MEMS thermal actuator

A MEMS thermal actuator is a micromechanical device that typically generates motion by thermal expansion amplification. A small amount of thermal expansion of one part of the device translates to a large amount of deflection of the overall device. Usually fabricated out of doped single crystal silicon or polysilicon as a complex compliant member, the increase in temperature can be achieved internally by electrical resistive heating or something by a heat source capable of locally introducing heat. Microfabricated thermal actuators can be integrated into micromotors.[1][2]

Types of thermal actuators

  • Asymmetric (bimorph)[3][4]
  • Symmetric (bent beam, chevron)[5][6]

Other types of MEMS Actuators

gollark: Technically, that was yesterday and I forgot what I was thinking.
gollark: Actually, you might only be duplicating the ones within the future light-cone of wherever you travel to.
gollark: Destroying the original universe *does* at least fix issues with the drive causing people to cease to exist.
gollark: I think many worlds holds that that's happening constantly anyway, but use of the drive does it more.
gollark: I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking of at the time, but assuming you accept the alternate branches as "existing" in some way then creating new ones is ethically fraught, since you're basically duplicating all morally relevant entities ever.

References

  1. Park, J.S.; Chu, L.L.; Oliver, A.D.; Gianchandani, Y.B. (2001). "Bent-beam electrothermal actuators-Part II: Linear and rotary microengines". Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems. 10 (2): 255–262. doi:10.1109/84.925774.
  2. Maloney, J.M.; Schreiber, D.S.; DeVoe, D.L. (2004). "Large-force electrothermal linear micromotors" (PDF). J. Micromech. Microeng. 14 (2): 226. Bibcode:2004JMiMi..14..226M. doi:10.1088/0960-1317/14/2/009.
  3. Guckel, H.; Klein, J.; Christenson, T.; Skrobis, K.; Laudon, M.; Lovell, E.G. (1992). "Thermo-magnetic metal flexure actuatorsThermo-magnetic metal flexure actuators". Solid-State Sensor and Actuator Workshop, 1992. 5th Technical Digest. pp. 73–75. doi:10.1109/SOLSEN.1992.228273. ISBN 978-0-7803-0456-7.
  4. Comtois, J.; Bright, V. (1996). "Surface Micromachined Polysilicon Thermal Actuator Arrays and Applications". Technical Digest, 1996 Solid State Sensors and Actuators Workshop. pp. 174–7.
  5. Que, L.; Park, J.-S.; Gianchandani, Y.B. (1999). "Bent-beam electro-thermal actuators for high force applications". Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 1999. MEMS '99. Twelfth IEEE International Conference on. pp. 31–36. doi:10.1109/MEMSYS.1999.746747. ISBN 978-0-7803-5194-3.
  6. Sinclair, M.J. (2000). "A high force low area MEMS thermal actuator". Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, 2000. ITHERM 2000. The Seventh Intersociety Conference on. pp. 127–132. doi:10.1109/ITHERM.2000.866818. ISBN 978-0-7803-5912-3.
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