Microscanner system with a radiation source and a microscanner with a radiation transmission area for radiation emitted by the radiation source

Abstract

The invention relates to a microscanner system, comprising: a microscanner formed in a substrate (105), in particular in a semiconductor chip, and having a deflection element (130) which is suspended in a rotationally oscillating manner about at least one oscillation axis and which has a surface in the form of a mirror surface for deflecting electromagnetic radiation incident on the mirror surface; a radiation source (125), in particular a laser radiation source, for emitting an electromagnetic beam to be reflected at the deflection element; and a deflection device (145) for deflecting the electromagnetic beam emitted by the radiation source onto the mirror surface. The radiation source is arranged and orientated in such a way that a beam path of the beam runs at least partially through a radiation transmission area in the substrate to the deflection device.

Description

[0001] Microscanner system comprising a radiation source and a microscanner with a radiation transmission area for radiation emitted by the radiation source

[0002] The present invention relates to a microscanner system for projecting, in particular imaging, electromagnetic radiation onto an observation field.

[0003] Microscanners, which in technical jargon are also referred to as "MEMS scanners", "MEMS mirrors" or "micromirrors" or in English in particular as "micro-scanners", "micro-scanning mirrors" or "MEMS mirrors", are micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), more precisely micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS), from the class of micromirror actuators for the dynamic modulation of electromagnetic radiation, in particular visible light. Depending on the design, the modulating movement of an individual mirror can be translational or rotational about at least one axis. In the first case, a phase-shifting effect is achieved, in the second case a deflection of the incident electromagnetic radiation in a direction dependent on the current orientation of the mirror. In the following, microscanners are considered in which the modulating movement of an individual mirror is, at least partly, rotational.In contrast to mirror arrays, where the modulation of incident light occurs via the interaction of several mirrors on a single MEMS component, the modulation in microscanners is typically generated via a single mirror per MEMS component (microscanner).

[0004] Microscanners can therefore be used, in particular, to deflect electromagnetic radiation by modulating the deflection direction of an incident electromagnetic beam, in particular a laser beam, using a deflection element (“mirror”). This can be used, in particular, to create a Lissajous projection of the beam into an observation field. This allows, for example, imaging or sensory tasks to be solved or display functionalities to be implemented. Furthermore, such microscanners can also be used to advantageously irradiate materials, in particular for their processing. Other possible applications include the illumination of certain open or closed spaces or spatial areas with electromagnetic radiation, for example, in the context of spotlight applications.A microscanner can be implemented in a mostly plate-shaped substrate, especially a semiconductor chip. Microscanners often have a mirror plate (deflection plate) suspended laterally on elastically stretchable springs. A distinction is made between single-axis mirrors, which are preferably mounted for rotation about only a single axis, and dual-axis and multi-axis mirrors, in which rotations, especially rotational oscillations, about a corresponding number of different axes (oscillation axes) are possible, especially simultaneously.

[0005] A microscanner system for deflecting an electromagnetic beam can thus, in particular, comprise a biaxial microscanner, i.e., a microscanner with two different non-parallel, in particular mutually orthogonal, oscillation axes. However, it is also possible for the microscanner system to comprise a combination of two or more individual microscanners, in particular single-axis microscanners, arranged such that the incident beam can be deflected successively by the various individual microscanners of the microscanner system to generate a two-dimensional deflection pattern, such as a raster scan or a Lissajous pattern. In a microscanner system with a combination of two or three single-axis microscanners, their non-parallel oscillation axes can, in particular, be orthogonal to one another in pairs.In the present case, a microscanner system comprises, in addition to the at least one microscanner, also a radiation source for providing electromagnetic radiation to be deflected by the microscanner(s).

[0006] For a range of different microscanner applications, particularly for applications in the field of so-called "wearables," i.e., electronics worn on the body, very compact and cost-effective laser projectors are required. An important design for this purpose comprises one or more microscanners for beam deflection as well as one or more laser sources. Wearables include, in particular, virtual reality (VR) glasses, augmented reality (AR) glasses, mixed reality (MR) glasses, and other imaging devices worn on the body. The colors of the light generated by the light sources can, in the optical range of the spectrum, be primary colors of a color model for a color space and, for example, in the case of an RGB color model, be provided by three laser sources, one each for red, yellow, and blue light. It is an object of the invention to provide a microscanner system with a particularly compact design.

[0007] This object is achieved according to the teaching of claim 1. Various embodiments and further developments of the solution are the subject of the subclaims.

[0008] The solution presented here concerns a micro scanner system comprising:

[0009] (i) a microscanner formed in a substrate, in particular in a semiconductor chip, with a deflection element suspended so as to be capable of rotational vibration about at least one vibration axis, which deflection element has a surface formed as a mirror surface for deflecting electromagnetic radiation incident on the mirror surface;

[0010] (ii) a radiation source, in particular a laser radiation source, for emitting an electromagnetic beam to be reflected at the deflection element; and

[0011] (iii) a deflection device for deflecting the electromagnetic beam emitted by the radiation source onto the mirror surface.

[0012] In this case, the radiation source is arranged and oriented in such a way that a beam path of the beam runs at least partially through a radiation passage area in the substrate to the deflection device.

[0013] The term "substrate," as used herein, refers to a homogeneous or heterogeneous solid (i.e., having a solid state of aggregation at standard temperature of 20°C and standard pressure of 1013 hPa) suitable for embodying a microscanner. The substrate may, in particular, have a plate-like shape, at least in sections, and, depending on its function, may be made, in particular, from a semiconductor wafer or a material that is at least partially optically transparent in the wavelength range used by the microscanner system for projection, such as a glass wafer or an at least partially transparent plastic wafer.

[0014] The term "deflecting element," as used here, refers in particular to a body having a reflective surface (mirror surface) that is smooth enough so that reflected electromagnetic radiation, e.g., visible light, retains its parallelism according to the law of reflection, thus allowing an image to be formed. The roughness of the mirror surface must be less than approximately half the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation. In particular, roughnesses with a mean roughness value R a < 1000 nm, preferably R a s 100 nm, particularly preferably R a < 5 nm. The mean roughness indicates the average distance of a measuring point on the surface from the center line. The mean roughness corresponds to the arithmetic mean of the absolute deviation from the center line and is defined in particular in the standard DIN EN ISO 4287:2010.

[0015] The deflection element can, in particular, be designed as a mirror plate with at least one mirror surface or can have such a plate. In particular, the mirror surface itself can be made of a different material, e.g., a metal, in particular a deposited metal, than the rest of the body of the deflection element.

[0016] The term "radiation source," as used herein, refers to a source of electromagnetic radiation to be deflected, in particular scanned, by the microscanner system. It can, in particular, be a source of laser radiation. The wavelength range of the radiation can, in principle, be selected from the entire spectrum, from short-wave UV radiation, through the VIS range, NIR range, IR range, FIR range, to long-wave terahertz and radar radiation. The radiation source can have one or more identical or different radiation emitters, e.g., laser diodes.

[0017] The term "deflecting device," as used herein, refers to an optical device capable of changing the direction of an incident electromagnetic beam. For this purpose, it can be designed, in particular, as a reflector, in particular a mirror, for at least partially reflecting the incident beam. The deflecting device can, in particular, simultaneously be an imaging device that subjects the incident beam to a defined optical imaging process, in particular a mirroring and / or collimation process.

[0018] The term "radiation passage region," as used herein, refers in particular to a region of the substrate that is at least partially permeable to the radiation provided by the radiation source. The radiation passage region can in particular be formed entirely or partially as a continuous opening, in particular as an opening extending entirely through the substrate ("through opening") or as an opening in or on which a material is located that at least partially mechanically closes the opening but is at least partially transparent to the radiation (e.g., made of a (partially) transparent glass material or plastic, such as an optical fiber). The radiation passage region can in particular be arranged away from the edges of the substrate, in particular centrally in the substrate, or also directly on (at least) one substrate edge.

[0019] The terms "comprises," "includes," "includes," "has," "has," "with," or any other variation thereof, as used herein, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a method or apparatus that includes or has a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or that are inherent in such a method or apparatus.

[0020] Furthermore, unless explicitly stated otherwise, "or" refers to an inclusive "or," not an exclusive "or." For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by one of the following conditions: A is true (or present) and B is false (or absent), A is false (or absent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

[0021] The terms "a" or "an" as used herein are defined as "one or more." The terms "another" and "another," and any other variations thereof, are defined as "at least one other."

[0022] The term “plurality” as used herein shall mean “two or more”.

[0023] The terms "first," "second," "third," and similar terms in the description and claims are used, where appropriate, to distinguish between similar or otherwise similarly named elements and not necessarily to describe a sequential, spatial, or chronological order. It is understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, and that the embodiments of the solution described herein may also function in orders other than those described or illustrated herein.

[0024] The term “configured” or “set up” to perform a specific function (and respective variations thereof), as used here, is to be understood that a relevant device or component thereof is already in a design or setting in which it can perform the function or is at least adjustable – i.e. configurable – so that it can perform the function after being set accordingly. The configuration can be carried out, for example, by appropriately setting parameters of a process sequence or of switches or the like for activating or deactivating functionalities or settings. In particular, the device can have a plurality of predetermined configurations or operating modes, such that the configuration can be carried out by selecting one of these configurations or operating modes.

[0025] In the above microscanner system, the beam path of the radiation emitted by the radiation source guided through the substrate in combination with the deflection device enables the radiation source not to be arranged laterally to (i.e. next to) the substrate as in conventional microscanners, but can be arranged in particular within the substrate or in the sense of a vertical stack arrangement on or behind the side of the substrate facing away from the mirror side of the microscanner.

[0026] The beam passage area allows the radiation emitted by the radiation source to pass through the substrate from the (first) half-space in which the radiation source is located to the (second) half-space into which the radiation is to be deflected by the microscanner. The deflection device enables the necessary deflection of the radiation passing through the substrate onto the mirror area of ​​the microscanner, where the radiation deflected by the deflection device can then be deflected into the observation field located in the second half-space.

[0027] Overall, this ensures that the beam path of the radiation within the microscanner system remains within the circumscribing installation space (in the sense of the mathematical concept of an enveloping surface) at least until it leaves the mirror surface of the deflection element. This allows for particularly compact designs with very small maximum dimensions, in particular less than 10 mm or even 5 mm or less, which are sufficiently small to allow the integration of the microscanner system into small-sized devices, especially wearables such as AR / VR glasses, for example, as microprojectors.

[0028] Next, various exemplary embodiments of the microscanner system(s) are described below, which can be combined with each other as desired, unless this is expressly excluded or is technically impossible.

[0029] In some embodiments, the substrate delimits a first spatial region and a second spatial region from one another, and the first spatial region is at least partially delimited by the mirror surface and contains the deflection device, while the second spatial region is delimited by the side of the substrate facing away from the mirror surface and at least partially contains the radiation source. The spatial regions can be understood in particular as two half-spaces of the three-dimensional space delimited from one another by a virtual plane running through the substrate, in particular through its geometric center of gravity or center of mass. The radiation source and the deflection device are thus located on opposite sides of the virtual plane in different half-spaces.In this way, the radiation source and the substrate with the microscanner can initially be manufactured independently of each other and then combined, in particular assembled, into the microscanner system in a very compact installation space together with the deflection device and, if necessary, other components.

[0030] In some embodiments, the radiation source is arranged at least partially in a cavity formed in the substrate. It can, in particular, be partially located within the cavity and extend from there into the second spatial region. By being at least partially accommodated within the substrate, the (circumscribing) installation space required for the microscanner system can be further reduced. The cavity can, in particular, be arranged in a section of the substrate outside the deflection element. This means that the moment of inertia and thus its influence on the resonant frequency(ies) of the oscillations about the oscillation axis(es) that can be executed by the deflection element are not, or at least not significantly, influenced.

[0031] In some embodiments, the radiation passage region in the substrate is located at least partially in the deflection element, in particular centrally. It can, in particular, extend through the deflection element, for example as a through-opening. This allows a particularly compact design to be achieved, since the lateral extent of the substrate can be kept particularly small. This is because, when the substrate is completely located in the deflection element, no space is required to accommodate the radiation passage region outside the deflection element (i.e., next to it), and, when partially located in the deflection element, only a small amount of space is required.

[0032] In some embodiments, the radiation passage region in the substrate is located at least partially outside the deflection element. Thus, accommodation within the deflection element, in particular a through-opening therein, can be dispensed with, or, in the case of only partial placement within the deflection element, the required space in the deflection element can be kept small. This can be used particularly advantageously to increase the effective mirror surface of the deflection element.

[0033] In some embodiments, the deflection device is also designed as a collimator. This design is particularly advantageous when the beam guidance in the microscanner system is configured such that, during operation, the beam incident on the deflection device forms a divergent beam whose center at least approximately coincides with a focal point of the collimator, so that the beam emerging from the collimator is at least substantially parallel and directed toward the deflection element, where it is reflected and imaged into the observation field.

[0034] In some embodiments, the radiation source has a plurality of radiation emitters for electromagnetic radiation and a radiation combination device for combining the radiation emitted by the various radiation emitters, in particular of different wavelengths, to form the electromagnetic beam. This allows the intensity of the beam to be increased and / or its color to be adjusted, in particular also in a temporally variable manner. For this purpose, various controllable radiation emitters, e.g., laser diodes, can be used, the respective radiation intensity of which can be varied by control. Thus, with an appropriate selection of the radiation emitters, a color space can be created, e.g., an RGB color space with the selection of a red, a yellow, and a blue laser diode, within which the color of the combined overall beam can be adjusted.In particular, color projection images can be realized using the microscanner system. When using multiple radiation emitters, the overall data rate or modulation density transmitted by the beam can be increased with appropriate control if the radiation emitters or their respective radiation are modulated with a phase shift relative to one another by the control. In some embodiments, the radiation source has at least one VCSEL laser diode (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, also known in German as a surface emitter (laser)) and / or edge-emitting laser diode as the radiation emitter. Due to the small size and high radiation output of such radiation emitters, as well as the extensive parallelism of the laser radiation, a very space-saving yet powerful radiation source can be implemented.Especially when using one or more VCSEL laser diodes, the fact that they can be platelet-shaped and radiate from one of their main surfaces can be exploited. This allows for a particularly space-saving combination with the substrate, particularly in terms of stacking and the need for additional beam deflection in front of or in the substrate. VCSELs also have the advantage of directly generating a round beam profile, which is often desired or advantageous for a microscanner system, without the need for additional beam shaping, and thus do not have to compensate for any resulting intensity losses. Edge emitters, on the other hand, have the advantage of high availability, especially for wavelengths in the visual (VIS) range.

[0035] In some embodiments, the laser diode, or at least one of the laser diodes, is designed as a single-mode laser diode. This allows, in particular, a high pixel resolution to be achieved in the images to be projected by the microscanner.

[0036] In some embodiments, the microscanner system further comprises imaging optics arranged in the beam path between the radiation source and the radiation passage region for shaping, collimating, and / or orienting the beam. This is particularly advantageous when the radiation source delivers a beam that does not have the desired cross-section, for example, a circular or annular beam cross-section, so that this must first be created by the optics.

[0037] In particular, according to some of these embodiments, the imaging optics can be configured to shape the beam such that its beam diameter in the region of the beam passage area is smaller than its minimum diameter. Thus, the optics can be used here to ensure unobstructed passage of the beam through the radiation passage area. If this, and therefore also the beam in its region, has a sufficiently small beam diameter, the beam leaving the radiation passage area after passing through it can be viewed as a beam from a point source, which is directed by the deflection device onto the mirror surface of the deflection element.In particular, the optics can be configured such that the resulting beam diameter in the beam passage region simultaneously has the smallest beam diameter along the entire beam path from the radiation source to the deflection element or even beyond. This enables particularly small dimensions of the beam passage region, which is particularly advantageous with regard to the light yield of the microscanner system when the beam passage region is located at least partially on the deflection element and thereby limits the mirror surface, e.g., as an unreflective surface area or as a through-opening.

[0038] In some embodiments, the imaging optics comprise a waveguide, in particular an optical fiber. This allows the beam path to be specifically shaped along the waveguide and designed to be low-loss and / or low-divergence.

[0039] In some embodiments, the radiation passage region extends linearly along a direction of travel, and the imaging optics are configured to image the beam into the radiation passage region along a direction that is oblique to the direction of travel. This is particularly advantageous when the microscanner is intended to have a radiation characteristic oriented obliquely to the substrate, in particular to the mirror surface in its rest position, and the deflection device is oriented such that it directs the beam deflected by it obliquely (with respect to the rest position of the mirror surface or the deflection element) onto the mirror surface, so that such a radiation characteristic is then obtained without further action.

[0040] Further advantages, features and possible applications of the present solution will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the figures.

[0041] It shows:

[0042] Fig. 1A / 1B a micro scanner system according to a first embodiment;

[0043] Fig. 2 shows a microscanner system according to a second embodiment;

[0044] Figs. 3A - 3C show various views of a microscanner system according to a third embodiment; Fig. 4 shows a microscanner system according to a fourth embodiment;

[0045] Fig. 5 shows a microscanner system according to a fifth embodiment; and

[0046] Fig. 6 an embodiment of an imaging optics in the beam path

[0047] In the figures, like reference numerals designate like, similar, or corresponding elements. Elements shown in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Rather, the various elements shown in the figures are depicted in such a way that their function and general purpose will be understood by those skilled in the art. Connections and couplings between functional units and elements shown in the figures can, unless expressly stated otherwise, also be implemented as indirect connections or couplings. Unless specifically stated otherwise, functional units can, in particular, be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0048] In a first embodiment 100 of a microscanner system illustrated in Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B (section through Fig. 1A along section line AA), a substrate 105, in particular made of a semiconductor material such as silicon or a glass material, on the one hand, and a carrier substrate 110, in particular a semiconductor substrate, on the other hand, are stacked on top of one another and connected to one another to form a component, e.g., by a wafer bonding connection or die bonding connection. The side of the substrate 105 facing away from the carrier substrate 110 is referred to below as the "top side" 115. It also defines a virtual plane that coincides with the top side in the region of the top side.

[0049] A microscanner with a deflection element 130 is formed in the substrate 105, in particular as a disc that is completely or partially mirrored on its side ("top side") facing away from the carrier substrate 110. The deflection element 130 is arranged suspended in a cavity 120 of the substrate 105 and on a spring suspension (not shown) in such a way that it can perform a rotational oscillation about at least one oscillation axis. In particular, the microscanner can be designed as a biaxial oscillator, so that the deflection element 130 can oscillate rotationally about two oscillation axes that are orthogonal to one another and each run in or parallel to its top side. To drive the oscillations, the microscanner has a drive device (not shown), which can in particular have one or more piezo actuators per oscillation axis.A radiation source 125, for example a laser diode designed as a VCSEL or edge emitter, is arranged on the carrier substrate 110 and simultaneously within the cavity 120 surrounding the deflection element in such a way that, during operation, it can emit an electromagnetic beam 140, in particular a laser beam, through a radiation passage region 135 provided, preferably centrally, in the deflection element 130. The radiation passage region 135 can be designed, in particular, as a through-opening ("hole") through which the beam 140 can pass. If the three-dimensional space is divided into two half-spaces delimited from one another by the aforementioned virtual plane, it can be said that the radiation source 125 emits the beam 140 from the lower (first) half-space in the drawing through the radiation passage region 135 into the upper (second) half-space.

[0050] In the second half-space, a deflection device 145 is arranged in the beam path of the beam 140, which is configured to deflect the beam 140 incident on it onto the deflection element 130 and in the process also to collimate it (not shown), so that the beam deflected to the deflection element 130 can be described, at least to a good approximation, as a parallel beam bundle.

[0051] Overall, the micro scanner system 100 has a particularly compact design of a micro projector, making it suitable for integration into very small devices, such as AR / VR glasses.

[0052] Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment 200 of a microscanner system. It largely corresponds to the microscanner system 100 from Fig. 1A / B, so that only the essential differences will be discussed below. These differences include the fact that here the radiation passage region is not arranged in the deflection element 130, but instead in a different section of the substrate 105. Thus, the beam 140 emitted by the radiation source 125, which is arranged correspondingly offset on the carrier substrate 110 and simultaneously in the radiation passage region 135 itself, can pass past the cavity 120 and the deflection element 105 from the first half-space to the deflection device 145, which is also arranged correspondingly offset, in the second half-space.

[0053] In contrast to Fig. 1A / B, Fig. 2 also shows the further beam path of the beam 140 after the deflection device. The beam path of the beam 140 can thus be divided into different sections, namely a first beam section 140a between the radiation source 125 and the deflection device 145, a second beam section 140b between the deflection device 145 and the deflection element 130 and a third beam section 140c after the deflection element 130. While the beam 140 in the first beam section 140a can, depending on the radiation characteristics of the radiation source 125 and any intermediate optical elements (not present in Fig. 2), in particular also appear as a divergent beam, the collimator property of the deflection element 145 means that in the present case the beam sections 140b and 140c appear essentially as parallel beams when the deflection element 130 has a flat mirror surface.The radiation angle of the beam section 140c depends on the current orientation of the deflection element 130a, i.e., on the current phase position of its oscillations around the oscillation axes. The rest position or zero-crossing position of the deflection element 130 is shown in Fig. 2.

[0054] Overall, the microscanner system 200 also represents a particularly compact microprojector design, making it suitable for integration into very small devices, such as AR / VR headsets. However, compared to the microscanner system 100 of Fig. 1A / B, sufficient space must be provided next to the cavity 120 for the lateral arrangement of the radiation passage area 135 with the radiation source 125 as well as for the offset position of the deflection device.

[0055] Figure 3A and Figures 3B and 3C (each in detail and as a perspective sectional view for a section through the illustration from Fig. 1A at the section line BB) show in different views, each in detail, a microscanner system according to a third embodiment 300. It represents a modification of the microscanner system 100 from Fig. 1A / B, so that only the essential differences will be discussed below.

[0056] A first difference is that the radiation source 125 here has a plurality, specifically three in this case, of individual radiation emitters 125a, 125b, and 125c, each of which is designed as a laser diode and can be constructed identically or differently from one another. In particular, the radiation emitters 125a, 125b, and 125c can differ with respect to the wavelength(s) of the (laser) radiation they can each emit. In particular, a color space, such as an RGB color space, can be spanned by combining the individual radiation sources into a single beam.

[0057] For this purpose, each of the radiation emitters 125a-c is connected to a respective associated waveguide formed as a trench waveguide 150, 150b, or 150c on the underside of the carrier substrate 110 facing away from the substrate 105. The waveguides converge at a beam combining device 155, which is configured to combine the radiation coming from the individual trench waveguides 150, 150b, or 150c into a single beam 140 and to couple it into another waveguide formed as an optical fiber 160, e.g., glass fiber. For this purpose, the beam combining device 155 has, in particular, a mirror reflector or a reflection prism 155a in order to deflect the converged beam 140 and to couple it into the optical fiber 160 extending at least partially through the carrier substrate and the cavity 120 of the substrate 105 at a first of its ends.

[0058] The other end of the optical fiber 160 is directed toward a radiation passage region 135 formed in the deflection element 130—as shown in Fig. 1A / B—in order to transmit the beam 140 through the radiation passage region 135. The radiation passage region 135 can, in particular, again be formed as a through-opening. The combination of the beam combining device 155 and the optical fiber thus represents an imaging optic for orienting the beam. Depending on the design, it is also possible for it to be simultaneously configured as an imaging optic for shaping and / or collimating the combined beam 140.

[0059] Fig. 4 shows (a section) a fourth embodiment 400 of a microscanner system. It largely corresponds to the microscanner system 300 of Figs. 3A-C, so only the essential differences will be discussed below. A first difference is that here the beam combining device 155, in particular its mirror reflector or reflection prism 155a, is designed such that the beam 140 deflected thereby is directed obliquely, i.e., at an angle between 0° and 90°, onto the radiation passage area 135 in the deflection element 130.

[0060] A further difference is that, as an additional component of the imaging optics, a focusing optical element 165, such as a converging lens, is arranged in the beam path in order to focus the beam 140 at a focal point 140 in the region of the radiation passage region 135 such that its cross-section has a minimum there. Ideally, this minimum cross-section is smaller than the smallest cross-section of the radiation passage region 135 viewed in the direction of the (oblique) beam path, so that the beam 140 is not partially shielded by the edge of the radiation passage region 135. Fig. 5 shows (a section) of a fifth embodiment 500 of a microscanner system. It largely corresponds to the microscanner system 100 from Fig. 1A / B, so that only the essential differences will be discussed below.A first difference is that here an edge emitter is provided as radiation source 125, which is arranged on a support structure 180 on the support substrate 110 in such a way that it can radiate directly onto the radiation passage region 135 in the deflection element 130.

[0061] This may result in a further difference in that the substrate with the microscanner and the carrier substrate 110 are not stacked directly on top of one another, but rather a gap exists between them. In particular, electronic components 175 (e.g., integrated circuits) for operating the microscanner system 500, such as laser driver circuits for the radiation source 125 and / or drive controls for the drive device of the microscanner, can be arranged in the gap.

[0062] Finally, Fig. 6 shows, in a perspective sectional view, an embodiment 600 of an optical component 165 configured as beam-shaping optics, which can be arranged in the beam path, in particular in the beam section 140a, in order to shape the beam 140, in particular to focus it (as in Fig. 4) or to defocus it (spread it) (as in Fig. 6).

[0063] LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0064] 100 Microscanner system, first embodiment

[0065] 105 (microscanner) substrate with deflection element

[0066] 110 Carrier substrate

[0067] 115 Top side of the substrate 105, defines virtual plane as interface between two

[0068] Room areas

[0069] 120 Cavity in the substrate 105 for receiving the deflection element

[0070] 125 Radiation source, e.g. laser diode

[0071] 125a-c radiation emitters

[0072] 130 Deflection element with mirror surface

[0073] 135 Radiation passage area, in particular passage opening

[0074] 140 beam or beam path

[0075] 140a Beam section between radiation passage area and

[0076] deflection device

[0077] 140b Beam section between deflection device and deflection element

[0078] 140c Beam section after deflection element, scanning beam

[0079] 145 Deflection device

[0080] 150a-c Waveguides, especially trench waveguides

[0081] 155 Radiation combination device

[0082] 155a Mirror reflector or reflection prism

[0083] 160 optical fibers as waveguides

[0084] 165 optical element, in particular converging lens

[0085] 170 Focus point, point of minimum beam diameter

[0086] 175 electronic components, e.g. laser driver circuit

[0087] 180 Support structure as holder for radiation source, especially edge emitter

[0088] 200 Microscanner system, second embodiment

[0089] 300 micro scanner system, third embodiment (sections)

[0090] 400 micro scanner system, fourth embodiment (detail)

[0091] 500 micro scanner system, fifth embodiment (detail)

[0092] 600 Detailed view of the imaging optics 165

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500), comprising: a microscanner formed in a substrate (105), in particular in a semiconductor chip, with a deflection element (130) suspended so as to be capable of rotational vibration about at least one vibration axis, said deflection element having a surface formed as a mirror surface for deflecting electromagnetic radiation incident on the mirror surface; a radiation source (125) for emitting an electromagnetic beam (140) to be reflected by the deflection element (130); and a deflection device (145) for deflecting the electromagnetic beam (140) emitted by the radiation source (125) onto the mirror surface; wherein the radiation source (125) is arranged and oriented such that a beam path of the beam (140) extends at least partially through a radiation passage region (135) in the substrate (105) to the deflection device (145).

2. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to claim 1, wherein the substrate (105) delimits a first spatial region and a second spatial region from one another, the first spatial region being at least partially delimited by the mirror surface and containing the deflection device (145), while the second spatial region is delimited by the side of the substrate (105) facing away from the mirror surface and at least partially containing the radiation source (125).

3. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to claim 1, wherein the radiation source (125) is arranged at least in sections in a cavity (120; 135) formed in the substrate (105).

4. Microscanner system (100; 300; 400; 500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation passage region (135) in the substrate (105) is located at least partially in the deflection element (130).

5. Microscanner system (200) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation passage region (135) in the substrate (105) is located at least partially outside the deflection element (130).

6. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the deflection device (145) is also designed as a collimator.

7. The microscanner system (300; 400) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation source (125) comprises: a plurality of radiation emitters for electromagnetic radiation; and a radiation combining device (155) for combining the radiation emitted by the various radiation emitters (125a, 125b, 125c) into the electromagnetic beam (140).

8. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the radiation source (125) has at least one VCSEL laser diode and / or edge-emitting laser diode as radiation emitter.

9. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to claim 8, wherein the laser diode or at least one of the laser diodes is designed as a single-mode laser diode.

10. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising an imaging optic (150a, ..., 150c; 160, 165) arranged in the beam path between the radiation source (125) and the radiation passage region (135) for shaping, collimating and / or orienting the beam (140).

11. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to claim 10, wherein the imaging optics (150a, ..., 150c; 160, 165) are configured to shape the beam (140) such that its beam diameter in the region of the radiation passage region (135) is smaller than its minimum diameter.

12. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the imaging optics (150a, ..., 150c; 160, 165) comprises a waveguide (150a, ..., 150c; 160).

13. Microscanner system (100; 200; 300; 400; 500) according to one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the radiation passage region (135) extends linearly along a direction of travel and the imaging optics (150a, 150c; 160, 165) are configured to image the beam (140) into the radiation passage region (135) along a direction that is oblique to the direction of travel.

Images