Stability of electrostatic actuated membrane mirror devices

Membrane mirrors with transparent electrodes were fabricated for adaptive optics. These devices are capable of generating large, low-spatial-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 fabricated devices and suggest suitable device parameters for improved performance with high-order deformations. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.