Design, Simulation, and Analysis of Micro/Nanoelectromechanical System Rotational Devices

Abstract

This work is focused on design and simulation of microelectromechanical system (MEMS)/nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) rotational devices such as micro/nanothermal rotary actuator and micro/nanogear. MEMS/NEMS technologies have allowed the development of advanced miniaturized rotational devices. MEMS/NEMS-based thermal actuator is a scaled version of movable device which will produce amplified motion when it is subjected to thermal forces. One of the applications of such thermal micro/nanoactuator is integrating it into micro/nanomotor that makes a thermal actuated micro/nanomotor. In this work, design and simulation of micro/nanothermal rotary actuator are done using MEMS/NEMS technology. Stress, current density, and temperature analysis are done for microthermal rotary actuator. The performance of the device is observed by varying the dimensions and materials such as silicon and polysilicon. Stress analysis is used to calculate the yield strength of the material. Current density is used to calculate the safer limit of the material. Temperature analysis is used to calculate the melting point of the material. Also, in this work, design and simulation of microgear have been done. Micro/nanogears are devices that can be used to improve motion performance. The essential is that it transmits rotational motion to a different axis.

Novel Electrothermal Microgrippers Based on a Rotary Actuator System

“…The guided ends of the beams are joined at the central junction point, while the fixed ends are connected to a positive or negative potential, according to Figure 1, where in the first block the construction sequence of the rotary microactuator is observed [18]. A similar structure is given in [1] using polysilicon and silicon, respectively. This actuator is called rotary according to the shape of the displacement generated in the beams under polarization.…”

“…For the electromechanical modeling, the validation of the microactuator with two horizontal beams was carried out taking as a reference the model of a U-shaped beam microactuator, as can be seen in the diagrams shown in Figure 3. The transformation and equivalence, as well as the modeling of a two-beam microactuator to a U-beam-like microactuator, are based on [1,27], respectively. In Equation ( 4), the initial behavior of the rotary microactuator is defined.…”

“…3𝐿 𝐿 + 𝐿 − (𝐿 + 𝑊 ) The transformation and equivalence, as well as the modeling of a two-beam microactuator to a U-beam-like microactuator, are based on [1,27], respectively. In Equation ( 4), the initial behavior of the rotary microactuator is defined.…”

“…Their use has improved the level of comfort in various areas, such as automotive and residential, and has allowed for the monitoring of environmental variables, improving safety conditions, among many other applications, which are constantly emerging. Recently, new, or optimized microactuators [1,2] have been reported, such as micropositioners [3,4], microswitches [5], microgrippers [6,7], piezoelectric devices [8,9], microgenerators [10,11], micropumps [12], and bimorph actuator [13,14].…”

“…In addition, the theoretical model of the actuator of microgripper Model 1 is proposed. It should be noted that the individual rotary actuator has been reported in [1]. In Section 2, the design, modeling, and simulation of the proposed microgripper models are shown.…”