Avoidance of stiction in the release of highly boron doped micro-actuators fabricated using BESOI substrates

This paper presents a new technique which has been successfully applied to the fabrication of micromachined components to avoid the ‘device stiction’ often encountered during the final processing steps of micro-fabrication. Based on the use of BESOI substrates, this technique involves the heavy boron doping of the final processed structure, followed by a timed wet etch which releases the micromachined device by controllably lowering the undoped Si substrate beneath it.     

Numerical simulation and optimization of planar electromagnetic actuators

The design rules and characterization of planar electromagnetic actuators are presented focusing on numerical force simulation and maximization of efficiency. Theoretical simulations are carried out for circular concentric, circular eccentric and rectangular concentric placements of the magnet with respect to the coil yielding the highest forces for the circular concentric arrangement. As a result larger magnets or larger coils are not linked to higher forces in any case, thus an optimum magnet diameter for a given coil radius can be calculated and vice versa. With respect to the vertical distance of the coil to the magnet the optimum parameters are given. Dimensions and forces are derived in generalized units to facilitate scaling to other geometries. The simulations are excellently confirmed by experimental data of different coils and magnets.     

A generalized KYP lemma based approach for disturbance rejection in data storage systems

This paper is concerned with disturbance rejection for data storage systems which applies microactuator to expand its servo bandwidth. An approach based on the generalized Kalman–Yakubovic–Popov (KYP) lemma together with the Youla parameterization is proposed which allows us to suppress disturbances of particular frequencies within or beyond the servo bandwidth via convex optimization. The rejection of narrowband high-frequency disturbances is achieved by using this approach. Simulation together with implementation results demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the design method as compared with the traditional frequency weighting method.     

Computerized control system and interface for flexible micromanipulator control

Micro- and nanomanipulators are essential for a broad range of applications requiring precise micro- and nanoscopic spatial control such as those in micromanufacturing and single cell analysis. These manipulators are often manually controlled using an attached joystick and can be difficult for operators to use efficiently. This paper describes a system developed in MATLAB to control a well-known, commercial micromanipulator in a user friendly and versatile manner through a graphical user interface (GUI). The control system and interface allows several types of flexible movement controls in three-axis, Cartesian space, including single movements, multiple queued movements, and mouse-following continuous movements. The system uses image processing for closed loop feedback to ensure precise and accurate control over the movement of the manipulator’s end effector. The system can be used on any electronic device capable of running the free MATLAB Runtime Environment (MRE) and the system is extensible to simultaneously control other instruments capable of serial communication.     

微系统集成技术研究的动向

在微电子、微机械和微光学的基础上,集成传感器、执行器和信号处理单元于一体的微系统技术,是现代技术发展的一个新动向。微系统技术在微传感器、微执行器、微光学和专用集成微型仪器等方面有较大发展。微系统在一些工业中获得应用。     

国外微型机械及微执行器的研究

由于高新技术的迅速发展,微型机械包括各种微传感器、微执行器和微控制器的研究和为一些尖端技术发展过程中的重要手段越来越受到国际科技界的重视。微型机械多种多样。如可在狭小的空间和危险场所进行维护检查的自行式微型机械、可进入管道、人体腔体甚至血管进行检查和手术的微型机械、扫描隧道显微镜(STM)和原子力显微镜上的分辨力以纳米计的微动机构、半导体领域和分子机械领域都出现了很精密的微型机械。国外为了提高微型机械的研究水平,最近还定期举办微型机构和微型机器人的比赛,包括爬山、爬崖和自我表演等项目,由于微型机械都必须有所动作,因此其中的微执行器(micro-actuator)最为重要,其工作原理多种多样。本文将就微型机械、微执行器的原理和国外的微型机构比赛作一综述。