Surface-micromachined reconfigurable multi-slit mask

The concept of an electromechanically reconfigurable multi-slit mask using a three-layer polysilicon (3-poly) surface-micromachining technology is proposed. This is a novel application of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to multi-object spectroscopy in the field of astronomy. The fabricated prototype device consists of a single-slit-mask, 300-μm×1.2-mm shutter along with a thermal-actuator-based stepper motor. The stepper motor has a 10-mm stroke and consumes 200 mW per cycle of operation. A flange-type guide-rail design has been incorporated in the shutter to permit linear translation along a single axis.