The Stacked Amplified Thermomechanical In-plane Microactuator (StATIM)

摘要

A compact large-displacement staged thermal actuator, the Stacked Amplified Thermomechanical In-plane Microactuator (StATIM), is introduced in this paper. The StATIM has a large ratio of output displacement to device area, while still providing significant output force. The device utilizes the multi-layer, planarized nature of Sandia National Laboratories' SUMMiT V surface micromachining process. The StATIM is derived from the Amplified Thermomechanical In-plane Microactuator, or ATIM, which is described briefly. Two configurations of the StATIM fabricated in the SUMMiT V process are presented. The first device has a footprint of 0.40 mm~2 and an output displacement of 39.3 μm, for a displacement density of 97.8 μm/mm~2. The second, with a footprint of 0.26 mm2, has a 43.9 μm displacement and a displacement density of 169.8 μm/mm~2. The fully compliant nature of the StATIM results in reliable, low-friction performance. The output displacement and force of the StATIM are sufficient for a wide range of applications, and its compact design preserves die space.