Large-strain, piezoelectric, in-plane micro-actuator

A new type of high-force, large-displacement, low-voltage piezoelectric actuator has been developed using a compact stroke amplifying mechanism. The device is fabricated using an SU-8 structure as an amplifying mechanism for thin-film PZT. Each actuator "cell" can be arrayed in series and/or in parallel and the design can accommodate different force/displacement requirements. Peak static force of the design tested was 55 /spl mu/N, and peak static displacement was 1.18 /spl mu/m at 10 V. Fabricated devices consisting of three actuators in series were tested, which showed a strain amplification ratio in excess of 10:1 per cell.