Effect of changing the material and device´s properties on the performance of polysilicon-based MicroActuators

In this paper, the performance of polysilicon electrothermal actuators (Chevron-type, fabricated with the PolyMEMS-INAOE^® technology) when the material properties and device geometry are varied, is analyzed. These micro-actuators operating under Joule heating can generate a mechanical displacements ranging in a few tens of micrometers. These devices can delivering a mechanical force in the range of milliNewtons (mN) and are very attractive due to high efficient mechanical response and fully compatible with standard integrated silicon circuitry. Based on analytical and simulation models, the overall mechanical performance was analyzed when some of the polysilicon properties were varied. During the electrothermal performance, the mechanical displacement was experimentally measured. Comparing simulated, analytical and experimental approaches, a good phenomenological agreement is confirmed.