Experimental and Numerical Analysis of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators with Cascaded V-shaped Mechanisms

Sciberras, Thomas; Mollicone, Pierluigi; Demicoli, Marija; Grech, Ivan; Sammut, Nicholas; Mallia, Bertram

doi:10.1109/dtip56576.2022.9911740

Cited by 3 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Material properties of the SOI and pad metal layers. Values were taken from [35] aside from the electrical resistivity of the SOI, which was extracted from [8]. The designations 'x' and 'y' refer to the in-plane, whereas 'z' refers to the out-of-plane.…”

Section: Fabrication Process Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely to the hot-and-cold arm ETA, a V-shaped ETA actuates via global Joule heating rather than via differential heating, thus making the V-shaped driver better suited for applications that involve the driver having to function while submerged in fluids of higher thermal conductivity, such as water [31]. Although design optimisation loops are common during the design stages of MEMS ETAs, a stand-alone V-shaped mechanism tends to generate relatively low displacements at the central shuttle's apex, and depending on the application, secondary amplification mechanisms are often required [8]. The cascaded V-shaped driver offers an initial amplification method through the use of the passive secondary V-shaped structure.…”

Section: Mems Electrothermal Actuators' Working Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, devices 2 and 4 also have the same number of beams at five per primary driver, and they have differing hinge layouts. Moreover, devices 1 and 2 have the same hinge layout, which differs from that of devices 3 and 4 [8]. The cascaded V-shaped driver offers an initial amplification method through the use of the passive secondary V-shaped structure.…”

Section: Device Designs and Configurationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fabrication Process Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ability to manufacture devices with micron-sized features and footprints has placed MEMS at the forefront of innovation in the biomedical industry, where such devices are exploited for procedures such as drug delivery [ 1 , 2 ], micromanipulation [ 3 , 4 , 5 ] and the mechanical characterisation of biological cells [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermo-Mechanical Fluid–Structure Interaction Numerical Modelling and Experimental Validation of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Aqueous Biomedical Applications

et al. 2023

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Recent developments in MEMS technologies have made such devices attractive for use in applications that involve precision engineering and scalability. In the biomedical industry, MEMS devices have gained popularity in recent years for use as single-cell manipulation and characterisation tools. A niche application is the mechanical characterisation of single human red blood cells, which may exhibit certain pathological conditions that impart biomarkers of quantifiable magnitude that are potentially detectable via MEMS devices. Such applications come with stringent thermal and structural specifications wherein the potential device candidates must be able to function with no exceptions. This work presents a state-of-the-art numerical modelling methodology that is capable of accurately predicting MEMS device performance in various media, including aqueous ones. The method is strongly coupled in nature, whereby thermal as well as structural degrees of freedom are transferred to and from finite element and finite volume solvers at every iteration. This method therefore provides MEMS design engineers with a reliable tool that can be used in design and development stages and helps to avoid total reliability on experimental testing. The proposed numerical model is validated via a series of physical experiments. Four MEMS electrothermal actuators with cascaded V-shaped drivers are presented. With the use of the newly proposed numerical model as well as the experimental testing, the MEMS devices’ suitability for biomedical applications is confirmed.

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Section: Fabrication Process Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mems Electrothermal Actuators' Working Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Device Designs and Configurationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fabrication Process Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Thermo-Mechanical Fluid–Structure Interaction Numerical Modelling and Experimental Validation of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Aqueous Biomedical Applications

et al. 2023

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MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Underwater Manipulation and Mechanical Characterisation of Human Red Blood Cells

Sciberras,

Mollicone,

Demicoli

et al. 2023

2023 Symposium on Design, Test, Integration &Amp; Packaging of MEMS/MOEMS (DTIP)

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SOI MEMS Electro-Thermal Actuators for Biomedical Applications: Operation in 0.9% NaCl Solution

Sciberras,

Grech,

Demicoli

et al. 2024

Micromachines

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In recent years, the immense potential for MEMS devices in the biomedical industry has been understood. It has been determined that, among their many plausible functions, their use may also extend to single human red blood cell diagnostics, whereby biomarkers of quantifiable magnitudes may be detected. Without a doubt, the mechanical and thermal specifications by which potential devices must be able to function are very strict. Among them is the ability to operate while fully submerged in aqueous solutions. In this work, six devices were modelled numerically in deionised (DI) water and 0.9 wt% NaCl solution, the results of which were validated experimentally. The mechanical performance of the different devices when fully submerged in 0.9 wt% NaCl solution is hereby discussed. With the exception of one, all the devices in their current configuration are confirmed to be suitable candidates for biomedical applications.

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Experimental and Numerical Analysis of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators with Cascaded V-shaped Mechanisms

Cited by 3 publications

References 11 publications

Thermo-Mechanical Fluid–Structure Interaction Numerical Modelling and Experimental Validation of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Aqueous Biomedical Applications

Thermo-Mechanical Fluid–Structure Interaction Numerical Modelling and Experimental Validation of MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Aqueous Biomedical Applications

MEMS Electrothermal Actuators for Underwater Manipulation and Mechanical Characterisation of Human Red Blood Cells

SOI MEMS Electro-Thermal Actuators for Biomedical Applications: Operation in 0.9% NaCl Solution

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