Analysis of the dynamic behavior of a doped silicon U-shaped electrothermal actuator

The dynamic behavior of a U-shaped electrothermal actuator is investigated in this paper based on experimental findings and FEM simulations. Few previous works are found in the literature that have addressed the dynamic response of U-shaped actuators. A lack of data on the transient displacement of the actuator in the heating and cooling cycles is noted. Experiments are made in order to characterize the dynamic response of the actuator. The actuators are micro-fabricated on doped SOI wafers and the displacement is recorded with a high speed camera. FEM simulations are in good agreement with the experimental findings. Simulations and experiments show that the shape of displacement follows evolution of the temperature distribution inside the actuator. The influence of the dynamic behavior on the control of the actuator is finally discussed.