Suppression of pull-in instability in MEMS using a high-frequency actuation

We study the effect of a high-frequency AC tension on the pull-in instability induced by a DC tension in a microelectromechanical system. The microstructure is modelled as a single-degree-of-freedom system. The method of direct partition of motion is used to split the fast and slow dynamics. Analysis of steady-states of the slow dynamic enables us to depict the effect of the AC voltage on the pull-in. The main result of this paper indicates that it is possible to suppress the electrostatically induced pull-in instability for a range of values of the amplitude and the frequency of the high-frequency AC.