Large stroke miniaturized dielectric elastomer actuators

We report on miniaturized diaphragm dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) capable of vertical displacement up to 25% of their diameter. Low-energy metal ion implantation was used to create patternable and compliant gold electrodes on both sides of suspended 30 mum thick silicone (PDMS) membranes. This technique enables the microfabrication of bucking-mode actuators capable of out-of-plane displacement of up to 500 mum for 2 mm diameter devices at high frequency (>1 kHz). Device speed is limited by the resonant frequency of the device, not by visco-elastic effects or electrical considerations. This represents the largest percentage and fastest displacement of miniaturized DEAs reported to date.