A Cantilever-Based Piezoelectric MEMS for Arbitrary XY Path Generation

Abstract

This work pertains to the design of a cantilever-based piezoelectric MEMS device that is capable of generating arbitrary paths of its tip. The conceived device consists of a pair of rigidly coupled piezoelectric bimorph cantilevers, and a theoretical model is developed for the analytical evaluation of the proper voltage distribution to be supplied to the inner and outer electrodes of each piezoelectric actuator, in order to drive the tip along any desired trajectory. Such a device could be appealing in some microsurgical operations, i.e., the unclogging of arteries, endoluminal treatment of obstructive lesions, but also as a 2D micropositioning stage, etc. Theoretical predictions of voltage versus time that allow several pathways such as circles, ellipses, spirals, etc., to be accomplished have been verified with multiphysics FEM simulations and the numerical outcomes seem to corroborate the proposed model.

Elasto-Kinematics and Instantaneous Invariants of Compliant Mechanisms Based on Flexure Hinges

“…Compliant mechanisms have some advantages when compared to lumped pairs: they do not require lubrication or maintenance as they have a monolithic form (directly replaceable if failure occurs); can be made via low-cost additive manufacturing; are not affected by clearance, friction and wear on contacting parts; and they can be very light. These features make them ideal for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], micro-opto-electromechanical systems (MOEMS) [19,20], and precision engineering [21][22][23][24], including micro-manipulators [25][26][27][28] eventually driven by piezoelectric actuators (PEA) [29][30][31][32]. Other specific applications of compliant mechanisms include vibration isolation [33], precision polishing [34], micro-scribing [35] or micro-jetting [36].…”