Patent ID: 7911623

Claim:
A microelectromechanically tunable Fabry-Perot device comprising: a first bottom member comprising a first substrate, a partially reflective planar surface attached to a top surface of the first substrate, and one or more piezoelectric members attached to a bottom surface of the first substrate; a second bottom member longitudinally aligned with the first bottom member and proximately located at a first longitudinal end of the second bottom member; a third bottom member longitudinally aligned with the first bottom member and proximately located at a second longitudinal end of the second bottom member; a top member comprising a second substrate and a partially reflective planar surface attached to a bottom surface of the second substrate, wherein the first substrate partially reflective planar surface and the second substrate partially reflective planar surface are separated by a separation distance and aligned to provide a Fabry-Perot cavity, and the one or more piezoelectric members are adapted to displace the first substrate relative to the second substrate when an electric field is applied to the one or more piezoelectric members; one or more spacers to separate the first and second substrates a predetermined fixed distance whereby only one end of each spacer is permanently attached to one of the second substrate, the second bottom member and the third bottom member; and first and second elastic members distinct from the one or more piezoelectric members, the first elastic member operatively coupled to the first bottom member and the second bottom member, and the second elastic member operatively coupled to the first bottom member and the third bottom member, wherein the one or more elastic members dampen and restrict the lateral and vertical displacement of the first substrate relative to the second substrate.