Vertically bidirectional bistable microrelay with magnetostatic and thermal actuations

The design and characterization of a novel bidirectional bistable MEMS relay with out-of-plane motion are presented in this paper. The microrelay is actuated vertically by combining with magnetostatic and electrothermal microactuators. This bistability features a permanent magnet actuation without electromagnetic coils where lower power consumption is requested. The device was fabricated by laminated sacrificial thick copper layer process in UV-LIGA. The mechanical performance was characterized using atomic force microscope (AFM) as well as nano indentation tester. Switching between two stable states of the fabricated bidirectional bistable microrelay was successfully validated with WYKO NT1100 optical profiling system.