Patent 7190523 was granted and assigned to Seiko Epson on March, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A wavelength-tunable optical filter includes a stationary mirror, a movable mirror disposed so as to face the stationary mirror, an actuating plate for actuating the movable mirror, and a peripheral supporting portion holding the actuating plate which are disposed above a base layer. The movable mirror is displaced by applying a voltage between the electrodes provided on the actuating plate and the base layer, and the actuating plate is disposed between the movable mirror and the peripheral supporting portion so as to be displaced due to an electrostatic force.