Tri-axial all-metal inertial microswitch with compliant stationary electrodes to prolong contact time

A tri-axial all-metal inertial microswitch with compliant stationary electrodes for prolonging the contact time is proposed and fabricated. A half-moon-shaped cantilever structure is designed and utilised as the compliant stationary electrode in the + x- and + y-directions. It can sufficiently deform and realise a flexible contact in horizontal directions. Similarly, the designed multi-hole crossbeam located in the + z-direction also decreases its own stiffness that can reduce the bounces and prolong the contact time in the vertical direction. These dynamic contact processes of the microswitch are simulated and analysed by the finite element method. The contact time in the + x-, + y- and + z-directions of the fabricated inertial microswitch have been tested by a dropping shock experiment, which has good agreement with the simulated ones. The crosstalk performance has been characterised by a shock test, which indicates that disturbance between the horizontal and vertical directions has been restrained.