• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SD
• /
• v.37 no.8
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2000

We have achieved a high aspect ratio track-following microactuator (TFMA) which is capable of driving 0.3 ${\mu}m$ magnetic head for hard disk drive (HDD). it was fabricated on silicon on insulator (SOI) wafer with 20 ${\mu}m$ trick active silicon and 2 ${\mu}m$ thick thermally grown oxide and piggyback electrostatic principle was used for driving TFMA. The first vibration mode frequency of TFMA was 18.5 kHz which is enough for a recording density of higher than 10 Gb/in$^2$. Its displacement was 1.4 ${\mu}m$ when 15 V dc bias plus 15 V ac sinusoidal driving input was applied and its electrostatic force was 50 N. The fabricated actuator shows 7.51 dB of gain margin and 50.98$^{\circ}$ of phase margin for 2.21 kHz servo-bandwidth.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.25 no.12
• /
• pp.2002-2008
• /
• 2001

Nonlinear vibration characteristics of a piezoelectric-type micro actuator used for hard disk drives are experimentally studied. The nonlinear characterisitics include hysteresis, superharmonic resonance, jump phenomenon, and shifting of natural frequencies. The vibration modes and frequencies of the commercial actuator of the Hutchinson's Magnum series are measured using a laser vibrometer. From harmonic excitation to the PZT acturator, we observe interesting hysteresis patterns with 3 times input frequency. It is shown that the micro actuator has the typical 3 times superhamonic resonances coupled to the first torsional and sway modes of the suspension.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.236-242
• /
• 2003

Thermal bubbles find their diverse application areas in the MEMS (MicroElectroMechanial Systems) technology, including bubble jet printers, microactuators, micropumps, etc.. Especially, microactuators and micropumps, which use a microbubble growing by a controlled heat input, frequently involve mechanical and thermal interaction of the bubble with a solid structure, such as a cantilever beam and a membrane. Although the concept is experimentally verified that an internal pressure of the bubble can build up high enough to deflect a thin solid plate or a beam, the physics of the entire process have not yet been thoroughly explored. This work reports the experimental study of the growth of a thermal bubble while deflecting a thin cantilever beam. A physical model is presented to predict the elastic response of the cantilever beam based on the experimental measurements. The scaling law constructed through this work can provide a design guide for micro- and nano-systems that employ a thermal bubble for their actuation/pumping mechanism.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.1363-1371
• /
• 1996

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and testing of polysilicon electrostatic microactuators that resonate in the direction parallel to the silicon susbstrates. A set of six different designs has been developed using a theoretical model and design formulae developed for the mocroactuators. Microactuator prototypes are fabricated from a 2.1 $\mu{m}$-thick LPCVD polysilicon film, using a 4-mask surface-micromachining process. The prototypes are tested under a d.c. bias voltage of 45V with an a.c. drive voltage amplitude of 20 v.Measured resorant frequencies are in the ranges of 40-60 kHz, showing a good agreement to their theoretical estimates within error bounds of .$\pm$.5%. Important issues inthe design and microfabrication of the microactuators are discussed, together with potential applicaitons of the key technology involved.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.1259-1265
• /
• 2003

We present a new post-fabrication frequency tuning method for laterally driven electrostatic microresonators using a DC-biased electrostatic comb array of linearly varied finger-length. The electrostatic tuning force and the equivalent stiffness, adjusted by the DC-biased tuning-comb array, have been formulated as functions of geometry and DC tuning voltage. A set of frequency-turnable microresonators has been designed and fabricated by 4-mask surface-micromachining process. The resonant frequency of the microfabricated microresonator has been measured for a varying tuning voltage at the reduced pressure of 1 torr. The maximum 3.3% reduction of the resonant frequency is achieved at the tuning voltage increase of 20V.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1999.11d
• /
• pp.1145-1147
• /
• 1999

평판전극배열을 이용한 회전구동형 마이크로 액츄에이터의 구동력을 증대시키기 위하여 전극의 형상을 최적화 하였다. 기존 평판구동형 마이크로 액츄에이터의 형상을 변형시켜 반경에 무관하게 전극의 수직간격을 최소간격으로 일정하게 유지함으로서 구동력을 배가시키는 효과를 발생시켰다. 이러한 구동력의 증가는 결국 요구되는 변위를 만족시키면서 고유진동수를 증가시켜 마이크로액츄에이터의 구동성능을 향상시킬 수 있다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
• /
• 2002.12a
• /
• pp.140-141
• /
• 2002

In proto-type microactuators driven by magnetostrictive Tb-Fe thin films, the deflection was observed to be much smaller than that expected from large-sized "standard" Tb-Fe thin films. A striking difference was observed when the results from a thin substrate of 28 $\mu\textrm{m}$ for microactuator applications were compared with those from a standard substrate. At a standard substrate thickness (several hundred $\mu\textrm{m}$), an amorphous phase was formed and the coercivity was low being 80 Oe. (omitted)

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
• /
• v.29 no.5
• /
• pp.424-429
• /
• 1996

Thin films of Ti-Ni alloy were formed by sputtering under various Ar gas pressures and r. f. powers to investigate the optimum sputtering conditions and to demonstrate their shape memory effect. The composition and structure of the films were examined by electron micro-probe analysis and scanning electron microscope. These films were annealed in order to crystallize them. The mechanical property of the annealed films was evaluated by a conventional bending test. The transformation tmeperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry. The shape memory behaviour was examined quantiatatively by changing in sample temperature under various constant loads. It was found that the Ar gas pressure had a critical effect on the mechanical property of the thin film,s although the r.f. power also affected it. The films formed at a high Ar gas pressure were too brittle to be bent successfully. However, the films formed at a low Ar gas pressur could be bent and their shape memory behavior was found to be comparable with that of bulk Ti-Ni alloys.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
• /
• 1999.07g
• /
• pp.3286-3288
• /
• 1999

The electrostatically actuated test structure was presented to measure the micro mechanical characteristics of micromaterials as thin films forming the microactuators. The test structure was fabricated by the surface micromachining processes and driven by the electrostatic force, In order to measure the fracture toughness, the sharp notch in the test structure was introduced by the etching process. On the basis of the beam bending theory, the elastic modulus was measured by using the microcantilevr beam and the mechanical displacement, curvature and deflection curve under the electrostatic force was evaluated by using the electrostatic structure.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.34 no.8
• /
• pp.1119-1127
• /
• 2010

In this paper, the design and nonlinear simulation of a multistable electromagnetic microactuator, which provides four stable equilibrium positions within its operating range, have been discussed. Quadstable actuator motion has been made possible by using both X- and Y-directional bistable structures with snapping curved beams. Two pairs of the curved beams are attached to an inner frame in both X- and Y-directions to realize independent bistable behavior in each direction. For the actuation of the actuator at the micrometer scale, an electromagnetic actuation method in which Lorentz force is taken into consideration was used. By using this method, micrometer-stroke quadstability in a plane parallel to a substrate was possible. The feasibility of designing an actuator that can realize quadstable motion by using the electromagnetic actuation method has been thoroughly clarified by performing nonlinear static and dynamic analyses and electrothermal coupled-field analysis of the multistable microactuator.