Large Displacement Polymer Bimorph Actuator for Out-of-Plane Motion

Abstract

A new thermal bimorph actuator for large out-of-plane displacement is designed, fabricated and tested. The deflecting beam is composed of polyimide, heater, and polyvinyl difluorides with tetrafluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE). The large difference of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of two polymer layers (polyimide and PVDF-TrFE) can generate a significant deflection with relatively small temperature rise. Compared to the most conventional micro actuators based on MEMS (micro-electro mechanical system) technology, a large displacement, over 1 mm at 20 mW, could be achieved. Additionally, we can achieve response time of 14.6 ms, resonance frequency of 12 Hz, and reliability ability of 105 cycles. The proposed actuator can find applications where a large vertical displacement is needed while maintaining compact overall device size, such as a micro zooming lens, micro mirror, micro valve and optical application.