Compliant MEMS mechanism to extend resolution in Fourier transform spectroscopy

A complaint mechanism to extend resolution in the Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTS) technique has been designed, fabricated and tested. The mechanism based on the complaint mechanical design strategy has not mobile parts and was fabricated in MEMS technology in a Bosch Process. When this mechanism is used to displacing the mobile mirror in a FTS setup, an extended range travel for the reference mirror is achieved; thus, the optical path difference and hence the resolving power of the FTS system is increased. The fabricated device has dimensions of 5400x4200x400 Microns at the large, width and thickness respectively, with an aspect ratio about 10. Numerical simulations with ANSYS Software were developed to get the Stress limits and the input and output displacements, the mechanical gain and the resonance frequency of the device. Experimental results in both the forced and dynamical regime are presented. It is found that in the dynamical regime when the device is operated at its resonance frequency it exhibits a higher mechanical gain several times its gain in the forced regime.