An all optically driven integrated deformable mirror device

We demonstrate a technique for actuating micromirrors vertically cascaded on wafer fused GaAs-GaP photodiodes. Unlike traditional actuation schemes, the electrostatic drive of the individual capacitive actuators is addressed optically in this device. Vertical mirror displacements of up to 500 nm were observed using interferometry while addressing the photodetectors with a 5 mW optical signal. Microlenses were used to address a 900 pixel device with patterned conductive pillars and thin film load resistors for each actuator-detector element. This approach can enable realization of faster and denser adaptive optics wave front corrector arrays. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3430568]