MINH V LE
Broker in Methuen, MA

6707593, Mar 16, 2004

May 8, 2001

09/850720

Minh Van Le - Methuen MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

G02B 2600

359291, 359214, 359224, 359290

An electrostatically operated microelectromechanical system comprises a movable and a stationary structure, with a discharge system that is activated upon pull-in of the movable structure to discharge the voltage across an electrostatic cavity to thereby prevent stiction adhesion of the movable structure to the stationary structure. Specifically, a membrane release structure comprises a mirror optical element. The membrane is separated from a stationary support by an electrostatic cavity. The discharge switch comprises a membrane conductor pad on the membrane and a support conductor pad on the support that conducts a current upon activation of the discharge switch to discharge the electrostatic voltage. Preferably, these pads are metal.

6836366, Dec 28, 2004

Aug 25, 2000

09/645200

Dale C. Flanders - Lexington MA
Peter S. Whitney - Lexington MA
Michael F. Miller - Hollis NH
Stanley R. Shanfield - West Newton MA
David B. West - Cambridge MA
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

G02B 528

359578, 359577, 359900, 356454

A tunable Fabry-Perot filter includes an optical cavity bounded by a stationary reflector and a deformable or movable membrane reflector. A second electrostatic cavity outside of the optical cavity includes a pair of electrodes, one of which is mechanically coupled to the movable membrane reflector. A voltage applied to the electrodes across the electrostatic cavity causes deflection of the membrane, thereby changing the length of the optical cavity and tuning the filter. The filter with the movable membrane can be formed by micro device photolithographic and fabrication processes from a semiconductor material in an integrated device structure. The membrane can include an inner movable membrane portion connected within an outer body portion by a pattern of tethers. The tether pattern can be such that straight or radial tethers connect the inner membrane with the outer body. Alternatively, a tether pattern with tethers arranged in a substantially spiral pattern can be used.

6808276, Oct 26, 2004

May 8, 2001

09/851510

Walid A. Atia - Lexington MA
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

G02B 7182

359872, 216 24, 359224

In a MOEMS device and corresponding fabrication process, absorbing material along the optical axis of the device is removed. The result is a suspended optical coating, such as a dielectric thin film mirror stack. Such optical coatings can have very low absorption. Thus, the invention can materially lower the net absorption in the device, and thereby improve performance, by degrading power related dependencies.

6790698, Sep 14, 2004

Sep 18, 2001

09/954861

Michael F. Miller - Hollis NH
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA
Christopher C. Cook - Bedford MA
Dale C. Flanders - Lexington MA
Steven F. Nagle - Cambridge MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

H01L 2100

438 50

A process for patterning dielectric layers of the type typically found in optical coatings in the context of MEMS manufacturing is disclosed. A dielectric coating is deposited over a device layer, which has or will be released, and patterned using a mask layer. In one example, the coating is etched using the mask layer as a protection layer. In another example, a lift-off process is shown. The primary advantage of photolithographic patterning of the dielectric layers in optical MEMS devices is that higher levels of consistency can be achieved in fabrication, such as size, location, and residual material stress. Competing techniques such as shadow masking yield lower quality features and are difficult to align. Further, the minimum feature size that can be obtained with shadow masks is limited to ˜100 m, depending on the coating system geometry, and they require hard contact with the surface of the wafer, which can lead to damage and/or particulate contamination.

6525880, Feb 25, 2003

Mar 1, 2001

09/797529

Dale C. Flanders - Lexington MA
Peter S. Whitney - Lexington MA
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA
Michael F. Miller - Hollis NH
Stanley R. Shanfield - Newton MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

G02B 2700

359578, 359577, 359900, 216 24

A tunable Fabry-Perot filter includes an optical cavity bounded by a stationary reflector and a deformable or movable membrane reflector. A second electrostatic cavity outside of the optical cavity includes a pair of electrodes, one of which is mechanically coupled to the movable membrane reflector. A voltage applied to the electrodes across the electrostatic cavity causes deflection of the membrane, thereby changing the length of the optical cavity and tuning the filter. The filter with the movable membrane can be formed by micro device photolithographic and fabrication processes from a semiconductor material in an integrated device structure. The membrane can include an inner movable membrane portion connected within an outer body portion by a pattern of tethers. The tether pattern can be such that straight or radial tethers connect the inner membrane with the outer body. Alternatively, a tether pattern with tethers arranged in a substantially spiral pattern can be used.

6420206, Jul 16, 2002

Jan 30, 2001

09/774216

Minh Van Le - Methuen MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

H01L 2100

438 68, 216 2, 438465

A process for singulating MOEMS optical devices from a precursor structure, in which the precursor structure comprises device material, having movable optical structures, and handle material, through which optical ports are formed to provide for optical access to the movable optical structures. The process comprises coating a frontside and a backside of the precursor structure with protection material. The precursor structure is then attached to a substrate such as dicing tape and the precursor structure separated into individual optical devices by a process, including die sawing. Thereafter, the optical devices are removed from the tape and the protection material removed from the optical devices.

6271052, Aug 7, 2001

Oct 19, 2000

9/692639

Michael F. Miller - Hollis NH
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA
Christopher C. Cook - Bedford MA
Dale C. Flanders - Lexington MA

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

H01L 2100

438 50

A process for fabricating an optical membrane from polycrystalline silicon comprises first forming a sacrificial layer on a handle wafer. Concavities are etched into the sacrificial layer. Polycrystalline silicon membrane layer is then formed on the sacrificial layer. The polycrystalline membrane layer is subsequently polished to achieve the predetermined membrane thickness and surface smoothness, annealed, and then patterned. Finally, the sacrificial layer is removed to release the membrane. The concavities in the sacrificial layer yield convexities in the polysilicon layer to prevent stiction adhesion to the handle wafer. During processing, a mask used to pattern the membrane layer functions to protect an highly reflecting (HR) coating for the membrane.

7450862, Nov 11, 2008

Mar 19, 2003

10/392353

Dale C. Flanders - Lexington MA, US
Walid Atia - Lexington MA, US
Eric E. Fitch - Medford MA, US
Minh Van Le - Methuen MA, US
Randal A. Murdza - North Andover MA, US
Robert L. Payer - Pepperell MA, US
Jeffrey A. Korn - Lexington MA, US
Xiaomei Wang - Winchester MA, US
Walter R. Buchwald - Hampstead NH, US

Axsun Technologies, Inc. - Billerica MA

H04B 10/06

398202, 398212

A detector system for a fiber optic component is insensitive to stray light. Specifically, the invention comprises a detector chip, which converts received light into an electric signal. A baffle substrate is positioned over the detector chip. This baffle substrate has a transmission port through which an optical signal is transmitted to the detector chip. As a result, light that is not directed to be transmitted through the port is blocked by the baffle substrate. In this way, it rejects stray light that may be present in the hermetic package. A detector substrate is provided on which the detector chip is mounted. This detector substrate preferably comprises electrical traces to which the detector chip is electrically connected. The detector substrate can further comprise bond pads for wire bonding to make electrical connections to the electrical traces.