Microactuators and their technologies

• Published in: Mechatronics (Oxford) Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 431 - 455
• Main Authors: Thielicke, Ernst, Obermeier, Ernst
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2000
• Subjects: Electronic equipment manufacture; Micromachining; Miniature instruments
• ISSN: 0957-4158; 1873-4006
• DOI: 10.1016/S0957-4158(99)00063-X

This paper gives a brief overview of microactuators, focussing on devices made by microfabrication technologies which are based on silicon processes like photolithography, etching, thin film deposition etc. These technologies enable the miniaturization of electrical devices as well as micromechanisms and microactuators. They can be batch fabricated on large area silicon substrates and represent the smallest available in a vast field of actuators. Mentioning the activation principles and the three main fabrication technologies: bulk micromachining, surface macromachining and moulding, the paper focusses on devices, which made their way into industrial applications or prototypes. The far most developed micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) are found in micro-fluidic systems (printheads, microvalves and -pumps) and micro-optical systems (micromirrors, -scanners, -shutters and -switches). They can be combined with microelectronics and microsensors to form an integrated on-chip or hybrid-assembled system. Other MEMS-actuators like microgrippers, microrelays, AFM heads or data storage devices, are promising devices for future medical, biological and technical applications like minimal invasive surgery or the vast field of information storage and distribution.