US Patent 7518780 - Nanolaminate deformable mirror

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7518780.html

In order to increase the precision of micromirror devices this patent from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory teaches using nanolaminate materials formed from alternating layers of copper and zirconium to achieve an ultra-flat surface. Claim 1 reads:

1. A deformable mirror, comprising:

a substrate;

a resilient layer coupled to said substrate;

a plurality of electrodes electrically coupled to said resilient layer, wherein each of said electrodes and said resilient layer are adapted to have a respective applied potential so as to dynamically change the shape of said resilient layer; and

a nanolaminate configured with an optical finish of less than about 0.5 nm and conformably coupled to said resilient layer.