Patent ID: 8098416

Claim:
An electromechanical systems device comprising: a first electrode; an electrically nonconductive layer over the first electrode; a second electrode electrically insulated from the first electrode; a third electrode electrically insulated from the first electrode and the second electrode; a support structure that separates the first electrode from the second electrode, the third electrode including an electrically conductive portion of the support structure that separates the first electrode from the second electrode; and a reflective element movable between a first position and a second position upon application of a voltage difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, the reflective element substantially parallel to and spaced from the electrically nonconductive layer when the reflective element is in the second position, the reflective element substantially parallel to and in contact with a portion of the electrically nonconductive layer when the reflective element is in the first position, wherein at least a portion of the third electrode is lower than the reflective element when the reflective element is in the second position, and wherein at least a portion of the third electrode is higher than the reflective element when the reflective element is in the first position, wherein an adhesive force is generated between the reflective element and the portion of the electrically nonconductive layer when the reflective element is in the first position, and wherein the device is configured such that voltages applied to the first electrode, the second electrode, and the third electrode at least partially reduce or counteract the adhesive force.