Abstract
Electrostatic comb-drive microactuators were fabricated by electron beam lithography on a 260-nm-thick silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer. The actuators consisted of comb electrodes, springs, and a frame. Two kinds of microactuators with doubly clamped and double-folded springs were designed and fabricated. The comb electrode was as small as 2.5 μ wide and 8 μ long and was composed of 250-nm-wide, 260-nm-thick, and 2-μm-long fingers. The air gap between the fingers was 350 nm. The spring was 250 nm wide, 260 nm thick, and 17.5 μm long, and the spring constant was 0.11 N/m. The force and displacement generated by the microactuator were × 10-7 N and 1.0 μm, respectively. Applying an ac voltage, the oscillation amplitude became maximum at a frequency of 132 kHz. The mechanical and electrical characteristics of the fabricated actuators were investigated quantitatively.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 991-995 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2009 May 13 |
Keywords
- Actuators
- Microelectromechanical devices
- Micromachining
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering