Abstract
This paper presents a review of electrothermal micro-actuators and applications. Electrothermal micro-actuators have been a significant research interest over the last two decades, and many different designs and applications have been investigated. The electrothermal actuation method offers several advantages when compared with the other types of actuation approaches based on electrostatic and piezoelectric principles. The electrothermal method offers flexibility in the choice of materials, low-cost fabrication, and large displacement capabilities. The three main configurations of electrothermal actuators are discussed: hot-and-cold-arm, chevron, and bimorph types as well as a few other unconventional actuation approaches. Within each type, trends are outlined from the basic concept and design modifications to applications which have been investigated in order to enhance the performance or to overcome the limitations of the previous designs. It provides a grasp of the actuation methodology, design, and fabrication, and the related performance and applications in cell manipulation, micro assembly, and mechanical testing of nanomaterials, Radio Frequency (RF) switches, and optical Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS).
Highlights
The trend of rapid miniaturization in the last two decades or so has led to remarkable progress in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS)
The parasitic heating effect in the cold arm can reduce the efficiency of the Localized high of temperature occurs in the hot arm, reliability is often associated with the actuator
This paper presented a review of the main principles and designs of electrothermal actuators as well as their typical applications in MEMS
Summary
The trend of rapid miniaturization in the last two decades or so has led to remarkable progress in the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Electrothermal actuators use comparatively low driving voltage but can produce large forces and displacements parallel or perpendicular to the substrate [1] They do not involve electrostatic or magnetic fields for operation, these devices are suitable for manipulation of biological samples [4] and electronic chips [5]. The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 describes the operation principle of hot-and-cold-arm type of actuators, different methods to achieve asymmetric thermal expansion, and some applications; Section 3 investigates chevron-type electrothermal actuators, traditional and novel shapes of chevrons, and their applications; Section 4 discusses the bimorph principle of actuation and some typical application fields; Section 5 presents several novel and unconventional electrothermal actuator designs reported recently; and Section 6 provides a summary of some key points from the review work
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