Abstract:
Apparatus including substrate, pusher assembly, and flexor assembly adjacent to pusher assembly. Pusher assembly includes hot and cold pusher arms. First ends of hot and cold pusher arms are anchored over substrate. Second ends of hot and cold pusher arms are coupled together and suspended for lateral displacement over substrate. Flexor assembly includes flexor arm, and conductor having actuator contact. First end of flexor arm is anchored over substrate. Pusher assembly is configured for causing lateral displacement of second end of flexor arm and of actuator contact over the substrate. Method includes providing apparatus and causing pusher assembly to laterally displace second end of flexor arm and actuator contact over substrate.
Abstract:
The present invention provides a bi-directional microelectromechanical element, a microelectromechanical switch including the bi-directional element, and a method to reduce mechanical creep in the bi-directional element. In one embodiment, the bi-directional microelectromechanical element includes a cold beam having a free end and a first end connected to a cold beam anchor. The cold beam anchor is attached to a substrate. A first beam pair is coupled to the cold beam by a free end tether and is configured to elongate when heated thereby to a greater temperature than a temperature of the cold beam. A second beam pair is located on an opposing side of the cold beam from the first beam pair and is coupled to the first beam pair and the cold beam by the free end tether. The second beam pair is configured to elongate when heated thereby to the greater temperature.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for producing micro-mechanical components, containing at least one elastic spring tongue, whereby said spring tongue is produced especially by means of electrodeposition, sputtering, evaporating and/or etching. The method is characterised in that areas of the spring tongue are thermally affected and a mechanical internal stress gradient is produced in the spring tongue.
Abstract:
A thermal microactuator is provided that can be deflected in multiple positions. The actuator has a hot arm and a cold arm coupled together at their distal ends suspended above a reference plane of a substrate. A potential difference is applied across the hot arm so that a current circulates through the hot arm but not the cold arm.
Abstract:
A micrometer sized multi-directional thermal actuator capable of repeatable and rapid displacement in a substantially horizontal direction, a substantially vertical direction, and/or a combination thereof. The multi-directional thermal actuator constructed on a surface of a substrate includes three or more beams each cantilevered from one or more anchors at a first end to extend generally parallel to the surface of the substrate. A member mechanically and electrically couples the distal ends of the beams. Application of current to a circuit comprising combinations of any two or more of the beams displaces the member in one of three or more non-parallel radial directions, respectively.
Abstract:
A micromachined multi-layered microbellows-style actuator capable of delivering larger deflections. Anchor structures (420, 430, 440, 450) are disclosed that improve the strength of the microbellows membrane (150). Thermopneumatic actuators having a resistive heater chip are also disclosed.
Abstract:
Expansion compensating structures are formed in redistribution layers of a wafer-level chip-scale integrated circuit package (WLCSP) or other IC package having a low-expansion substrate. The structures include micromechanical actuators designed and oriented to move solder bumps attached to them in the same direction and distance as a function of temperature as do pads to which they may be connected on a higher-expansion substrate such as a printed circuit board. Expansion compensated IC packages incorporating these expansion compensating structures are provided, as well as expansion compensated assemblies containing one or more of these IC packages. Methods of fabricating expansion compensated IC packages requiring minimal changes to existing commercial WLCSP fabrication processes are also provided. These devices and methods will result in assemblies having improved board-level reliability during thermal cycling, and allow the use of larger IC die sizes in WLCSP technology.
Abstract:
Provided is a method including at least the thermal treatment step of thermally treating a SOI substrate having a first silicon layer at a first temperature that the diffusion flow rate of an interstitial silicon atom in a silicon single crystal is higher than the diffusion flow rate of an interstitial oxygen atom and the processing step of processing the SOI substrate after the thermal treatment step to obtain a displacement enlarging mechanism.
Abstract:
The disclosure relates to an actuator based on carbon nanotubes and actuating system using the same. The actuator includes: a carbon nanotube layer and a vanadium dioxide layer stacked with each other. Because the drastic, reversible phase transition of VO2, the actuator has giant deformation amplitude and fast response. An actuating system using the actuator is also provided.
Abstract:
A microelectromechanical device comprising a mechanical structure extending along a longitudinal direction, linked to a planar substrate by an anchorage situated at one of its ends and able to flex in a plane parallel to the substrate, the mechanical structure comprises a joining portion, which links it to each anchorage and includes a resistive region exhibiting a first and second zone for injecting an electric current to form a resistive transducer, the resistive region extending in the longitudinal direction from an anchorage and arranged so a flexion of the mechanical structure in the plane parallel to the substrate induces a non-zero average strain in the resistive region and vice versa; wherein: the first injection zone is carried by the anchorage; and the second injection zone is carried by a conducting element not fixed to the substrate and extending in a direction, termed lateral, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.