Simultaneous On-Chip Sensing and Actuation Using the Thermomechanical In-Plane Microactuator

Abstract

Many applications in microelectromechanical systems require physical actuation for implementation or operation. On-chip sensors would allow control of these actuators. This paper presents experimental evidence showing that a certain class of thermal actuators can be used simultaneously as an actuator and a sensor to control the actuator's force or displacement output. By measuring the current and voltage supplied to the actuator, a one-to-one correspondence is found between a given voltage and current and a measured displacement or force. This integrated sensor/actuator combination will lead to efficient on-chip control of motion for applications including microsurgery, biological cell handling, and optic positioning.[ 2007-0299]Index Terms-Microelectromechanical system (MEMS), piezoresistance, thermal actuator.

Control of a Novel 2-DoF MEMS Nanopositioner With Electrothermal Actuation and Sensing

“…One of the most commonly used forms of in-plane electrothermal actuator is the V-shaped, or chevron type actuator, which has been demonstrated in a wide range of MEMS applications [5], [11]- [13]. This type of actuator typically features a series of bent conductive beams through which a current is passed.…”

Closed-Loop Control of a Novel 2-DOF MEMS Nanopositioner with Electrothermal Actuation*

“…Electrothermal actuators are a commonly-used mechanism in MEMS devices, maintaining a small footprint while providing high actuation forces and being relatively straightforward to fabricate (Guan and Zhu (2010); Chen and Culpepper (2012)). One of the most common types of electrothermal actuator is the Vshaped, or "chevron" type actuator, which has been used in a range of MEMS applications (Chow and Lai (2009) ;Waterfall et al (2008)). This actuator utilizes the thermal expansion of a series of bent beams to create a mechanical displacement, with the motion taking place in the direction towards which the beams are angled.…”

Novel mechanisms for millimeter range piston actuation of vertical micromirrors and microlenses

“…In such a setup, the movable mirror will be vertical to the substrate, and an in-plane actuator will achieve mirror motion. Typical values of in-plane displacements produced by previously reported electrostatic, electrothermal and piezoelectric designs are 30 µm [2], 40 µm [3] and 1.18 µm [4], respectively. These displacements are insufficient for applications such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), which requires millimeter range displacement.…”