Physics Today | June 2006 Issue
Deformable mirror

Boston Micromachines Corp has introduced the Mini-DM, a high-resolution, MEMS deformable mirror that is ideal for adaptive optics. It is used to improve resolution in microscopes, telescopes, and ophthalmic instruments. The MEMS mirror is an advanced wavefront control device that consists of a mirror membrane supported by an underlying actuator array. Each actuator can be individually deflected electrostatically to produce the desired pattern of deformation without hysteresis. The active mirror area of the Mini-DM is deformed by 32 actuators and can reach frame rates of up to 1000 Hz. The mirror is available in segmented- or continuous-deformable versions and with an actuator stroke of 1.5, 2.5, or 3.5 µm.