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
30A and 30B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 31 is a plan view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
32 is a plan view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 33 is a plan view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a vibrating mirror chip according to the present invention.
FIG. 36 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of an optical scanning module according to the present invention.
FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of an optical scanning module according to the present invention.
FIG. 38 is an exploded perspective view and a sectional view showing an example of an optical scanning device according to the present invention.
FIG. 39 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
101 mirror substrate
102,103 torsion beam
107,108 Fixed electrode for driving
111,112 Fixed electrode for starting
115 Metal thin film (mirror surface)
121 Reinforcing ribs
3001 Mirror part
3002 Frame
3003 Reinforcement beam
3004 Torsion beam
A mirror substrate supported by two torsion beams and reciprocally oscillating about the torsion beam as a rotation axis; a single substrate is etched; and the torsion beam, the mirror substrate, and the torsion beam are coupled to form a mirror In the optical scanning device in which the frame body supporting the substrate is integrally formed,
The mirror substrate has a rib region having the same thickness as the torsion beam, and a lightening region thinner than the thickness of the torsion beam,
The rib has a rib that crosses the mirror substrate that linearly connects the torsion beams, and a rib that borders the mirror substrate,
An optical scanning device characterized in that corners of intersecting portions of the ribs are curved.
An optical scanning device characterized in that a corner of a portion where the torsion beam and the rib that borders the mirror substrate intersect is curved.
3. The light according to claim 1, further comprising a rib that crosses the rib that crosses the mirror substrate that linearly connects between the torsion beams and bridges the rib that borders the mirror substrate. 4. Scanning device.
4. The optical scanning according to claim 3, wherein the rib that bridges the rib that borders the mirror substrate passes in a direction orthogonal to the rib that crosses the mirror substrate that linearly connects the torsion beams. apparatus.
5. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror substrate has a mirror surface on a surface opposite to a surface having the rib region and the lightening region. 6.
The optical scanning device according to claim 5, wherein the mirror substrate and the torsion beam are in a positional relationship in which a mirror surface and a center in the thickness direction of the torsion beam coincide with each other.
A movable electrode is provided in a portion parallel to the torsion beam of the rib that borders the mirror substrate, and a fixed electrode is provided on the frame body to face the movable electrode,
The length of a portion of the rib that borders the mirror substrate that is parallel to the torsion beam is longer than the length of the rib that traverses the mirror substrate that connects the torsion beams in a straight line. Scanning device.
The optical scanning device according to claim 7, wherein the movable electrode and the fixed electrode are comb-shaped.
9. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, wherein the mirror substrate and the torsion beam are formed of single crystal silicon.
The optical scanning device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, means for making a light beam modulated by a recording signal incident on a mirror surface of a mirror substrate of the optical scanning device, and reflected by the mirror surface Means for forming an image of the light beam on the surface to be scanned.
10. The optical scanning device according to claim 1, an electrostatic latent image carrier, and means for causing a light beam modulated by a recording signal to enter a mirror surface of a mirror substrate of the optical scanning device. And means for forming an image of the light beam reflected by the mirror surface on the electrostatic latent image carrier, wherein the electrostatic latent image according to the recording signal is on the electrostatic latent image carrier. An image forming apparatus formed by:
In a vibrating mirror chip having a mirror substrate supported by two torsion beams and deflecting a light beam, and mirror driving means for torsionally oscillating the mirror substrate about the torsion beam as a rotation axis,
The mirror substrate has a mirror portion formed in a thin film shape and a frame body coupled to the mirror portion,
The frame body has a reinforcing beam that bridges the inside of the frame body on the extension of the torsion beam,
At least one of the inside corner of the frame, the portion where the frame and the reinforcing beam cross each other, and the portion where the reinforcing beams cross each other are formed in a curved surface. Chip.
In a vibrating mirror chip having a mirror substrate supported by two torsion beams and deflecting a light beam, and mirror driving means for torsionally vibrating the mirror substrate with the torsion beam as a rotation axis,
The oscillating mirror chip, wherein the reinforcing beam is separated from the mirror portion.
14. The vibration according to claim 12, further comprising a reinforcing beam that is line-symmetric with respect to the rotation axis and that is line-symmetric with respect to an axis that passes through the center of the rotation axis and is orthogonal to the rotation axis. Mirror chip.
15. The vibrating mirror chip according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the frame and the reinforcing beam has the same thickness as the torsion beam.
The vibrating mirror chip according to claim 12, wherein the mirror portion has a mirror surface on a side opposite to a side to which the frame body is coupled.
17. The vibrating mirror chip according to claim 12, wherein a central axis of the torsion beam passes through the mirror portion.
The vibrating mirror chip according to claim 12, wherein the mirror portion is formed of a multilayer film.
The said mirror drive means has a movable electrode provided in the said frame, and a fixed electrode installed in the position facing the said movable electrode, The any one of Claim 12 thru | or 18 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vibration mirror chip.
The vibrating mirror chip according to claim 19, wherein the movable electrode has a comb-teeth shape.
21. An oscillating mirror chip according to claim 12, an optical beam transmission portion deflected by the oscillating mirror chip, and a terminal portion connected to the mirror driving means of the oscillating mirror chip. An optical scanning module comprising:
The optical scanning module according to claim 21, further comprising a reflection optical system that multi-reflects the light beam on the mirror substrate of the vibrating mirror chip.
23. A light source means for generating a light beam, an optical scanning module according to claim 21 or 22 that scans the light beam, and an optical system that forms an image of the light beam scanned by the optical scanning module. An optical scanning device.
In the vibrating mirror chip, the mirror portion has a mirror surface on the opposite side to the side to which the frame body is coupled, and the frame and the reinforcing beam that bridges the inside of the frame body are coupled to the mirror portion. 24. The optical scanning device according to claim 23, wherein the light beam is reflected by a portion of the mirror surface that is not.
25. An optical scanning device according to claim 23, a photoconductor for forming an electrostatic latent image by the optical scanning device, a developing means for visualizing the electrostatic latent image with toner, and a visible image by the developing means. An image forming apparatus comprising: transfer means for transferring the converted toner image onto a recording sheet.
JP2002216250A 2001-08-20 2002-07-25 Optical scanning device, optical writing device, image forming apparatus, vibrating mirror chip, and optical scanning module Expired - Fee Related JP4409811B2 (en)
JP2001-248851 2001-08-20
JP2001248851 2001-08-20
JP2001304069 2001-09-28
JP2001-304069 2001-09-28
JP2002216250A JP4409811B2 (en) 2001-08-20 2002-07-25 Optical scanning device, optical writing device, image forming apparatus, vibrating mirror chip, and optical scanning module
US10/223,294 US7593029B2 (en) 2001-08-20 2002-08-20 Optical scanning device and image forming apparatus using the same
US12/533,796 US8054327B2 (en) 2001-08-20 2009-07-31 Optical scanning device and image forming apparatus using the same
JP2003172897A JP2003172897A (en) 2003-06-20
JP4409811B2 true JP4409811B2 (en) 2010-02-03
ID=27347346
JP2002216250A Expired - Fee Related JP4409811B2 (en) 2001-08-20 2002-07-25 Optical scanning device, optical writing device, image forming apparatus, vibrating mirror chip, and optical scanning module
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