This paper focuses on high-speed optical MEMS Scanners and Micro Mirror Arrays. Devices supporting spot/pixel rateshigher than 10 Mpixel/s are considered and discussed regarding limits and possibilities to further improve speed and optical properties. Several variants of both types, developed by our group, are presented. Scanning Micro Mirrors with frequencies up to 100 kHz enable spot rates of up to 130 Mpixels / s at 650 nm. Bragg-coatings enable high power applications up to 20 W (beam ø2 mm). Challenges like static and dynamic mirror planariy are discussed. A 29-kHz-scanner for laser projection serves as application example. Highly parallel operated Micro Mirror Arrays extend pattern speed to 10 Gpixel / s including analog grey scaling. Irradiation tests prove stable operation of the mirrors at DUV. Prospects regarding optical planarity and high reflective coatings are discussed. By means of two examples, laser patterning of semiconductor masks and laser patterning of Printed Circuit Boards, properties of the spatial light modulators are presented. The two device classes are compared regarding spot/pixel rate and frequency. The comparison includes representative MEMS device examples from literature

Modern UV-lithography is searching for new highly parallel writing concepts. Spatial light modulation (SLM) offers such possibilities but special emphasis must be put on the ability of SLM devices to handle ultraviolet light (UV). We designed and fabricated micromirror arrays which fulfill these requirements. Possible applications for such UV-SLMs are direct writing systems for semiconductor and printing, and UV-stimulated biochemistry. For deep UV laser pattern generation (248 nm) e.g. we designed and fabricated a 2048x512 pixel UV-SLM with individually addressable aluminum micromirrors. They are illuminated by an excimer laser pulse and imaged onto a photomask substrate. A complete pattern is stitched together at a rate of 1 kHz. The minimum feature size is 320 nm and analog modulation of the pixels allows to realize an address grid of only 1.6 nm. The design of the array is modular so that other array sizes can be tailor made to customers needs. Design and fabrication aspects for a CMOS compatible realization of these micromirror arrays are addressed as well as their performance in lithography applications.