Silicon-microactuators: activation mechanisms and scaling problems

Different types of electromechanical microactuators are described and discussed with respect to their most important characteristics (i.e. conversion efficiency, displacement, force, torque, etc.) and power consumption. Different actuation principles can be adapted to IC and micromachining technologies with specific potentials in device miniaturization. An overall evaluation of the different concepts is strongly linked to the specific applications and to the system requirements. Different types of electromechanical silicon microactuators have specific advantages and disadvantages with respect to deflection, force, power consumption, and response time. Some of the conversion principles, especially electrostatically driven structures, offer outstanding qualities with an increasing degree of miniaturization.<>