A versatile MEMS bimorph actuator with large vertical displacement and high resolution: Design and fabrication process

TLDR: In this paper, the authors present design, simulation results and envisaged fabrication process for a versatile MEMS bimorph actuator with large out-of-plane displacement and high resolution.

Abstract: This paper presents design, simulation results and envisaged fabrication process for a versatile MEMS bimorph actuator with large out of plane displacement and high resolution. A comparative study of mechanical, thermal and electrical response of the micro-actuator is presented by using two well-known MEMS simulation tools. The bimorph structure measuring 700 × 1280 mm2 is fully integrable with CMOS fabrication process. It is indented for tunable filter applications where the precise vertical motion of the payload, the top metallic electrode anchored rigidly to bimorph ‘springs’ spans the vertical range of 250-300 microns with submicron resolution. Each bimorph spring resembles a hair pin structure and is composed of materials with large difference in thermal expansion coefficients e.g. electroplated gold and polysilicon for optimal out-of-the plane deflection. The novel structure can also be configured for analog micro-mirror based optical and IR spectroscopy applications by controlling the actuation bias and top electrode surface parameters.