In this paper, a fabrication of IPMC (Ionic Polymer Metal Composites) films with hexagonal electrodes for deformable mirrors applications has been described. With the array of hexagonal electrodes on one side of IPMC membrane, we can control the contour of IPMC by driving voltage selectively. Our fabrication process involves ion-exchange, lithography, and electroless plating steps. A positive photoresist in photolithography is used as the mask in the electroless plating process to selectively grow platinum electrodes in IPMC regions. We have measured the surface resistance of the IPMC. The surface resistance of the hexagonal electrodes is about 5Ω, which is small enough to enable the IPMC to be actuated by low voltage. The other side of the IPMC membrane is smooth and can be used as reflection surface. We have generated deformation on our IPMCs (5 cm X 5 cm) under a low actuation voltage less than 5 volts successfully. The maximum stroke of the IPMC deformable mirror is about 25 um. Due to the low driving voltage of IPMCs, the deformable mirrors made of IPMCs is promising.

Date Published: 15 October 2014
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9202, Photonics Applications for Aviation, Aerospace, Commercial, and Harsh Environments V, 92021A (15 October 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2061351

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9202:
Photonics Applications for Aviation, Aerospace, Commercial, and Harsh Environments V
Alex A. Kazemi; Bernard C. Kress; Edgar A. Mendoza, Editor(s)