December 16, 2008: IMEC, Europe’s largest independent nanoelectronics and nanotech research center, introduced a monolithically integrated 11-megapixel micromirror array for high-end industrial applications at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco on Monday.

IMEC called the array a world’s first both in pixel density and reliability. Each mirror in the array is 8μm×8μm and can be tilted individually by the high-speed integrated CMOS circuitry underneath the array, IMEC said.

IMEC’s mirror array has a pixel density that is almost double that of comparable state-of-the-art micro-mirrors, according to IMEC, and the research center said it has demonstrated that its mirrors show no creep and meet a 1012 cycles mechanical lifetime.

Integrated micromirror arrays are used in video projection or lithography mask writers, among other applications.

Figure 1: A top view of IMEC’s new micromirror array shows individual mirrors and hinges. (Source: IMEC)

Figure 2: Cross-section of the integrated micro-mirror array, showing the
mirrors on top of the 6 layers of interconnect. (Source: IMEC)