Development of a MEMS repulsive actuator for large out-of-plane force

This paper describes the development of a micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) repulsive actuator capable of producing an out-of-plane force in the tens of micro Newtons range. There are many commercial applications that require such actuators such as adaptive optics, phone cameras and micro-structure assembly. Thin MEMS actuators are needed to exert a large out-of-plane force to move payloads with a mass ranging from 1 to 5 mg. A MEMS repulsive actuator that generates a large force was developed. A commercial manufacturing process, PolyMUMPs, was used to fabricate prototypes. The prototype achieved an out-of-plane displacement of 15 µm and a 0.2° angular rotation. The rise and fall times were measured as 14.5 ms and 3625 ms (3.6 s), respectively. The estimated out-of-plane force is 40 µN. (paper)