Very compact, high-stability electrostatic actuator featuring contact-free self-limiting displacement
First Claim
1. An electrostatic actuator formed on a substrate and comprising a plurality of capacitively-coupled electrostatic plates including at least one row of fingerless stationary electrostatic plates formed on the substrate and oriented along a direction of movement of the electrostatic actuator;
- and a row of moveable electrostatic plates formed on at least one side of each row of the stationary electrostatic plates, with the moveable electrostatic plates being suspended above the substrate by a rigid frame which supports a majority of the moveable electrostatic plates at or near a midpoint thereof, the frame further surrounding and enclosing each row of the stationary electrostatic plates.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A compact electrostatic actuator is disclosed for microelectromechanical (MEM) applications. The actuator utilizes stationary and moveable electrodes, with the stationary electrodes being formed on a substrate and the moveable electrodes being supported above the substrate on a frame. The frame provides a rigid structure which allows the electrostatic actuator to be operated at high voltages (up to 190 Volts) to provide a relatively large actuation force compared to conventional electrostatic comb actuators which are much larger in size. For operation at its maximum displacement, the electrostatic actuator is relatively insensitive to the exact value of the applied voltage and provides a self-limiting displacement.
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Citations
47 Claims
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1. An electrostatic actuator formed on a substrate and comprising a plurality of capacitively-coupled electrostatic plates including at least one row of fingerless stationary electrostatic plates formed on the substrate and oriented along a direction of movement of the electrostatic actuator;
- and a row of moveable electrostatic plates formed on at least one side of each row of the stationary electrostatic plates, with the moveable electrostatic plates being suspended above the substrate by a rigid frame which supports a majority of the moveable electrostatic plates at or near a midpoint thereof, the frame further surrounding and enclosing each row of the stationary electrostatic plates.
- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electrostatic actuator formed on a substrate and comprising:
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(a) a plurality of moveable electrodes suspended above the substrate and arranged in at least one row oriented along a direction of movement of the electrostatic actuator;
(b) a rigid frame surrounding and supporting the moveable electrodes; and
(c) a plurality of fingerless stationary electrodes formed on the substrate in a row proximate to the row of moveable electrodes, the rows of stationary and moveable electrodes acting in response to a voltage applied therebetween to urge the frame to move along the direction of movement. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. An electrostatic actuator formed on a substrate and comprising:
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(a) a plurality of stationary electrodes formed on the substrate and regularly spaced in at least one row oriented along a direction of movement of the electrostatic actuator;
(b) a rigid frame supported above the substrate by a plurality of springs, with the frame surrounding each row of the stationary electrodes; and
(c) a plurality of moveable electrodes located on the frame on both sides of each row of the stationary electrodes, the moveable electrodes acting in combination with the stationary electrodes to displace the frame in the direction of movement in response to an applied voltage. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. An electrostatic actuator, comprising:
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(a) a substrate;
(b) a plurality of fingerless stationary electrodes formed on the substrate and arranged in at least one row oriented along a direction of movement of the electrostatic actuator;
(c) a plurality of moveable electrodes suspended above the substrate, with the number of moveable electrodes being at least equal to the number of stationary electrodes, and with at least one of the moveable electrodes acting in combination with each stationary electrode to generate an electrostatic force in response to a voltage applied therebetween to urge the moveable electrodes to move in the direction of movement; and
(d) a rigid frame surrounding and supporting the moveable electrodes above the substrate, with the frame being attached to the substrate by a plurality of springs. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. An electrostatic actuator formed on a substrate and comprising:
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(a) a plurality of fingerless stationary electrodes formed on the substrate from a plurality of layers of deposited and patterned electrically-conductive material;
(b) a plurality of moveable electrodes suspended above the substrate proximate to the stationary electrodes, with the moveable electrodes being formed from at least one layer of the plurality of layers of deposited and patterned electrically-conductive material;
(c) a plurality of links connecting the moveable electrodes, with the links being formed from at least one layer of the plurality of layers of the deposited and patterned electrically-conductive material; and
(d) a rigid frame surrounding and supporting the links and moveable electrodes, with the frame being formed from at least one layer of the plurality of layers of deposited and patterned electrically-conductive material and further being moveable in response to a voltage applied between the stationary and moveable electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification