Deformable, electromagnetic, coil actuation for sensor systems

A compact means of achieving large displacement or rotational actuation, useful for a variety of sensor systems, is developed, modeled, and demonstrated. The basic device is a deformable, electromagnetically actuated coil that is fabricated in a commercial surface micromachining foundry. This type of actuator is not limited by the small gaps of electrostatic devices or the linkages employed by thermal actuators. It can also be more compact as the actuation and support mechanism are one and the same. An efficient model for this novel class of actuator is described and is used to develop a prototype, which achieves a maximum 800mum out-of-plane displacement in an 88G external magnetic field using 115mW to power the device. Flip-chip bonding a flat plate to a coil-turn then allows this device to be used as a rotational micromirror, where the 800mum displacement translates to a 40deg angle of rotation