A low volume electrostatic inchworm microactuator with high-resolution and large force
نویسندگان
چکیده
A novel electrostatic inchworm microactuator, which employs both a built-in mechanical transformation and a large number of contraction units to generate large force and sub-micrometer resolution step, is presented. The actuator is fabricated in a single polysilicon device layer using a trench isolation technology. The entire actuator, including the clamps and the contraction element, fits in an area of 440 x 286 μm. Tests on the first prototype show an effective step size of 13 nm and a generated force of 0.55 mN. A driving voltage of 55 V has been used both for clamping and contraction.
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