Results on design, fabrication and testing of silicon micromachined magnetic actuators are presented. Magnetic actuators are capable of providing large force (on the order of mN) and large displacement (micrometer to millimeter range) within micro electromechanical devices and systems. Electroplated Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) material is the media for magnetic interaction and force generation. The Pe...

A selective electrothermal magnetic annealing technique is introduced that provides programming capabilities for mechanical micro-resonators. In the proposed approach the magnetic properties of resonators can be locally tuned in a post-fabrication batch-compatible process step. A prototype is implemented in a standard microfabrication process, where resonating ferromagnetic elements are suspend...

The ternary Ni–P–W alloy coating was fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering technique with dual targets of Ni–P/Cu and pure W. Electroplating Ni–P process was introduced to obtain the NiP compound target with extra-high phosphorous contents around 21 at.%. The deposition rate achieved as high as 20 Am/h after modification of the processing parameters. The Ni–P–W coating with a high P/Ni ratio of...

We have investigated magnetic actuation of hinged, surface micromachined structures. Electroplated magnetic material (Permalloy) is integrated with two types of hinged microstructures and the magnetic actuation process has been experimentally characterized. Under a given external magnetic field, the angular displacement of a hinged structure is determined by the volume of the magnetic material ...

This paper describes a novel 22-mm-long multi-channel microelectrode suitable for deep-brain stimulation in rodents. The platinum electrodes and conducting interconnects are insulated by silicon nitride and the mechanical support is provided by a 3-D electroplated biocompatible metallic structure. The shape of the probe has been designed to provide sufficient mechanical stiffness for accurate t...

This paper describes a X-rays detector based on an array of scintillator crystals, CsI:Tl, encapsulated in well-type silicon. The X-ray energy is first converted to visible light which is detected by a photodetector in the well bottom. DRIE techniques are used to achieve perfect vertical sidewalls 515 m deep, 100 m pixel square size and to maximize the fill factor. The inner walls of the well a...