Lorentz force torsional actuator with embedded nickel structures

This study presents a Lorentz force torsional actuator design consisting of a Si-Ni compound frame. The proposed actuator design employs Si mold to simultaneously electroplate/pattern Ni, and the Ni and Si structures respectively provide electric routing and superior mechanical properties. As compare with the traditional design (Al wire routing on Si substrate), the thick Si-Ni compound structure could accommodate more turns and further increase the efficiency of Lorentz force at the same input current and device feature size. Moreover, the Si-Ni compound frame is nearly symmetric about the torsional axis, the proposed design reduces the wobble motion. The measurement results show that the wobble displacement of proposed design is only 52 nm as the optical scan angle is 20°. Comparing with the existing designs, the wobble displacement is decreased to 55% by the proposed design.