A surface micromachined bistable switch

Often microsystems require switches or mechanisms that can give two stable states. Currently, many micromechanical systems use a monostable switch to produce the two states: a first stable state when no power is applied and a second state that requires constant power to maintain the stability. Such a configuration is not efficient and consumes considerable electrical power during the ´on´ state of the switch. A more efficient design would be a device that consumes energy only during the switching operation and does not consume any power while holding the stable states. Our novel micromechanical bistable switch design is based on the locking mechanism of an extension ladder. This switch was designed and fabricated through multi-user MEMS processes (MUMPs). Our paper outlines the design, simulation, animation and results from the testing of the micro-fabricated system. Actual performance of the switch was videographically analyzed and compared with theory and simulation.