Cooperative work of arrayed microactuators

This paper proposes and demonstrates a way to obtain macroscopic work out of arrayed microactuators fabricated by IC-compatible micromachining processes. We have coordinated the simple and small motion of microactuators in order to perform a task. The concept and a control scheme are discussed first with some examples. In order to show the feasibility, the fabrication and operation of arrayed microactuators for microconveyors are described. One uses thermally driven cantilevers and the other uses controlled air flow from micronozzles to carry flat objects.<<ETX>>

[1]  K. Pister,et al.  A planar air levitated electrostatic actuator system , 1990, IEEE Proceedings on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, An Investigation of Micro Structures, Sensors, Actuators, Machines and Robots..

[2]  R. Muller,et al.  IC-processed electrostatic micromotors , 1989 .

[3]  Hiroyuki Fujita,et al.  A conveyance system using air flow based on the concept of distributed micro motion systems , 1994 .

[4]  N. C. MacDonald,et al.  An isolation technology for joined tungsten MEMS , 1993, [1993] Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[5]  K. J. Gabriel,et al.  New opportunities for microactuators , 1991, TRANSDUCERS '91: 1991 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators. Digest of Technical Papers.

[6]  K. J. Gabriel,et al.  Silicon micromechanics: sensors and actuators on a chip , 1990, IEEE Spectrum.

[7]  T. Christenson,et al.  Fabrication of assembled micromechanical components via deep X-ray lithography , 1991, [1991] Proceedings. IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[8]  Yu-Chong Tai,et al.  Integrated movable micromechanical structures for sensors and actuators , 1988 .

[9]  R. Howe,et al.  Design and calibration of a microfabricated floating-element shear-stress sensor , 1988 .

[10]  Hiroyuki Fujita,et al.  Fabrication and operation of polyimide bimorph actuators for a ciliary motion system , 1993 .

[11]  Masayoshi Esashi,et al.  Fabrication of distributed electrostatic micro actuator (DEMA) , 1993 .

[12]  S. Goodwin-Johansson,et al.  Integrated force arrays , 1993, [1993] Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.

[13]  W. Riethmuller,et al.  Thermally excited silicon microactuators , 1988 .

[14]  M. Mehregany,et al.  Integrated fabrication of polysilicon mechanisms , 1988 .

[15]  W. Menz,et al.  The LIGA technique-A novel concept for microstructures and the combination with Si-technologies by injection molding , 1991, [1991] Proceedings. IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems.