Fabrication of a micro XY-stage using SU-8 thermal actuators

✍ Scribed by Ji-Chang Lee; Dong-Weon Lee

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 509 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-9317
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mee.2008.11.089

✦ Synopsis

In this paper, we describe a novel micro XY-stage that is driven by the thermal expansion force of SU-8, which possesses a high coefficient of thermal expansion. The finite element method is used to improve performances of the polymer actuators that are based on SU-8. One of the designed polymer actuators has a maximum displacement of about 41 lm at 250 °C. Four polymer actuators are employed for the micro XY-stage that requires a large displacement. The micro XY-stage is produced in two types: an SU-8/metal/SU-8 sandwich structure and an SU-8/metal double-decker structure. The sizes of the micro XY-stage and the shuttle are 2 mm  2 mm and 0.5 mm  0.5 mm, respectively. In addition, the micro XY-stage with the sandwich structure has the advantage of actuation in the liquid state. As the temperature raises from room temperature to up to 250 °C, the displacement of the micro XY-stage linearly varies in air.