Polysilicon microgripper

A polysilicon, electrostatic, comb-drive microgripper has been designed, fabricated, and tested. Its main features are a flexible, cantilever comb-drive arm with a bidirectional actuation scheme and an overrange protector. Three different electromechanical models are developed and, along with fabrication constraints, are employed to design the microgripper and to simulate its performance. Experiments have demonstrated that a gripping range of 10 mu m can be accommodated with an applied potential of 20 V. The motion dependence on drive voltage has been measured and compared with model prediction. The gripper motion is observed to be smooth, stable, and controllable. Measurements were made up to the maximum of the voltage source (50 V).<>