Copper microcoil arrays for the actuation of optical matrix microswitches

Abstract

Copper micro-coil arrays have been designed and realised by electroplating for the actuation of arrays of optical matrix micro-switches. The good operation of the micro-switches needs large force that is well fulfilled by the electromagnetic actuation of copper micro-coils. The electromagnetic behavior of the actuator has been examined using the simulator FLUX2D TM and an optimised configuration of ferromagnetic materials was determined. Arrays of micro-coils with high aspect ratio have been achieved with the use of SU8 resin mould. The diameters of micro-coils range from 0.5 millimeters to 4 millimeters with thickness of about 30 micrometers and few tens of turns. Electric measurements have been done in order to characterize the micro-coils.

PDMS as a sacrificial substrate for SU-8-based biomedical and microfluidic applications

“…In addition to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) [13] and Mylar [9,14], the negative photoresist EPON SU-8 (hereinafter referred to as SU-8) has been popular for microfluidic and MEMS technology [15][16][17]. Because of its advantageous characteristics such as stability against solvents and compatibility with CMOS [18][19][20][21][22][23][24], SU-8 has been used for obtaining microfluidic channels [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35], movable micromechanical components (such as membranes and cantilevers) [36,37], optical waveguides [38,39] and UV-LIGA components [40][41][42].…”

A planar self-sacrificial multilayer SU-8-based MEMS process utilizing a UV-blocking layer for the creation of freely moving parts

“…SU-8 is a negative tone resist that has found many uses in microsystems, mainly in the areas of microfluidics [1][2][3][4][5][6] and UV-LIGA [7][8][9]. There have been several multilayer fabrication methods devised; however, most multilayer fabrication techniques are intended for microfluidics [1][2][3][4][5][6].…”