42 research outputs found
FEM assisted design and simulation of novel electrothermal actuators
No full textIn this work the authors present the design, simulation, and experimental results of novel electrothermal actuators, such as the trimorph actuator for out-of-plane motion, the coupled in-plane actuator for in-plane motion and an actuator providing combined in- and out-of-plane motion that have been developed for tribological studies. They can be easily embedded into complex MEMS devices due to the materials, which have been used for the fabrication. FEM simulations and experiments showed that the actuators are able to provide large forces to overcome adhesion and stiction
Parallel-beams/lever electrothermal out-of-plane actuator
No full textWe report on the design, modeling, fabrication and testing of a new electrothermal actuator allowing for various modes of movement and exhibiting large enough forces to be usable in a micro-tribotester. The performance of the actuator has been simulated combining numerical and analytical calculations. Experiments have been performed in ambient conditions and vacuum. The theoretical results and measurements are consistent if the temperature dependence of the properties of the polycrystalline Si is taken into account
FEM assisted design and simulation of novel electrothermal actuators
No full textIn this work the authors present the design, simulation, and experimental results of novel electrothermal actuators, such as the trimorph actuator for out-of-plane motion, the coupled in-plane actuator for in-plane motion and an actuator providing combined in- and out-of-plane motion that have been developed for tribological studies. They can be easily embedded into complex MEMS devices due to the materials, which have been used for the fabrication. FEM simulations and experiments showed that the actuators are able to provide large forces to overcome adhesion and stiction
Distinction of the irreversible and reversible actuation regions of B-doped poly-Si based elctrothermal actuators
No full textPolycrystalline-Si microactuators based on electrothermal principles exhibit many interesting features but their practical use is severely limited by permanent damage that may occur due to accidental overheating. Under these conditions, polycrystalline-Si structures will display irreversible structural changes ranging from slight geometrical deformations to complete damage. In this paper, an approach is presented to avoid permanent structural deformation of B-doped polycrystalline-Si based electrothermal actuators by overheating. The method allows us to distinguish reversible and irreversible actuation conditions and is demonstrated under environmental and vacuum conditions. It enables full utilization of the capabilities of B-doped polycrystalline-Si based electrothermal actuators with reproducible performance
Carving fiber-top optomechanical transducers from an optical fiber
No full textIn a recent paper (Iannuzzi et al 2006 Monolithic fiber-top sensor for critical environments and standard applications Appl. Phys. Lett. 88 053501) we have presented the principle of the fiber-top position sensor, having a monolytical structure carved out of a single-mode optical fiber. The device alleviates sensing in a critical environment via interferometric readout, and because of its monolithic construction, facilitates plug-and-play utilization without alignment. In this paper we describe the fabrication method of a similar device which, however, was also equipped with a pyramidal tip on the top of the cantilever, an important detail for future implementation in scanning probe microscopy. A silicon surface was then periodically put in contact and moved out of contact with the device. The output signal resembles force curves that can be similarly obtained with atomic force microscopes. © 2006 IOP Publishing Ltd
