Microshutters for MEMS-based time-of-flight measurements in space

This paper reports on the fabrication, integration and first operation of a mechanical microshutter in a time-off-light (TOF) based ion detector in space. The microshutter is fabricated from a silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer and operated in a resonance mode, 306 kHz. Open time of the shutter is 100 ns. The microshutters are integrated in the PRIMA instrument, which is part of the payload on the Swedish PRISMA mission. PRISMA was successfully launched into low Earth orbit on June 15, 2010.