Title :
Novel electrothermally actuated magnetostatic bistable microrelay for telecommunication applications
Author :
Staab, M. ; Schlaak, H.F.
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Electromech. Design, Tech. Univ. Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Abstract :
A new energy efficient latching micro relay is presented. Its design and production process allows a subsequent industrial realization. Concerning its large contact travel (100 μm) and large contact force (12.4 mN) corresponding to a low contact resistance (33.8 mOhm for gold/gold contacts), the micro relay is well suited for matrices in telecommunication applications. The MEMS relay (3.6 × 5.8 × 0.25 mm3) is produced using a surface micromachining process with AZ 9260, AZ nXT 125 and SU-8 2025 UV lithography and micro electroplating of copper and nickel. The integration of the electrical path and the magnetostatic bistable mechanism enables fast switching (<; 8 ms), although the actuation is performed by electrothermal actuators.
Keywords :
contact resistance; electroplating; micromachining; microrelays; ultraviolet lithography; MEMS relay; UV lithography; contact resistance; electrothermal actuators; electrothermally actuated magnetostatic bistable microrelay; energy efficient latching microrelay; micro electroplating; surface micromachining process; telecommunication applications; Actuators; Contacts; Magnetic flux; Magnetostatics; Microrelays; Nickel;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), 2011 IEEE 24th International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Cancun
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-9632-7
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.2011.5734662
