Summary
A piezoelectric micro-actuator capable of high stiffness actuation in micro-hydraulic systems was fabricated and experimentally tested to frequencies in excess of 100 kHz. The actuator was fabricated from a bonded stack of micromachined silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and borosilicate glass layers. Actuation was provided by 1mm sized piezoelectric cylinders, which were integrated within a tethered piston structure and electrically and mechanically attached using a thin-film AuSn eutectic bond. Die-level anodic bonding techniques were developed to assemble the supporting structural silicon and glass layers. The microfabrication, device assembly, experimental testing procedures, and actuator performance are discussed in this paper. Issues such as piezoelectric material preparation, requisite dimensional tolerancing, micromachining of the silicon tethered structures, and integration of multiple piezoelectric elements within the micro-actuator structure are detailed.
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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Roberts, D.C. et al. (2001). A High-Frequency, High-Stiffness Piezoelectric Micro-Actuator for Hydraulic Applications. In: Obermeier, E. (eds) Transducers ’01 Eurosensors XV. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59497-7_163
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59497-7_163
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42150-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59497-7
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