The Model and Application of Bi-directional Electrothermal Microactuator

As the power producer, the microactuator is an important part of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, which is used for the energy conversion, motion and force producion. The function and performance of MEMS are deeply affected by the micro-actuator's output ability of displacement and force. In this paper, a bi-directional electrothermal microactuator which can generate displacements in both x and y direction is designed. Static theoretical model of bi-directional actuator is established via electro-thermal analysis and thermal-structural analysis. The static theoretical model is preliminary validated by comparing the theoretical values with simulation and experimental results. We also study the application of micro transmission mechanism based on bi-directional electrothermal microactuator.