Active Microgripper Interface Used in Microassembly of MEMS

This paper describes the design of an active microgripper interface used in the assembly of three-dimensional MEMS (micro electromechanical systems) microstructures. The interface connects a robotic manipulator to a 3-pad active microgripper. Electric current is transmitted to the interface by bonding its pads to the robotic manipulator using standard tungsten probes. The interface is integrated with a hinged microstructure that is rotated by a 170deg angle causing the hinge plane to get in contact with the interface small pads. The interface, bonded to the robotic manipulator, is used to grasp the smaller active microgrippers. An interlocking mechanism is introduced to the interface to lock the microgripper and prevent it from sliding. The inverted hinged structure operates as a bridge that connects the microgripper pads to the robotic manipulator probes enabling the transmission of current. This allows the active microgripper to act as both an actuator and as a feedback sensor. The interface highly improves the interchangeability properties of the microgrippers, where replacing damaged microgrippers is easily performed and the setup time and effort would be significantly reduced. This paper is a part of an ongoing work which involves the automation of the assembly of MEMS, used to construct out-of-plane 3D microstructures