Microactuators Integrated with Force Transmission Mechanisms which are Suitable in Microscopic Scales

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The purpose of this research is to integrate force and displacement mechanisms with mu m-size actuators(microactuators)by IC-based micromachining technology. Microactuators have many opportunities in fine mechatromics such as information machinery and medical assistance equipments. However, the lack of mechanisms which transmit the output of actuators has prohibited the wide utilization. Mere miniaturization of links and gears which are used for transmission in macroscopic scales does not work because frictional force tends to overwhelm driving force in microscopic scales. In order to solve the friction problem, flexible structures suspended above a substrate are used for transmission mechanisms in this research. Part of the structures is pulled by electrostatic force and the displacement and force are transmitted to other part through elastic deformation. We have fabricated a device shown in the SEM photograph ; two opposing vertices of a prallerogram structure is driven by palarrel-plate electrostatic actuators, one vertice is fixed, and the remaining vertce moves in 90ﾟ obligue direction to original motion for external force/displacement output. Force and displacement can be traded by chauging the corner angle rheta of the parallerogram. Optimal design of flexible structures has also studied using other configuration.