Design and simulation of a silicon-polymer electrothermal microactuator

Abstract

This paper presents the design and simulation of a silicon-polymer electrothermal microactuator with small size; low driving voltage; large force and deflection; compatibility with CMOS technology… This proposed microelectromechanical siliconpolymer gripper has been analyzed based on traditional mechanical theories and finite element simulation. The analyzed and simulated results have met the experimental results. The proposed structure has been optimized using mechanical and heat transfer theories. This silicon-polymer microgripper has a high potential of applying in micromanipulator, minimally invasive surgery, and so on.