A Laterally-Driven Bistable Electromagnetic Microrelay

Abstract

ABSTRACT⎯In this letter, a laterally-driven bistable electromagnetic microrelay is designed, fabricated, and tested. The proposed microrelay consists of a pair of arch-shaped leaf springs, a shuttle, and a contact bar made from silicon, low temperature oxide (LTO), and gold composite materials. Silicon-on-insulator wafers are used for electrical isolation and releasing of the moving microstructures. The high-aspect-ratio microstructures are fabricated using a deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process. The tandem-typed leaf springs with a silicon/gold composite layer enhance the mechanical performances while reducing the electrical resistance. A permanent magnet is attached at the bottom of the silicon substrate, resulting in the generation of an external magnetic field in the direction vertical to the surface of the silicon substrate. The leaf springs show bistable characteristics. The resistance of the pair of leaf springs was 7.5 Ω, and the contact resistance was 7.7 Ω. The relay was operated at ±0.12 V.

Experimental investigation of snap-through motion of in-plane MEMS shallow arches under electrostatic excitation

“…Next, we solve the Eigen value problem to get the natural frequencies and mode shapes. Therefore, we solve the linearized undamped unforced equation 1 [47], which can be written as 3Using the separation of variables where (4) where ω is the eigenvalue and φ is the eigen-function. Then, we plug equation 4into equation 3.…”

Dynamics of a threshold shock sensor: Combining bi-stability and triboelectricity

“…Fast response, high sensitivity, and reliability are considered major requirements for shock sensors. Different actuation mechanisms have been investigated: mechanical [11,12], electrostatic [13][14][15][16], electrothermal [17][18][19], piezoelectric [20][21][22][23][24][25], optical actuation [26] and electromagnetic [27,28]. Among existing mechanisms, electrostatic actuators are the most common.…”

Voltage-Induced Snap-Through of an Asymmetrically Laminated, Piezoelectric, Thin-Film Diaphragm Micro-Actuator—Part 1: Experimental Studies and Mathematical Modeling

“…One unique phenomenon of these bistable devices is the ability to migrate from one equilibrium state to another via snap-through. The snap-through phenomenon could enable new applications for electrostatic MEMS actuators, such as switches [18][19][20], microvalves and microrelays [21][22][23], and band-pass filters [10]. The study of snap-through also facilitates better designs against pull-in instability of electrostatic MEMS actuators.…”