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2010
Conference Paper
Titel
A nickel electrostatic curved beam actuator for valve applications
Abstract
In this contribution an electrostatic curved beam actuator for microvalve applications is presented. The actuator consists of two layers of nickel consequently plated upon each other. The resulting double-layer cantilever beam has internal stress gradient due to variation of the electroplating process parameters for each layer. By accurate control of these parameters, desired bending heights were obtained. Compared to bimetallic bending actuators, the curvature of the single-metal beam is less dependable on ambient temperature. Thus, more stable performance under changing working conditions was ensured. In order to avoid sticking during the operation of the variable capacitor, stand-off bumps on the back-side of the actuator beam were provided. The actuator was integrated into an active 2/2-microvalve on a silicon substrate.
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