Ionic polymer metal composite is a class of electro-active polymers which are very attractive smart actuators due to its large bending deflection, high mechanical flexibility, low excitation voltage, low density, and ease of fabrication. These properties make IPMC a proper candidate for many applications in various fields such as robotics, aerospace, biomedicine, etc. Although the actuation beh...

MEMS electrostatic actuators suffer from pull-in instability, making them highly nonlinear and limiting their useful range of motion. This report resolves the performance-limiting issues gap-closing transducer by using an ultrathin dielectric layer (UDL) for actuation. The device has electromechanical coupling coefficient 4.26% average deflection sensitivity 119 nm/V over a 350 nm upto 3.3 V dc...

We present an energetically autonomous robotic tadpole that uses a single membrane component for both electrical energy generation and propulsive actuation. The coupling of this small bio-inspired power source to a bio-inspired actuator demonstrates the first generation design for an energetically autonomous swimming robot comprised of a single membrane. An ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) ...

Fixing a prestretched dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) on a flexible frame allows transformation of the intrinsic in-plane area expansion of DEAs into complex three-dimensional (3D) structures whose shape is determined by a configuration that minimizes the elastic energy of the actuator and the bending energy of the frame. These stuctures can then unfold upon the application of a voltage. Th...

Stiction is a major failure mode in microelectromechanical systems MEMS . Undesirable stiction, which results from contact between surfaces, threatens the reliability of MEMS severely as it breaks the actuation function of MEMS switches, for example. Although it may be possible to avoid stiction by increasing restoring forces using high spring constants, it follows that the actuation voltage ha...

In this paper, we investigated the temperature-dependent viscoelastic behavior of dielectric elastomers (DEs) and the effects of viscoelasticity on the electro-actuation behavior. We performed dynamic thermomechanical analysis to measure the master curve of the stress relaxation function and the temperature dependence of the relaxation time of VHB 4905, a commonly used DE. The master curve was ...

This paper outlines the issues related to RF MEMS packaging and low actuation voltage. An original approach is presented concerning the modeling of capacitive contacts using multiphysics simulation and advanced characterization. A similar approach is used concerning packaging development where multi-physics simulations are used to optimize the process. A devoted package architecture is proposed...

Mobile technologies have relied on RF switches for a long time. Though the basic function of the switch has remained the same, the way they have been made has changed in the recent past. In the past few years work has been done to use MEMS technologies in designing and fabricating an RF switch that would in many ways replace the electronic and mechanical switches that have been used for so long...

Low-loss microwave microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) shunt switches are reported that utilize highly compliant serpentine spring folded suspensions together with large area capacitive actuators to achieve low actuation voltages while maintaining sufficient off-state isolation. The RF MEMS switches were fabricated via a surface micromachining process using PI2545 Polyimide 1 as the sacrifici...