Prepared by Gayan Wijeweera, Dr. Cyrus Shafai, Nano Systems Research Group, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Manitoba and Dr. Behraad Bahreyni, School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University.
This application note describes the use of thermal actuators together with a lever mechanism to augument displacement. Thermal actuators can produce relatively large displacements with a very low voltage. Therefore, they are ideal for applications which cannot use high actuation voltages. One of the drawbacks of thermal actuators is that they cannot provide a large enough movement. This application note describes how to increase the displacement of thermal actuators by employing a lever mechanism. It is particularly beneficial to researchers who require an alternative actuation mechanism for most popular electrostatic actuators.
All CMC Microsystem account holders with a Professor Research Subscription are authorized to access this application note. For more information contact Linda Dougherty at licensing@cmc.ca or 613-530-4787.
