Patent ID: 8148874

Claim:
A MEMS vertical displacement device, comprising: an anchor; a vertically displaceable platform that lies in a plane while in an unactuated position, the vertically displaceable platform including a first side and a second side that is opposite and substantially parallel to the first side; a first side actuator device attached to the anchor at one end and attached to the first side of the vertically displaceable platform at another end, the first side actuator device including: a first recurve actuator that lies in the unactuated plane while in an unactuated position, the first recurve actuator having a first section that curves in a first direction and a second section that curves in a second direction that is generally opposite to the first direction when actuated, wherein a first end of the first recurve actuator is attached to the anchor; and a second recurve actuator that lies in the unactuated plane and is substantially in parallel with the first recurve actuator while in an unactuated position, the second recurve actuator having a first section that curves in a first direction and a second section that curves in a second direction that is generally opposite to the first direction when actuated, wherein a first end of the second recurve actuator is attached to a second end of the first recurve actuator; wherein the first side actuator device is substantially parallel to the first side of the vertically displaceable platform and is adapted to create vertical displacement of the first side of the vertically displaceable platform when actuated; and a second side actuator device attached to the anchor at one end and attached to the second side of the vertically displaceable platform at another end, wherein the second side actuator device is substantially parallel to the second side of the vertically displaceable platform and is adapted to create vertical displacement of the vertically displaceable platform.