Stability of Electrostatic Actuated Membrane Devices

Membrane mirrors with transparent electrodes were fabricated for adaptive optics. These devices are capable of large, low order deformations but exhibit instability for high order deformations. A variational calculation of the electrostatic and mechanical energy of such membrane devices leads to criteria for stable operation. Simulations based upon this calculation are able to reproduce the observed behavior of a fabricated device and suggest suitable device parameters for improved performance of high order deformations.