Microfab MEMS Actuators

After designing, modeling, and simulating the behavior of electrostatic and electrothermal actuators of our own design in NE 454B, the objective of NE 455B was to implement and test these designs using the same surface micromachining techniques introduced to us in NE454B (using the appropriate equipment in the Nanotechnology Engineering Cleanroom and Metrology Suite).

In the case of the electrostatic actuator, applying a voltage to the upper (suspended) plate of the capacitor results in attractive forces that cause the free plate to deflect towards the fixed fixed plate.

For the electrothermal actuator, heat coming from the flow of current at the electrical contacts causes thermal expansion in the high aspect ratio beams, which in turn causes a deflection in the central shaft.

Microfab wafer after patterning & etching

Simulated surface temps for electrothermal actuator

Upon completing the fabrication of these devices, the behavior and electrical characteristics of the devices were tested and compared to the values predicted by the models and corresponding simulations