In recent years, demanding adaptive optics applications have driven advancements in
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors. The latest developments in
adaptive optics for extremely large telescopes and other astronomical applications calling for
thousands of control points have pushed high actuator mirror arrays. The need to compensate for
large amplitude, high order wavefront aberrations in retinal imaging have pushed for high stroke,
high spatial resolution deformable mirrors. Aerospace and military defense applications with
long operational life times have created demands for rugged, highly reliable micromachined
devices. Finally, the impending commercialization of deformable mirrors for bioimaging
applications has created a requirement for a low-cost adaptive optics solution.
The variety of applications with their respective requirements has resulted in versatile MEMS
devices for advanced optical control and thus well-suited for many laser beam shaping
applications. This paper will describe the design, manufacturing, and testing results of the latest
generation of optical quality micromachined deformable mirrors. Recent testing of a 4096
actuator deformable mirror and a newly released a 140 actuator, six micron stroke mirror will be
demonstrated. A high-speed electronics driver for a 1024 actuator deformable mirror designed
for laser beam shaping in optical communication will also be demonstrated. This paper will show
how the applications of micromachined deformable mirrors can be extended to laser beam
shaping for industrial machining, laser communication, and femto-second pulse applications.
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