Rib-reinforced micromachined beam and its applications

Abstract

The stiffness of a micromachined beam is usually restricted to the thickness of the thin-film materials. In this research, the rib-reinforced beam is proposed to increase the bending stiffness of thin-film micromachined structures. The increase of the bending stiffness of micromachined cantilevers has been demonstrated through analytical and experimental approaches. The fabrication processes required for the structure are compatible with the standard bulk micromachining processes. The primary contribution of the proposed design is that it can remarkably increase the bending stiffness of the micromachined structure without changing the thickness of the films. Hence, the design of the micromachined structure becomes more flexible. In application of the rib-reinforced structure, a micromachined lever mechanism is also designed and fabricated.