Surface Micromachined Components for a Safety Subsystem Application

We have designed and fabricated a system using micromachining technologies that represents the first phase of an effort to develop a miniaturized or micro trajectory safety subsystem. Two Surface Micromachined (SMM) devices have been fabricated. The first is a device, denoted the Shuttle Mechanism, that contains a suspended shuttle that has a unique code imbedded in its surface. The second is a mechanical locking mechanism, denoted a Stronglink, that uses the code imbedded in the Shuttle Mechanism for unlocking. The Stronglink is designed to block a beam of optical energy until unlocked. A Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) fabricated in Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and an ASIC have been designed to read the code contained in the Shuttle Mechanism. The ASIC interprets the data read by the PIC and outputs low-level drive signals for the actuators used by the Stronglink. An off-chip circuit amplifies the drive signals. Once the Stronglink is unlocked, a laser array that is assembled beneath the device is energized and light is transmitted through an aperture.