Patent ID: 8437062

Claim:
A reconfigurable microelectromechanical (MEMS) micromirror array system capable of deflecting incident light onto or away from a detector, the micromirror array comprising: a plurality of electrostatically-actuated cantilevers; a plurality of mirrors, each of the plurality of mirrors coupled to one of each of the plurality of electrostatically-actuated cantilevers through at least one hinge element; a plurality of fixed hold-down electrodes, one of each of the plurality of fixed hold-down electrodes positioned on the substrate and underneath one of each of the plurality of cantilevers; and a plurality of fixed pull-down electrodes, at least two of each of the plurality of fixed pull-down electrodes positioned on the substrate and underneath one of each of the plurality of cantilevers; a hold-down signal line coupled to each of the plurality of fixed hold-down electrodes; a plurality of first pull-down signal lines, each of the plurality of first pull-down signal lines coupled to one of each of the at least two fixed pull-down electrodes and a plurality of second pull-down signal lines coupled to another of each of the at least two fixed pull-down electrodes, the first plurality of pull-down signal lines and the second plurality of pull-down signal lines configured in a cross-point matrix such that a unique pair of first pull-down signal lines and second pull-down signal lines is associated with each of the plurality of cantilevers.