Optical driving of actuator using poly-vinylidine difluoride cantilever

Optically driven actuators are a non-contact method for the remote application of light energy. We propose a new method for optically driving actuators which uses three polyvinylidine difluoride (PVDF) cantilevers as the legs and a polymer film as the body. The PVDF cantilevers are coated with silver on one surface. PVDF is a ferroelectric polymer that has both pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties. When one side of the cantilever is irradiated by a laser beam, an electric field is produced along cross-section of the cantilever and mechanical displacement occurs by the piezoelectric effect. We measured the response time and the generated force of the cantilever. Optically driven actuator move via the slip-stick effect.