Microactuators

Abstract

This chapter provides the information necessary to understand the capabilities and limitations of existing electrically operated microactuators so that a microactuator can be selected or designed for a specific application and set of design constraints. It begins by providing introductory information about the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), with the specific perspective of microactuator development. A brief but broad discussion of the transduction mechanisms used by microactuators is presented. Microactuators based on electromechanical transduction mechanisms are then described and analyzed, and specific examples are cited. References to published work are provided as existence proofs and for in-depth study of the individual cases. © 2006 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.