Polymer membrane-based thermo-pneumatic actuation for distributed air-jet planar micromanipulator

In this paper, we present latest results of a thermo-pneumatic microactuator based on polymer membrane and silicon technology. This device has application in distributed air-jet planar micromanipulation to levitate and convey small objects by changing air-flow direction on the surface. Our technology, combining deformable polymer membrane and movable silicon nozzle fabrication, offers many advantages compared to classic silicon technology, e.g. pneumatic microactuator array device. Those advantages are as follows: low-cost, reliable, simple batch fabrication process, multi-directional (4 directions) air-jet flow, low driving voltage (≤ 5 V), durability under high air-pressure, higher transparency for implementing photodetection capabilities, and enabling technology to use flexible and smart materials in MEMS.