Design and characterization of an inertial microswitch with synchronous follow-up flexible compliant electrodes capable of extending contact duration

Xu, Qiu; Sun, Bin; Li, Yigui; Xiang, Xiaojian; Lai, Liyan; Li, Jian; Ding, Guifu; Zhao, Xiaolin; Yang, Zhuoqing

doi:10.1016/j.sna.2017.12.033

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Cao et al [62] investigated the mechanisms of extending the contact time of the flexible electrode using a high-speed camera-based optical measurement system. Xu et al [63] presented an inertial micro-switch with a flexible movable electrode and a stationary electrode in the double-stair and spring-shape structures, as shown in Figure 11. The unique moveable and fixed electrodes were synchronous follow-up compliant, which can not only extend the contact duration but also reduce the impact bounces.…”

Section: Flexible-electrode Inertial Micro-switchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SEM images of (a) an inertial micro-switch with a flexible movable electrode and a stationary electrode in the double-stair and spring-shape structures, and (b) the close-ups of synchronous follow-up compliant electrodes[63].Electronics 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 SEM images of (a) an inertial micro-switch with a flexible movable electrode and a stationary electrode in the double-stair and spring-shape structures, and (b) the close-ups of synchronous follow-up compliant electrodes[63].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Recent Advancements in Inertial Micro-Switches

et al. 2019

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Inertial micro-switches have great potential in the applications of acceleration sensing, due to the integrated advantages of a small size, high integration level, and low or even no power consumption. This paper presents an overview of the recent advancements made in research on the sensitive direction, threshold acceleration, contact effect, and threshold accuracy of inertial micro-switches. The reviewed switches were categorized according to the performance parameters, including multi-directional switches, multi-threshold switches, persistent closed switches, flexible-electrode switches, and low-g high-threshold-accuracy switches. The current challenges and prospects are also discussed.

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Section: Flexible-electrode Inertial Micro-switchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Recent Advancements in Inertial Micro-Switches

et al. 2019

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“…The contact effect of the inertial micro-switches with flexible electrodes can be improved by the deformation of the flexible electrodes during the contact process. In this case, the contact time of the two electrodes is generally longer than 50 μs [ 13 , 14 ]. This kind of switch is usually fabricated by a multi-layer nickel-electroplating process, based on the surface micromachining technology, since the conventional bulk silicon micromachining technology mainly results in rigid structures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This kind of switch is usually fabricated by a multi-layer nickel-electroplating process, based on the surface micromachining technology, since the conventional bulk silicon micromachining technology mainly results in rigid structures. However, the often-repeated electroplating processes might cause unexpected fabrication errors such as dimension variations, an inhomogeneous Young’s modulus, and structural deformation induced by residual stresses between each electroplating layer, leading to a threshold deviation from the designed value [ 4 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ], as shown in Table 1 . In Ref.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A 5 g Inertial Micro-Switch with Enhanced Threshold Accuracy Using Squeeze-Film Damping

Peng

Pan

et al. 2018

Micromachines

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Our previous report based on a 10 g (gravity) silicon-based inertial micro-switch showed that the contact effect between the two electrodes can be improved by squeeze-film damping. As an extended study toward its potential applications, the switch with a large proof mass suspended by four flexible serpentine springs was redesigned to achieve 5 g threshold value and enhanced threshold accuracy. The impact of the squeeze-film damping on the threshold value was theoretically studied. The theoretical results show that the threshold variation from the designed value due to fabrication errors can be reduced by optimizing the device thickness (the thickness of the proof mass and springs) and then establishing a tradeoff between the damping and elastic forces, thus improving the threshold accuracy. The design strategy was verified by FEM (finite-element-method) simulation and an experimental test. The simulation results show that the maximum threshold deviation was only 0.15 g, when the device thickness variation range was 16–24 μm, which is an adequately wide latitude for the current bulk silicon micromachining technology. The measured threshold values were 4.9–5.8 g and the device thicknesses were 18.2–22.5 μm, agreeing well with the simulation results. The measured contact time was 50 μs which is also in good agreement with our previous work.

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“…MEMS inertial switches are widely applied in many fields, such as military, automobiles, industrial transportation, handled devices, safety, and geriatric healthcare systems due to the advantages of miniaturization, low cost, large volume production, zero power consumption at a normal state, and resistivity to electromagnetic noise [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. When the inertial switch is accelerated above the threshold value along the sensing direction, the movable electrode moves toward the stationary electrode touching it, which closes an external circuit [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24].…”

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confidence: 99%