Title :
Integrated silicon-PDMS process for microrobot mechanisms
Author :
Gerratt, Aaron P. ; Penskiy, Ivan ; Bergbreiter, Sarah
Author_Institution :
Mech. Eng. Dept., Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
Abstract :
The first MEMS process integrating soft elastomers in a standard silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer without assembly has been demonstrated for use in microrobotic mechanisms. This process allows silicon and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) features to be defined in-plane with feature sizes down to 2 μm. Test structures have been used to characterize the Young´s modulus of the resulting PDMS at 1.4 MPa along with adhesion to silicon structures. In addition, compliant flexures have been designed, fabricated and characterized for eventual use in microrobot legs. Test structures have been mechanically folded 180° out of plane over 60 times without failure.
Keywords :
Young´s modulus; elastomers; microrobots; silicon; silicon-on-insulator; MEMS; SOI wafer; Young´s modulus; compliant flexure; microrobot mechanism; poly(dimethylsiloxane); silicon-PDMS process; silicon-on-insulator; soft elastomer; Actuators; Energy storage; Fabrication; Leg; Legged locomotion; Micromechanical devices; Robotic assembly; Robots; Robustness; Silicon;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2010 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Anchorage, AK
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-5038-1
Electronic_ISBN :
1050-4729
DOI :
10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509653
