Abstract
This paper presents both an experimental and a numerical study concerning the mechanical response of a silicon microgripper with bidirectional electrostatic actuation to externally applied excitations. The experimental set-up is composed of a probe station equipped with mobile probes that apply contact forces. This part of the investigation aims to test the device’s mechanical resistance, its mobility capability and possible internal contacts during the system deformation. The second part of the paper is dedicated to the study of the free undamped vibrations of the microsystem. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is carried out to evaluate the system vibration modes. The analysis of the modes are useful to predict possible mechanical interference among floating and anchored fingers of the actuating comb drives.
Highlights
The introduction of new classes of flexure hinges [1] and the technological progress in mechanical components of MEMS [2,3] gave rise to new devices for the manipulation at the microscale
Motion is provided by the four flexure hinges and a relative rotation axis appears for each hinge
First natural mode consists of a motion that is coincident with the motion for which the system has been designed
Summary
The introduction of new classes of flexure hinges [1] and the technological progress in mechanical components of MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) [2,3] gave rise to new devices for the manipulation at the microscale. About a hundred microgrippers [4,5] were designed and fabricated with different purposes and actuation systems. Micromanipulation finds important applications in micro assembly processes. Some devices can be fabricated as monolithical structures, whereas others require an assembly step because of particular geometries or different materials [6]. Microgrippers are employed in optical fibers assembly [7,8]. Another important field of application is biology: manipulation of single cells is an essential step to understand cells behaviors and interactions [9,10]. Microgrippers with force sensors where developed for manipulating biological cells [11,12] or to characterize the mechanical properties of biosamples [13,14]
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